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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Cost of baby sitting

376 replies

Niloufes · 18/05/2016 13:07

Our baby sister recently told us that she is putting her costs up to minimum wage per hour, £7.20 an hour. Am i being unreasonable to think this is too much? She comes round when our 3 year old daughter is asleep and waits until we get home. Only once has she woken up and needed a drink and so the sitter is just sitting watching tv the rest of the time. Is this a normal amount to pay? we paid £6 before. aibu?

OP posts:
Marynary · 20/05/2016 16:29

I would expect to be called, but if the child had been left exactly where they were with no care or cleaning up attempted by the babysitter on the basis that they are just paid to be there and call you, are you really saying that it wouldnt bother you?

I would expect them to be sympathetic to the child but I absolutely would not expect them to clean up however much they were paid. I would expect them to phone me so I could go back.

arethereanyleftatall · 20/05/2016 16:48

Lol, iggi! Good point. It's such a nonsense argument.

feathermucker · 20/05/2016 17:05

If she's good, reliable and you trust her, pay it!

Bogeyface · 20/05/2016 17:23

I would never leave them with a weird cold hearted babysitter who wouldn't shift from her place on the sofa and shout upstairs "tough luck your parents are only paying me £6 ph sort yourself out". I would expect them to go upstairs, make sympathetic noises and ring us up.

But given that as some people are saying that you are only paying them to sit on the sofa, if they did just shout up and ring you, then they would only be doing the job you are paying for. You want a caring person who would go over and above then you pay over and above.

arethereanyleftatall · 20/05/2016 17:35

Stop being silly bogey.

arethereanyleftatall · 20/05/2016 17:36

Nobody would do what you are suggesting. And you know it.

Marynary · 20/05/2016 17:37

You want a caring person who would go over and above then you pay over and above.

So you have to pay people lots of money if you want them to act like normal caring human beings do you?Hmm

ZimmieMatNurse · 20/05/2016 18:22

You're paying for a professional person to look after your most valuable 'object' while you're away and you want to pay under the minimum wage......Hmm

StopShoutingAtYourBrother · 20/05/2016 18:25

It's an extra 1.20 an hour. In the scheme of animal night out is this really such a big deal? Not before the minimum wage point

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 20/05/2016 18:27

This thtead is in The Daily Mail now.

SmallestInTheClass · 20/05/2016 18:50

We paid £8 for someone from nursery. Now pay £10 for a very experienced nanny who also does babysitting. Worth every penny as I feel 100% happy to leave my kids with her.

Bogeyface · 20/05/2016 18:54

Stop being silly bogey

Sorry, I didnt realise that you were my mum!

I didnt say that anyone would do that, but the fact is that if the "they are only sitting on the sofa" crowd had this happen would have precisely nothing to complain about.

It just sickens me that when it comes to care of the vulnerable, including children, the sick, elderly and disabled, people seem to want to get the cheapest possible deal and then kick up a stink when they get the absolute basics of care, if that. And ime its often the people who want the cheapest deal that dont stint when spending on themselves.

EchoJuliet · 20/05/2016 19:41

We pay the qualified nursery girls £8 or 9/ hour....

lorilobs · 20/05/2016 19:53

If the babysitter is declaring her income, and paying tax on her self assessment, then I think she can ask for living wage.
If not, and is indeed just making easy cash, i would also object to this cost.
Get a teen, or find a babysitting circle that you pay in 'tokens', you earn more tokens by babysitting each others families.

Rowanhart · 20/05/2016 19:56

Minimum wage is the minimum you can pay someone. Pay the woman.

notthisyear · 20/05/2016 20:04

I don't pay my childminder minimum wage.

OhIfIMust · 20/05/2016 20:17

This thread has been written up on itv.com now: www.itv.com/news/2016-05-20/should-babysitters-be-paid-minimum-wage/

Londonmamabychance · 20/05/2016 20:35

Rates are different across the country I find, bur hehe In London you'd never get anyone for less than 9.50 an hour, and most are 10. I'd say minimum wage is more than fair.

Londonmamabychance · 20/05/2016 20:36

Sorry, meant minimum wage is the minimum you should give her.

Londonmamabychance · 20/05/2016 20:46

..should also say the ones I pay £10 an hour are in their twenties, unqualified but experienced. They do both daytime and evening babysitting, so I don't think, when I use the same ones, that I could ask to pay them less when they babysit in the evening, although I do appreciate it's a lot less effort.

Whatacuriousplan · 20/05/2016 21:03

Whether the child is asleep or not they are responsible for them and if you're not respecting their right to charge a decent rate how can you expect them to take the job seriously?
Regardless of what you think it's still work and the woman deserves at least the minimum wage.
You could say that security guards don't work because they just have to sit there, but I'm sure they get paid properly.

flappingbingowings · 20/05/2016 21:49

If you are too tight to pay a decent wage, you can always leave you kids at home on their own with a microwave dinner

Sara107 · 20/05/2016 23:25

I've never hired a babysitter,dd is 6 now, and looking at the rates people are paying I reckon we won't any time soon. I'm pretty tempted to take it up myself, at these rates 4 or 5 evenings a month would allow me to move to a term time only contract in my day job. The last time I did babysitting was about 20 years ago and I nearly fell over when they gave me £30 for the evening - as a student in Ireland in the 80's it was more like £10, and the classier families were generous with the biscuits. I have to say though that I don't agree totally with many of the comments on here, it isn't a job like any other. As the OP said, it is largely sitting on the sofa, watching TV, reading, studying or whatever, in between exploring the refreshments and a few trips up the stairs to make sure everyone is still breathing. I rarely 'sat' for children who weren't already in bed or ready for bed, it was not childminding. Of course there is a responsibility there in case a child falls ill but it's a fairly small risk that a child will go from healthy to critically ill in the space of a few hours. I am also wondering about the posters talking about their cleaners who earn £10 to £12 pH and their babysitters getting at least as much or more. What sort of incomes do these posters have that they can pay so much for these services? Not that the wages are undeserved, just that I think me and DH have both got decent salaries and I could not afford a cleaner ( and now that I know the going rate, not a sitter either).

arethereanyleftatall · 20/05/2016 23:52

Babysitting isn't the same as a security guard/life guard/any other job where you're sitting waiting for sonething to happen. Because in babysitting you are actually allowed to do whatever you want - tv/ read/ laptop. You can't in any of those other jobs.

Whatacuriousplan · 21/05/2016 00:07

I disagree arethere.
A security guard can sit and read a book and know that they are still also doing their job. A babysitter can watch tv and still be minding the child. They're both waiting for something to happen and you're paying for their ability to act responsibly in that event.
But if you disrespect either of them by failing to pay them the minimum wage what incentive do either have to prioritise the job over their reading or tv watching?

I just wouldn't pay anyone less than the minimum wage, especially an adult. I think it's rude.
What happens if you return home within the hour? Do you give them six pounds?