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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

£10 an hour for babysitting?

149 replies

EmpressOfTheSofa · 28/01/2023 18:40

Is that really the going rate?

I’ve been lucky enough to never really need an evening babysitter but we have a thing coming up that my usual family or older dc can’t help with. I’ve asked around and it looks like a tenner an hour is standard? That would be sixty quid for sitting watching telly all night. I have one 10 year old who will put himself to bed. This is for a local teenager, I’ve had three offers from different kids all at £10 per hour.

If this really is the going rate I’m going to start offering my services! I used to charge half that per child for actual childminding fgs. Am I just out of touch?

OP posts:
Dishwashersaurous · 28/01/2023 20:34

If you don't think that adult needs to do anything then you don't need a babysitter

Orangepolentacake · 28/01/2023 20:34

WhatALotOfAFussAboutNothing · 28/01/2023 19:12

i can’t believe people leave their kids with random older kids! I thought that died out years ago with other things we now know to not be a good idea!

^^

ChampagneLassie · 28/01/2023 20:35

I wouldn't dream of trusting a teenager with responsibility for my DC, I don't think they'd have a clue what to do in an emergency. I pay my daytime nanny (more experienced) £15/hr but I think you can get qualified childcare for £12/hr for babysitting. Checkout childcare. Co. Uk

minorproblem · 28/01/2023 20:36

I ask my 17 year old sister and offer her 15 some nights, 30 others. depends on work really. she's doing me a favour its not a paid exchange, it's more of a thank you.

My other (adult) sister would do it for free but I want to ask the younger one as she doesn't have a job yet.

ChampagneLassie · 28/01/2023 20:37

Heiderose · 28/01/2023 20:06

I've been babysitting for 24 years (professional Nanny for 20) and whilst most babysitting involves just putting the kids to bed (sometimes dinner & bath) then watching tv until the parents come home I've had a whole host of things I've had to deal with over the years. Most parents take a while to get back & that's after you've actually managed to contact them. You'd be surprised how many don't check their phones.

Off the top of my head:
Multiple cases of wet beds, vomiting, nightmares, babies who won't go back to sleep/take a bottle.
Fire alarms going off - one was a fire in the house next door.
Pet dog collapsing - emergency vet needed
Kitten stuck on roof.
5 yr old having an Epileptic seizure.
Baby having febrile seizure - ambulance for that one.
Teenager trying to sneak out.
Estranged husband that turned up demanding to see the kids.

Obviously I do a lot of babysitting & this is over a long period of time but you never actually know which night will be the one you thank god it happened to me now & not back when I was an unexperienced teenager charging £20 a night & a lift home.

This is exactly why I'd only trust an experienced qualified adult

minorproblem · 28/01/2023 20:38

wow reading the responses on here is mad! I trust my 17 year old sister more than I trust both sets of grandparents! The old ones are stuck in their ways whereas the younger ones tend to listen to the rules.

Orangepolentacake · 28/01/2023 20:38

Timeforachangeisitnot · 28/01/2023 19:18

😂I get £8 / hr for dog sitting, & will include a walk in that. I cover holiday lets, where dogs cannot be left unattended, carry insurance and do not expect transport, or human snacks.

I will charge extra after midnight unless we agree beforehand. I am pretty busy in the high season.

It’s MN, people will pay more for their dog sitter than their babysitter

AnotherEmma · 28/01/2023 20:38

Overthebow · 28/01/2023 18:56

We pay £10 per hour, but that’s using the nursery staff who want to babysit, they are obviously trained and have first aid qualifications. I wouldn’t pay £10 per hour for untrained babysitters, but then I would t have anyone babysit who wasn’t first aid trained for kids anyway.

Exactly this. Nursery staff and she doesn't usually have to look after the kids - might have to finish off bedtime but they're usually in bed or if not, 5yo in bed and 2yo in PJs with teeth brushed and just needs story and putting in bed. We asked her rate and she didn't have one so we had to work out how much to pay her and settled on £10 but we round up (depending on how long we've been out) and give her a lift home.

DownInTheDumpster · 28/01/2023 20:39

DahliaMacNamara · 28/01/2023 18:53

£10 and more an hour? Where do I sign up? I'd bring my own car, DBS check and everything.
When I was a teenager, I was lucky to get a fiver for the evening. It was usually less.

More fool you! Drunk dads usually gave me a random wad of cash ranging from £30 to £60 odd for a night babysitting back in the mid noughties! I did live in a wealthy village though Grin

MarshaMelrose · 28/01/2023 20:39

WednesdaysNameIsFullOfWoe · 28/01/2023 20:13

And someone who thinks that what the job involves is both someone who you do not want looking after your children and someone who it’s no surprise is scratching around for money in their sixties.

Show quote history

😁😁😁

Who else lives up your arse besides your own head?
£60 for an evening watching telly. True I'd only come out with £48 but I think that's good money. If I did that twice a month, that would pay my gardener and cleaner. Top.

Orangepolentacake · 28/01/2023 20:40

I also use Bubble and the first thing I do is check they have a DBS and that it is at least vaguely recent. If not, I don’t even look at the rest of their ‘profile’.

spent 9 months making this little person from scratch, put my life at risk for it too, to leave them with a rando taking less than NMW, madness!!!

Annabananna1 · 28/01/2023 20:40

Depends who it is.
There is a 15 year old neighbour who babysits for 2 hours once a week. Kids in bed. She gets £15 for the 2hr.

Then an older babysitter, think she's about 21, just finishing Uni, charges £60 for 5 hours and that's her maximum / minimum time allocated as she has lots of families she sits for and doesn't want to earn less on an evening.. fair play.

I think both are fair and £10 seems fair too.

Thesenderofthiscard · 28/01/2023 20:41

in the SE where everything is pricey!
local teens 16/17 are £5 an hour. We have 2 kids.
adult baby sitters are £8/£8.50 and those are nursery workers or similar who can do everything and get themselves home.
£10 an hour for a teen who you might have to walk home or pay a cab home for is taking the P

Thesenderofthiscard · 28/01/2023 20:42

We always round up, and occasionally pay too much if it’s been a big night and we’re tipsy!

Snarf23 · 28/01/2023 20:45

I used to baby sit 20+ years ago for nursery parents and I would get £25-£50 a night. Some also paid taxi too. I didn’t have a set rate they just offered an amount. Usually around 3-5 hours ish.
I don’t think £10 is ridiculous even if I’m on £13 an hour in my job!

MarshaMelrose · 28/01/2023 20:50

Thanks @Conkerqueen. I think I might have asked you that question on another thread in the past. I seem to recognise your answer. I never followed it up but I will this time. Thank you.

Timeforachangeisitnot · 28/01/2023 20:50

@Orangepolentacake indeed! Seems off, but works for me !

MisgenderedSwan · 28/01/2023 20:55

Our dd's cub leader used to sit with her for £5 an hour. We were always home by midnight and she was self sufficient, just needed a gentle reminder (yell up the stairs) that it was time to brush teeth and go to bed. Babysitter would charge £25 and we would pay £40 and always get some treats in for her. Life does suddenly get easier when they can stay by themselves for the evening!

dottiedodah · 28/01/2023 20:55

It's not just watching TV though. They have to be alert and have given up their evening. If they were waitrressing they would be paid by the hour

Orangepolentacake · 28/01/2023 20:58

sacremerde · 28/01/2023 19:15

We pay a level 3 early years specialist to babysit for £10 an hour so that seems expensive to me - or maybe ours is just very cheap! Ours works in a nearby nursery and does ad hoc babysitting.

We're in a normal part of London by which I mean not cheap and not crazily expensive.

@sacremerde Can I ask for a recommendation? 👀😆

Original poster
EmpressOfTheSofa · 28/01/2023 20:59

dottiedodah · 28/01/2023 20:55

It's not just watching TV though. They have to be alert and have given up their evening. If they were waitrressing they would be paid by the hour

If they were waitresses they’d be actually working and paid £4.81 an hour…

OP posts:
Mum2jenny · 28/01/2023 20:59

£10 an hour seems very reasonable to me. We used to pay around £40 a night for around 5 hours many years ago.

WednesdaysNameIsFullOfWoe · 28/01/2023 21:00

MarshaMelrose · 28/01/2023 20:39

😁😁😁

Who else lives up your arse besides your own head?
£60 for an evening watching telly. True I'd only come out with £48 but I think that's good money. If I did that twice a month, that would pay my gardener and cleaner. Top.

Show quote history

£60, you said you’d do it for twenty.

Maybe the innumeracy’s another reason for your issues.

Mum2jenny · 28/01/2023 21:00

£4.81 per hour is absolutely disgusting

Original poster
EmpressOfTheSofa · 28/01/2023 21:01

Mum2jenny · 28/01/2023 21:00

£4.81 per hour is absolutely disgusting

Take it up with the government. That’s minimum wage for under 18s.

OP posts:
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