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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that £10 is not enough for babysitting......

73 replies

floramckitchen · 10/09/2011 16:09

last night my dd babysat for the two kids next door (10 and 5 yo boys). She arrived at 6:30pm and left at midnight. She was only paid £10 which I thought was a bit tight..... or aibu?

OP posts:

RitaMorgan · 10/09/2011 18:43

I'd pay £5 for a teenager - I pay £6 for a nursery nurse.

myBOYSareBONKERS · 10/09/2011 18:46

I pay £5 an hour and take them home afterwards as I dont drink

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 10/09/2011 18:46

We pay £5 an hour (although babysitter's mum suggested we pay less than that).

Swarski · 10/09/2011 18:47

We pay a 15 year old about £5 an hour...

DrCoconut · 10/09/2011 18:56

I used to get £15 for covering a night out back in 1994 - 5!

Casmama · 10/09/2011 19:04

I think I would go next door and be very apologetic and say " I think you must have given dd a ten pound note by accident, I have told her that I'm sure you meant to give her a twenty pound note for five and a half hours work but she is too embarrased to ask so I just thought I would let you know" and a big cheesy grin.

troisgarcons · 10/09/2011 19:12

pigletmania he's available for rent - quite cheaply, if you provide an xbox!!!

Oh I do have a funny story about baby sitting - I admit I read it somewhere so can't claim it as mine! Girl goes to baby sit, is given the run down of the do's and don't's for the evening. Goes to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee and finds a list of things to do.

Fast forward a couple of hours, parents come home. Mum says "oh the ironing hasn't been done".... baby sitter says "no, the maid didn't turn up"

Cute retort I thought!

Patsy99 · 10/09/2011 19:26

YANBU. I was ripped off to the tune of £1200 before I learned to be assertive when dealing with money, your daughter's got off fairly lightly here. "Can we discuss money" is a very useful phrase before agreeing to do anything.

The neighbours deserve a visit from the Ghost of Christmas Future, the one where they're stuck at home night after night because no-one's prepared to babysit for them.

breatheslowly · 10/09/2011 19:33

The nursery nurses at DD's nursery ask for £7-8 ph, so I would expect to pay about £5 ph for someone without the nursery background.

mummyzoe2012 · 10/09/2011 19:48

back in 2004/05 i use to get 10ph for looking after two children both in bed by 8.30 and use to do occasional overnight stays with them when i still got 10 ph there was perks of having a snack but if i wanted pizza or anything i had to buy it my self which was a good deal. i started at 4.50ph and as the kids got a bond it was upped and hit 10ph whist i was doing my exams.

JustAnother · 10/09/2011 19:53

That is so tight. I pay my 16yo neighbour £4 per hour and I think that's quite cheap. I wouldn't go there again

IceCreamCastles · 10/09/2011 20:07

That is pretty tight. I would have got £15-20 for that sort of shift 15 years ago! Plus drinks and snacks.

Def renegotiate next time

pointydog · 10/09/2011 20:21

Business lesson number 1: sort out you r pay in advance

Sleepglorioussleep · 10/09/2011 20:34

I pay qualified babysitters £6-7 per hour, unqualified £4-5 per hour and pay my friends in homemade cake, child free telly and reciprocal babysitting!

Bue · 10/09/2011 20:37

I made at least twice that 15 years ago! I am actually really POed on your daughter's behalf, that's terrible.

pointythings · 10/09/2011 20:42

So tight you wouldn't get a size zero into it. Don't let her go again unless pay is a lot better - either £5/hour or £4 plus snacks and drinks.

pointydog · 10/09/2011 20:45

Minimum wage for 16/17 yr old is under £4 an hour.

If under 16, the apprentice rate is about £2.50 an hour.

nooka · 10/09/2011 21:09

I guess the lesson for your dd is a) negotiate up front, and b) don't sit for that family again.

I would have expected at least £25 for that long. It's sole care so I don't see that comparison with apprentices is very relevant. In any case usually it's based on the going rate (ie what other babysitters are prepared to accept).

UniS · 10/09/2011 22:58

I'd be paying 15 quid for that evening. Mind you I offer our regular teenage babysitter 15 quid for any evening 7- midnight, some she wins and we are home by 10.30 some we don;t get home till 11.50. We get boy ready for bed and she reads him a story or two says night night, turns light off and he goes to sleep, she then has a few hours on teh internet or doing her homework or txting friends.

In this village 15 quid is going rate for a teen, older sitters ( grannys mainly) ask for more, typically 5 an hour.

CardyMow · 11/09/2011 01:24

YANBU, OP. I was getting £3 an hour when I was doing babysitting at 15yo - which was 15 YEARS ago. If I wanted a babysitter now, I would expect to have to pay at least £5 an hour, and more if I was out past midnight.

petisa · 11/09/2011 01:24

YANBU I'd be paying 20 quid and I'm skint, but any less is stingy imo. Tis the going rate round here.

kerrymumbles · 11/09/2011 01:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

grumplestilskin · 11/09/2011 01:32

so tight! ours gets £5 an hour for one child (who is always sleeping when she babysits) and lift or taxi home if needed on top of that. Plus snacks left out and wifi

(we don't go out much! but IMO if you can't pay a fair amount then stay in!)

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