to think teenagers should be cheaper than qualified people?

[Topofthepopicles]

We regularly use an agency for babysitting and have a level 3 qualified registered childminder who is in her 50s babysit for us.
She is fab, but for times when we are (literally) down the road we’d love to have a cheaper babysitter in their teens. Our children have never woken up in their sleep and are in bed by the time we go out. We could literally be home in 5minutes.

Loads of people advertising their teenager sons and dds are available for babysitting on Facebook (obviously would check them out first) but AIBU to think teens these days expect a lot!
So have 3 I have casually enquired about have want more or the same as the agency rate I pay for our qualified, experienced babysitter!

I am not that old and babysat a lot in my teens - I never expected the (equivalent) rate these teens expect.

Are people going to book them? Are they out of touch or is it me who is BU?

(For record even though this is AIBU I am not in a fury and will just carry on using our babysitter - so no drama 😁)

My sons school teachers offer babysitting - fully qualified, safeguard trained, first aid trained prep school teachers: £8.50ph.

Yanbu.

I used to get £10 a hour in 2009, which in retrospect is insanely generous. Fifty quid to watch TV!

The Cornish catering economy is currently being run by year 11 & 13 (16 & 18 year old) being paid £5 per hour, one place pays £6.50 but you only get a two or three hour shift. The fancy outdoor wedding catering company pays £8.00 but doesn't pay for travel time, most of the venues are at least one hour each way.

Please tip lots and don't pass on covid.

I’d love to see other examples of jobs teenagers are doing for 15 quid an hour. I used to babysit of an evening for a tenner. So 2 2-50 an hour. I also worked in an chippie for 2.80 an hour and that was hot, knackering work. Waitressing was 3 quid an hour bit more with tips. Average teenager round here would be lucky to get 5ph in a chippie. 8-9ph working in a supermarket or waitressing or less if they follow minimum wage structure for age.

The teenagers we use charge £5 an hour - and that's with 3 children who are up and expecting to be entertained until 9pm ish so not an easy gig! We do always round it up thought and give a minimum of £20.

Jesus, I'm a qualified nurse and on under £15 p/h! That is a ridiculous rate for a teenage babysitter.

There is a lot of responsibility involved which should be recognised surely.

That's highly unlikely to happen though isn't it? I used to babysit for years as a teen, as did all my friends, my own dc did as well. None of them ever had any drama.

@AwaAnBileYerHeid was just thinking that myself...maybe worth doing a few neighbour babysitting shifts rather than doing an extra twilight shift. Certainly less stressful!

@gogohm

Supply and demand! assuming they are under 18 I think the minimum wage is around £7 an hour but if they are asking more then they either don't want to work or have plenty of clients

Minimum wage for under 18s is £4.62 an hour 😁

I wouldn't pay an under 17 that rate, because I simply don't think under 17's are generally mature enough to look after babies and young children.

@pleasedonttextmyman

Less than £10 an hour for a teen babysitter is insulting frankly. £15 is a bit high, but if the demand is there, why not.

I am always so shocked at how tights people are about childcare (in general, not an attack against the OP). Spend a fortune with your cleaner, your hairdresser, your nail technician, window cleaner.. fine.

Giving more than a tip for someone giving up their time to look after your children? Seriously. It's embarrassing.

When they get less than a fiver for any other job, it really isn't. I paid ours £8/hour when she was 17 and pay her £19/hour now she's 18.

My children are in bed or take themselves off. She does nothing but sit and watch telly.

Wow. I have relatives in childcare/done it myself and we all charge between £10-12 an hour and that's based on experience and qualifications. £15 an hour is ridiculous for an inexperienced teenager.

When they get less than a fiver for any other job, it really isn't.

it really isn't that relevant. People pay more for their dogs than their own children!

£5 an hour for the neighbour's 10 year old "helping and babysitting" (under supervision obviously), fine.

A teen? no.

They can ask for what they want, you can tell them to jog on. They’ll soon get a reality check when it keeps happening.

Wow I'm an adult who works with children (though no childcare qualifications) and I only charge £9 an hour for evening babysitting. People round here pay £5 or £6 for a teenager!

My 15 year old is getting paid £7.50 an hour to take kids out to the park so mum can get work done. Much more hands-on than evening babysitting when they're mostly asleep. I also think when minimum wage for under 18s is £4.62 an hour, £7.50 is pretty good.

@pleasedonttextmyman

I was paid £10 an hour as a teen, and that was a couple of decades ago!

I wouldn't let my own teen be taken for a mug and give 4 hours of their time for £10 or £20 - if it's a regular weekly arrangement, it's different, but £5 an hour is a joke.

As more girls than boys are babysitting, it's a good lesson not to be taken for a mug and not accept low rates because people expect everything for nothing.

£10+ rate is the standard around here, and that sounds fair on both sides.

Exactly my point!! It’s not the teenagers it’s the parents of the teenagers!!!!

@Topofthepopicles

I guess I just have quite minimal expectations of a teen babysitter. 1) they don’t trash the house 2) they ring 999 in an emergency 3) if kids wake up/are ill then they call me and I come home within 10minutes (I would literally 5 mins away).

Same expectations here. I pay £6 but always round it up to the nearest £5, and I pay for the Uber and snacks

I pay teenage neighbour £5 an hour to hang out with / entertain kids while I work from home. This is more than minimum wage for their age and it’s four doors down so no travel etc for them. I’d pay £12-20 for a qualified adult childcarer.

DD earns about £10 ph for babysitting.

Pre and post lockdowns she has more work than she can take on so it’s supply and demand.

Well I guess @pleasedonttextmyman your kid isn't going to get much work. My babysitter is always super busy

I think £5 per hour or £20 for the evening which ever is more is perfectly adequate and actually quite generous for teens.

I certainly wouldn’t be paying an inexperienced 14 year old £15 per hour. At that age I’d make sure the kids we fed and in bed so they wouldn’t have to actually do much but be there to raise the alarm in case of emergency. If the baby sitter was 16+ and getting the kids to bed I may be willing to pay a little more, but no way as much as those teens seem to be asking.

Less than £10 an hour for a teen babysitter is insulting frankly. In that case there's an awful lot of people on minimum wage who are being far more insulted.

£15 an hour cash in hand? They’re having a laugh that’s more than a staff nurse (and they have to pay tax). I’d have said half that amount

Simple microeconomics. Would look harder for a capable teen willing to babysit for your preferred rate.