To ask how much you’d expect a babysitter to cost on NYE

[ThatMauveRaven]

20yo DD has been asked (last minute) to babysit her manager’s two young children tomorrow night. They’ve offered her £60 in cash to be there from 8pm-1am. The two kids will most likely be asleep in bed, so she won’t exactly have to do much work but I still think that this is quite stingey considering it’s New Years Eve!

Thoughts?

YABU - £60 is enough
YANBU - I’d expect to pay more

Sounds like a sensible suggestion to me! Good on her for giving him a counter offer.

@ThatMauveRaven Is she expected to shower the kids and put them in bed ? If not and the kids are sleeping when she goes there and usually do not wake up these hours it is barely babysitting. She will just be chilling and watching tv. If I was her I would accept but ask my favourite take away as well. It is all about how she sees her proper job and relationship with her boss as well. This one off babysitting could be beneficial to her in more ways than the 60 pounds

Min wage doesn't apply here because it's a fee not a salary. But I think your daughter did the right thing in pushing back. Good for her.

She's doing nothing much... unless something happens. A babysitter is a responsible job. She is in loco parentis. If a child becomes ill she has to decide what to do. If there is a fire it will be down to her to save your children from the house.

20 years ago my New Years babysitter was paid £100!

It's not reasonable! £100 minimum NYE, plus £20 per hour over the agreed time.

I am SO invested in this now and rooting for her! 🤞

Well done to her. The ball's in their court now - they can take it or leave it.

It amazes me that people are so unwilling to pay a decent wage for someone to look after the thing they (presumably) care about most in the whole world. I pay a decent amount (£15 per hour) because I like and trust the babysitter we use, and want her to keep coming back! Could I get someone cheaper? Of course! Is it worth paying a bit more to have someone I trust looking after my boys? Absolutely!

Wow that’s quite young! I hope the 18m old sleeps through the fireworks. Good for her for asking for more.

£60 in certainly NOT fine! It would equate to basic £12 per hour but being after 19.00hrs that would attract unsocial uplift in some industries so why not on NYE. Given that there are children in the house the sitter would not be doing 'faff all' - they can't have a drink in case of the kiddies is taken ill and needs medical attention.

It has to be worth at least £100

Exactly. The parents should HOPE she is doing 'nothing much'.

Babysitting is a job with SO much responsibility. I'm amazed people are willing to pay a babysitter less than their cleaner, for instance!

Ditto

I can only assume that people who say “the babysitter won’t have to do anything but sit on the couch if the kids are in bed” have never actually had very young children.

Very young children: well known for reliably sleeping peacefully through the night, especially at times when it would be rather inconvenient for them to wake.

What the random sitter actually gets to do is sit there praying the children don’t wake up and lose their little minds when a stranger comes in and reminds them mummy and daddy aren’t home.

Babysitting while the kids are in bed isn’t the same as childminding. So no, £20 an hr isnt reasonable. Even on NYE

Babysitters arent coming along with childcare qualifications and a health and safety certificate.
They are there to sit on the sofa and eat snacks until the parents come home.

£60 is more than reasonable for being on their phone for 5hrs.

I got paid £50 for NYE babysitting back in 1998 so £60 seems very cheap to me! I'd be thinking more like £100.

Eh? Can she leave at 10pm if she feels they have been sufficiently babysat? Minimum wage totally applies to babysitting.

Minimum £120.

According to the Living Wage Foundation, £12.60 an hour (£13.85 in London) is the real Living Wage rate. That's the starting point. On New Year's Eve, all bets are off (especially as they may come rolling in at 3 in the morning) and she should be looking to charge an hourly rate rather than a fixed rate + cab home. I'd be thinking £20 an hour absolute minimum. I might even ring around babysitting services and find out what the competition is charging. Alternatively, they can just take the kids with them. 😆

www.livingwage.org.uk/what-real-living-wage

Cheeky.

Premium rate for NYE thank you very much - just like every other person working on NYE. Try finding a babysitter for £60 for NYE especially at short notice.

Minimum £80 but £100 is more like it...

We pay local teens £10/hour then round up to the nearest fiver when it's just a random weeknight. NYE should be at least time and a half I think.

100 and a taxi home

100-120

Jesus this would be crazy money!!

£15ph is perfectly normal for any kind of competent childcare. As I said, on NYE I'd expect to pay double, just like with taxis etc. Why would someone give up their NYE for the same as they could earn on any Friday or Saturday evening?

Does it include use of the fridge?

More fool anybody who would leave their children with some random who the children don't know and has no experience or DBS check or first aid training!! No thank you.