to think teenagers should be cheaper than qualified people?

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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 😁)

When I was a teenager (15 years ago) I was babysitting for £20 for a whole night. Fed them, bathed them, got all 3 to bed, stayed over and got up with them in the morning so (very wealthy) parents could have a hungover lie in. I think I was had

£15 an hour for an unqualified, inexperienced teenager to sit watching the tv whilst the kids sleep seems the other extreme of crazy though 🤯

People keep talking about the ‘market’ rate, but teenage babysitting isn’t really a transparent market. You can have two neighbours both employing babysitters, one at £6 and one at £15 per hour…

Realistically, though, the job (for older children) requires virtually no skills and, paper rounds, helping our at shops etc, aged 16, are highly unlikely to pay more than £8 per hour.

If there is any exploitation going on, it is of the parents vastly overpaying.

I’m 42, have an early years degree and all relevant food hygiene/paediatric first aid/full dbs certificate.

I babysit for £10 an hour and so the ironing once children are all in bed!

I’m in Yorkshire and can only assume you’re in London? That’s crazy money!

People keep talking about the ‘market’ rate, but teenage babysitting isn’t really a transparent market. You can have two neighbours both employing babysitters, one at £6 and one at £15 per hour…

true, but teens talk, parents talk, and it's a question coming often on local groups so you can see what the rate is locally roughly, with people paying "between .. and ...".

I have honestly never seen or heard as anthying as low as £5 an hour!

I haven't read the whole thread but have skimmed and got a flavour of it.
I've paid rates like £15 per hour when using an agency if I'm staying in a hotel for eg because I want the security of some checks having taken place.
For babysitters I know personally I pay way less. A teen who's about 15 I'd pay £5 per hour, an 18 year old more. I have one babysitter who's 22 and I pay her £11 per hour.
I always thought I was quite generous and that has been commented on.
£15 as a standard rate to a teenager is crazily high. Pay it if you want to of course but it's not required.
I'm in the south west. I would expect to pay more in London of course.

true, but teens talk, parents talk, and it's a question coming often on local groups so you can see what the rate is locally roughly, with people paying "between .. and ...".

Ah well that’s another issue isn’t it. Similar to how the summer teacher gift donation this year turned out to be £20 per head!! Because one wealthy person set the bar high and everyone else didn’t want to be the skinflint who went ‘what!!!!!?’

if it means people are paid fairly, great!

It's not a present or a bonus, it's paying people for their time. For the same job, why should you be paid less when you are 15 and more the older you get?

Even au-pair who only earn pocket money for their contractual hours are paid a different babysitting rate, it's fair.

It’s not about people being paid fairly. It’s about people not getting paid at all as many parents, including us, just rarely go out unless it’s a special occasion. So teenagers that might have got twenty quid in their pockets now get absolutely nothing.

This does sound like it's more about parents not wanting to appear tight in front of their friends and neighbours than an actual objective assessment of what a teenager's time is worth. I very much doubt all these "it's embarrassing" people ensure that every person whose time they procure in one way or another are earning at least £10 an hour. I used to babysit in the 1990s for £2 an hour. Still found it preferable to paperround and shop work.

People keep talking about the ‘market’ rate, but teenage babysitting isn’t really a transparent market. You can have two neighbours both employing babysitters, one at £6 and one at £15 per hour…

It is absolutely about the market. They are either getting work at that rate, or they're not. Equally parents are either paying that rate, or they're not.

À really astute teenager would now come in with a price offer of a tenner an hour. And again, the others will either match that or not get work until that one is all booked.

What care workers, CEOs or astronauts earn has zero effect or relevance to the teenage baby-sitter market. The only relevant thing is when the two price ideas match.

It's really really basic economics

Well they're not getting work from the OP, that's clear. She's continuing to use her qualified childminder. I've made similar decisions in the past - I've either used nursery staff (who were £10 an hour albeit some years ago) or swapped favours with friends.

We are in South East
My 15+ teens charge £6/ hour babysitting - including putting children to bed and bedtime stories (not babies though)

That's the going rate in our area- not childminding which is charged at £7-10/ hour - depending on childminder

@FreeBritnee

It’s not about people being paid fairly. It’s about people not getting paid at all as many parents, including us, just rarely go out unless it’s a special occasion. So teenagers that might have got twenty quid in their pockets now get absolutely nothing.

why do you think you are entitled to pay someone for next to nothing because you fancy going out? It doesn't matter what YOU can afford (not you as a person) it's about what people should be paid!

I didn't earn less than £10 an hour when I was babysitting ages ago, I can't see how I could pay less now.

So teenagers that might have got twenty quid in their pockets now get absolutely nothing.
why? it doesn't stop people from going out. The price of drinks doesn't stop pubs from being full either. There's still more demand than takers.

It's a good thing the rate are known around, it stops CF from abusing people. Let's face it, if you pay £2 an hour, kids with a decent allowance won't bother wasting their time. It's the ones really desperate that will accept ridiculous and insulting petty change.

how is that fair?

I don't think it is about basic economics though. I think it's more likely middle class parents with middle class connections are able to command a higher rate for their kids than people whose connections are less affluent, partly because people don't want to come across as tight in front of their friends. Same reason babysitters get perks like posh drinks and food where cleaners, for example, don't often. It's possibly economics, but not simply economics.

£5 an hour for a 16/17 yr old is a more reasonable fee for sitting on sofa watching tv.

partly because people don't want to come across as tight in front of their friends.

Loving the goady comment, but not everyone is like MN posters too shy to say no or having to keep with the Joneses..

@FreeBritnee

It’s not about people being paid fairly. It’s about people not getting paid at all as many parents, including us, just rarely go out unless it’s a special occasion. So teenagers that might have got twenty quid in their pockets now get absolutely nothing.

That completely depends where you live.

Here there are so few teens babysitting that as soon as they have a space free they get snapped up.

One of the reasons DD1 is home from uni for the summer is because she can make more babysitting than working in a bar or shop.

If they weren’t making any money, or weren’t making what they wanted, they’d cut their prices. If they’re not cutting prices then their either busy, or it’s not worth the money for them to do it for less.

DD charges a lot for babysitting on New Year’s Eve which means she only babysits every other year for one family. Loads of people use the “well I’d pay you x, but not y so you’ll just be getting nothing” and really struggle to understand that if she’s not earning what she wants then she’d rather be at home or out with mates. It’s also why on normal weekends she always had a minimum charge of three hours - it wasn’t worth it, to her, missing a night with her mates for less. The same goes for teens on a Friday or Saturday night.

I sued to sit for £10 a night plus snacks. All I had to do was sit on the sofa and watch tv then the couple walked me home as just down the road.

Crikey I would be happy if I had teens for them to get £20 quid for the evening esp if kids are already in bed and don't usually wake.

£15/h for a teenager is rediculous. At that age, for sleeping children, around nmw for the age is reasonable.

I felt lucky to get £8-10/h as a student in my 20s with DBs and first aid training. Granted that was around 2010, but inflation hasn't been that much.

@pleasedonttextmyman

partly because people don't want to come across as tight in front of their friends.

Loving the goady comment, but not everyone is like MN posters too shy to say no or having to keep with the Joneses..

Wasn't really meant to be goady. Just an observation, as not sure why babysitting would attract a higher rate than other jobs like waitressing and cleaning. I think it must be because it relies on connections as much as skill. You'd pay a friend's teen over a stranger even if they were charging more because they come with a recommendation of sorts. That's why I don't think it's simply about economics. It's about social capital. And teens value their time highly because they are being subsidised by their parents for their basic needs and quite a lot more. Middle class teens more so.

I don't think it is about basic economics though. I think it's more likely middle class parents with middle class connections are able to command a higher rate for their kids than people whose connections are less affluent, partly because people don't want to come across as tight in front of their friends

Is it the same poster saying this? It's am absolutely bizarre statement. I babysat about 3 times as a teen because I don't like children very much. One was a very sleepy baby for twice the usual rate on the NYE I had just split from my boyfriend. One was daytime for a few hours at a house with a pool in hot summer (I'm a qualified life saver) for two 10 year Olds. The last time was for a horrible kid at a family with a fantastic stereo system and great taste in music. Any other requests were met with "no thanks" and a ridiculous price if they pestered. No parental involvement

Yeah I'd say £20 for 3 hours, 4 hours £25 and anything longer or beyond midnight maybe £35. There's no way a teenager should get £45 for 3 hours sitting in someone else's house watching TV! I babysat a lot as a teenager and can't remember payment exactly but probably got around £10 for the entire evening circa 1989. The evening could range from 2 or 3 hours to 4 or more
That and a help yourself to anything from the fridge! With inflation I would say £25 is good for 3 hours of a teenagers time.

When you pay for a babysitter you are really paying them for working anti-social hours and not being able to go out on a Saturday night like everyone else.

Regardless of whether they have a childcare qualification, they are still giving up their Saturday night, so yes, I'd say it was fair.

what I find amusing is people who think they should pay what they feel like paying

I hope it's a lesson for teens to agree an hourly rate before committing!