Would you pay for babysitter Taxi?

[iceycage]

Hi all so I'm not a Mum but babysit now and then for extra cash and wanted some insight from mums as I've asked fellow nanny/babysitter friends who may be giving me different answers !

So I'm meant to be babysitting tonight. Where I live the main roads are fine but side roads are awful with black ice etc. Both me and the family live down side roads. I'm admittedly a bit of a whimp about Driving especially as I only passed my test last spring so this is my first winter. I really don't want to let her down though as she's in a band and performing tonight so I'd feel awful if she missed her gig. I'm thinking of ordering a taxi to pick me up from my nearest main road which is about a 15 minute walk away, and the same coming back.

should I ask to be reimbursed for this or not as it's my choice to get the taxi? I'm being told there's no harm in asking, but if I cancelled all together I'd obviously earn nothing tonight whereas even if I have to fork out for a cab I'll still be money up. If you were in this situation as a parent what would your thoughts be?

Well considering she is probably under the impression you can get yourself there and home, but you are choosing not to, I think it would be unreasonable to expect her to pay for taxis. That said I would let her know your aren't happy driving and see if she offers to pay for it. Or maybe go halves ?

It depends. We now pay our sitters £10 per hour but that's on a "no extras" basis. So we don't provide food or transport. Husband willing to walk local ones home though. If we are going out of town the sitter fee is often £50 for the evening so taxi fares as well would be too much!

If we paid £5 an hour I'd definitely be willing to add a taxi as well.

I'm babysitting tonight. Walked. No way would I expect to be reimbursed for a taxi, and I'd not be impressed as a parent if a babysitter asked me-I'd rather they cancelled tbh. I'd pay it because I hate awkwardness but I'd not ask them to sit again.

I would expect to pay for your transport.

I’ve paid £10 per hour, got them an oven pizza and a taxi home. Our babysitters have been staff at DS’ nursery and I expect £10 an hour is consistent with what they get paid there. We pay our cleaner the same so it would be weird to pay them less to look after our PFB and I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happened to them on the way home. I get them to text me when they get in too

Nope

Good lord....all those people paying for taxis as well as hourly rates...that could be anywhere in upwards of £60 or £70 just for the sitter 😮 I'm agog!! I'd never be able to afford to actually go out if I was paying that as well as actually going out costs! I'd have to save up for months 😳😳 (I'm not even joking 😢😢)

I wouldn't pay in your case no. If I hired a teenager who I knew couldn't drive and I was responsible for them getting home safely then absolutely no problem. But she didn't, she hired an adult that drives but doesn't want to drive, suck up your own taxi fair or drive, why should anyone else pay? I would think you were super cheeky

Yes, I pay our 18 yr old babysitter (who works at DC's wraparound) £10 ph, plus food, ar least another £10 tip and pay for her taxi home. She's reliable, punctual, wonderful with the kids (she baked a cake with them last time she came) and doesn't bat an eyelid when we come home squiffy.

It ends up costing as much as the night out but we go our very rarely and she's worth it.

I don’t really use babysitters but I would have thought if your charging an hourly rate it would be your own responsibility to get to & back from work.

For example, if you were working in Tesco and had to get a taxi into work would you expect them to reimburse you?

I wouldn’t .

How would you have got home if it wasn't snowing? I would expect you to get back via how you always get back - if usually you drive I would expect you to do that unless you were snowed in.

I don't really see it as being more helpful to get a taxi, if driving is risky then taking a taxi doesn't avoid the risk.

I would personally offer a taxi in bad weather, but I would think it cheeky if I was asked for one. Did she hire you based in the fact you could drive? Call up and say you may have trouble getting the car out your street so aren't sure if you can make it- and see what she says.

Our babysitters have been staff at DS’ nursery and I expect £10 an hour is consistent with what they get paid there

I was thinking that nursery workers would get less than £10 and hour? I don't know though

Yeah I pay taxis for non drivers on top of wages and would be happy to pay yours in this situation.

I used to be a nanny and would often babysit on weekends. I would make my own way over there but my bosses always, always covered my taxi home. I would do the same if I was the employer.

Thanks all well I didn't ask, but she paid anyway which was really nice.

I'm surprised by the amount of people saying it's cheeky to ask. Surely it's better I get myself there than cancel which means she'd have to cancel her gig letting her band and paying audience down? No one in my area was driving as the side roads were so awful which is why I walked to the nearest main road to get my cab. a lot of people in my situation would've just cancelled the job so I can't feel bad for making an effort to make sure her night wasn't ruined

Givemesteel if it wasn't snowing I'd drive, of course. I feel I've missed something in your question?

Givemesteel also I'm not sure how getting a taxi doesn't avoid the risk? I live down a few side roads which were horrendous. No one was driving down them. Of course getting a cab avoids the risk...