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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

How much do you pay a teenage babysitter

26 replies

Rhubarbcrumblerules · 03/09/2020 14:05

Just that really, DD16 may have the opportunity to babysit for a local family occasionally, young children but not sure how young yet or what the requirements are but approx 4-5 hours in the evening. Anyone any idea of the going rate? I'm clueless - she doesnt want to over or under charge. I was thinking around £6 an hour - maybe a little more after midnight? AIBU?

OP posts:
sunshineandshowers21 · 03/09/2020 14:10

i don’t know any babysitters that charge by the hour. i pay my sitters £30 plus leave money for a takeaway, and then get in some snacks and pop.

contrmary · 03/09/2020 14:14

£6-10 per hour seems reasonable so you're at the lower end. It depends how much actual work is involved. If it's just being there in case the baby wakes up it's one thing, but another if she's expected to entertain older children.

AnathemaPulsifer · 03/09/2020 14:14

My teens charge £6 per hour and are very grateful when clients round up.

Potterpotterpotter · 03/09/2020 14:15

I’d say £30 is about fair.

daisypond · 03/09/2020 14:18

It really depends where you live. My teen gets £10 an hour, which I think is great.

TheWashingMachine · 03/09/2020 14:23

My DD's school have a baby sitting service, senior pupils can join up and be put on a roster to provide baby sitting recommended rate is £9. I usually pay £10 to ours.

Bigpaintinglittlepainting · 03/09/2020 14:24

Wow I pay £5 an hour ! That’s the going rate round here

Mushypeasandchipstogo · 03/09/2020 14:27

We forked out £8 an hour but that was about 10 years ago in London suburbs. We were more than happy to pay someone who was reliable and good with the children.

FudgeBrownie2019 · 03/09/2020 14:29

I do £10 an hour and always round it up. Our babysitter is amazing, though, and despite being at University and having her own life she's always happy to come and see the DC. I'd pay more if she asked for it, to be honest, because as @Mushypeasandchipstogo says, someone reliable and great with DC is worth their weight in gold.

Alexandernevermind · 03/09/2020 14:30

Definately agree a minimum charge. I used to babysit many moons ago in the late 80's! I charged £1 per hour (gosh I'm old), I had to sit for 3 young children for 30 minutes once whilst the parents work / meetings overlapped. They gave me 50p!! One night another couple asked me to stay overnight to sit their children. They asked what time I went to sleep and only paid me until then! Grin

ChanceEncounter · 03/09/2020 14:32

I used to get £30 25 years ago so surely not less than that now! Wow, that was a great job.

RowboatsinDisguise · 03/09/2020 14:32

When I used to babysit, I was paid £8PH and did the ironing!

honeylulu · 03/09/2020 14:40

We used to pay £10 ph. It meant there was always someone willing! That was on a no extras basis (we didn't provide food or taxi fares on top which we used to when we paid less).

Now my eldest is nearly 16 he babysits and gets a flat £20 for the evening. He doesn't have to really do anything except stay home so it's less than we'd pay an outsider but minimal inconvenience for him. Both parties happy!

Original poster
Rhubarbcrumblerules · 03/09/2020 15:04

@ChanceEncounter

I used to get £30 25 years ago so surely not less than that now! Wow, that was a great job.
Wow, £30 25 years ago is apparently worth £68 now so not bad going ChanceEncounter. I used to babysit as a teenager in the 80's, around £2 an hour i think.

Thanks for the input everyone, mixed amounts but something to go on. do the parents usually suggest what to pay or do the teenagers say what they charge? Yet to find out how much work is involved so will go from there.

OP posts:
lioncitygirl · 03/09/2020 15:07

£15/hr and then we buy dinner/snacks on top.

ChanceEncounter · 03/09/2020 15:10

@Rhubarbcrumblerules

They were super generous, and the child was lovely too!

Rainallnight · 03/09/2020 15:16

Depends where you are but we’re in London and pay £10 per hour.

I don’t think this is a bad moment for DD to start practising naming her rate. I employed three young women in various domestic capacities after lockdown needed and all three were awful at just saying what they expected to be paid. We should help young women more with this.

WhatATimeToBeAlive · 03/09/2020 15:27

£15/hr and then we buy dinner/snacks on top.

Can I come and work for you please?!

Original poster
Rhubarbcrumblerules · 03/09/2020 16:22

@Rainallnight

Depends where you are but we’re in London and pay £10 per hour.

I don’t think this is a bad moment for DD to start practising naming her rate. I employed three young women in various domestic capacities after lockdown needed and all three were awful at just saying what they expected to be paid. We should help young women more with this.

good point, although i do think she's aim quite high! I'll have to knock her back from £20 per hour Grin
OP posts:
Bryyy · 03/09/2020 16:25

Not the same but I'm trying to get a mother's help and she wants £9ph

ZeldaSmelda · 03/09/2020 16:36

Wow I used to babysit loads when I was a teenager and I used to get paid a fiver for the whole evening, so about 7pm-3am. They were totally taking advantage of me and I can remember one night they had no money left to pay for a taxi fair home (I lived about a 15 minute walk away) so literally forced the taxi that had dropped them off to take my home for free. He wouldn’t take me all the way home so dropped me off a 5 minute walk away and I had to walk home alone at 3am. My mum went mad.

Another family I used to babysit for would let all their mates drop their kids off as well so I’d be in charge of up to 8 kids. At the end of the night (again about 3am) they’d pool the change in their pockets to pay me so it would vary from
About 3 quid to 15 Confused.

It’s so much better now babysitters/teenagers are being paid fairly

Twizzleisadancer · 03/09/2020 16:41

what the hell £15 an hour! Insanity!

I would typically get about £30 for an evening. I used to babysit mostly for a family with a little boy of about 2 who would normally be in bed and an older girl of 11 who just needed the company really. Was also across road from my house so was more than happy with this :)

teenagers who babysit shouldn't have any significant responsibility to provide active care tbh - more supervising and being there whilst sleeping is fine but anymore than that its probably better to get a qualified adult babysitter x

Baaaahhhhh · 03/09/2020 16:45

DD asked for £8/hr but she gets £10/hr, because there are four kids, and they are "challenging". She got £70 one night, as they were late home, she was very, very, pleased.

Original poster
Rhubarbcrumblerules · 04/09/2020 05:54

Thanks all, we've gone for £30 for the evening

OP posts:
Grannyspecsandslippers · 04/09/2020 06:38

In south east teens get £5 here but we always round up. For £8 we can get a fully qualified adult, nursery worker or whatever looking for extra cash. If you want your teen busy then I wouldn’t go for more than £5/6 an hour. We wouldn’t go very far
with a teen in charge - it would be cinema or local pub but with an adult we’d go further or stay out later. Kids would be all ready for bed( they like to see the sitter) and there’s be little to do.
Friends daughter starting sitting at 15/16 but wanted £8 an hour and the DD driven or brought home and she could only do til 11. They lived 2 streets away. She had virtually no takers! The last thing most adults want to do is pay for a taxi or arrange for the sitter to get home after a night out.
Anyone saying oh, it’s priceless having your kids looked after- £100 an hour sounds fair! Are ignoring the fact that adding £50 babysitting on top of a cinema trip or pubs drinks with mates would put many parents off.