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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

"Minimum" rates for sitters.co.uk

40 replies

CocoaBeanPlease · 15/05/2011 21:57

Hi,

I've just registered with sitters.co.uk and have been sent the link to the Guidance for Parents section. I was surprised to see that there they say "the rates of pay we recommend should be considered as minimums" - didn't see that on the website before registering.

So if you've used Sitters, could you please tell me how much you actually pay? If most people overpay, I'm worried that if I use the suggested rate my babysitters will be offended and refuse to come back!

Thanks

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ChristinedePizan · 15/05/2011 21:59

I generally round up to the nearest fiver so pay £25 rather than £23.60 or whatever but wouldn't round up to the nearest tenner. My babysitters always come back :)

PatriciaHolm · 15/05/2011 22:38

Same as Christine: I round up a bit e.g if I owe £27, I'll probably pay £30. We have several sitters who come time and again so I guess that's OK!

Lily311 · 16/05/2011 06:22

I used to babysit for sitters but now that they changed the minimum hours of booking time I stopped. I got the exact amount most of the time, parents rarely gave me more than the minimum. It was fine by me as I knew how much I would get and wasn't counting on anything extra.

What really annoys me now is the minimum of 3 hours booking- it's not worth for us to babysit for £17 :(. Unfortunately parents have a loophole, they book us for 4-5 hours (so they def get a babysitter), come back in 3 and pay only for the 3 hours. I would have not taken a babysitting for 3 hours, so after lots of disappointment I decided not to babysit for them anymore.

Going back to your question, yes, the minimum payment is normal and the sitter is not expecting anything more than that.

PatriciaHolm · 16/05/2011 10:01

That's really mean, Lily - if i book for 4 but use 3 hours, I pay for 4, as that's what I asked for and what the sitter accepted the booking based on! It's quite mean of the parents not to do that, I can see why you would be annoyed.

Lizcat · 16/05/2011 10:42

Again as a parent using sitters I always pay for the time I have booked, I always round up to the nearest five and if I slip over into another hour I pay that full hour.
I also have sitters who come again and again, all are lovely Ladies. We have one particular lady who is a primary school teacher on maternity leave who has been fab at helping us with DDs reading.

nannynick · 16/05/2011 10:48

All lovely Ladies - don't the agency ever send you any men?

PatriciaHolm · 16/05/2011 10:59

Nick - no, I've never been offered one! Wouldn't bother me in the least but it's never been an option!

Original poster

CocoaBeanPlease · 16/05/2011 13:33

Thanks everyone for the feedback, I?m reassured! Our intention was to apply the suggested rate and then round up at the end, so that sounds like it will be fine.

Lily, that really isn?t fair. Even if we had to come home early for some reason, I would always pay for the agreed amount of time.

Ok, off to book my first agency babysitter! I was quite nervous about it until I read so many good comments about Sitters on MN (including yet another here by Lizcat, thank you!)

OP posts:

Lily311 · 16/05/2011 13:37

Good luck!
I really enjoyed working for sitters but last months experience made it sour. I was also regular for most families which was great for them and me too. I am registered with other London based agency and they send me babysittings for a min of 4 hours, they are as good as Sitters.

Mollymax · 16/05/2011 13:40

I work for sitters too, most round up to the next pound eg £24 instead of £23.60.
One or two have paid the excact amount by counting out the coppers!
One even daid 40 pence less.... I could not be bothered to make a fuss.
I think if you round up to the nearest pound it makes it easier as nobody needs worry about change.

Strix · 16/05/2011 14:04

Lily, who is the other London based agency?

feckwit · 16/05/2011 14:07

I also work for sitters and have had similar experiences.

Some parents round up but most pay to the nearest pound and I too have had many parents book me for 5 hours then return after 3...

i think very carefully when accepting jobs now as sometimes it is barely worth it when you factor in petrol.

I wish they would return to a minimum of 4 hours...

mranchovy · 16/05/2011 17:17

I am a parent and always round up. I believe that the terms that parents agree to is that if they return home early they still pay for the time booked so you should check this with the agency.

cinpin · 16/05/2011 19:37

I work for sitters and i do not take any bookings that are less than 4 hours it is not well paid as it is.

I usually get the exact money some times they ask for about a pound change but i say I have not got any, one couple kept me another ten minutes finding change so they did not have to give me a pound too much, i did not go back to them when they requested me.

Lily311 · 16/05/2011 19:43

Strix,

It's Likeminders. Just google it and you'll find them, they ara based in BAttersea but cover all London. As a nanny I really like them, they update us by emails regularly.

eastmidlandsnightnanny · 16/05/2011 19:55

safehands network is another babysitting/childcare agency and pay about the same as sitters but in my experience have always been better - dont do work for either now though as get most work privately.

good thing about safehands is you can negotiate rate and if they are desperate for that nights often they will pay travelling costs if more than 15mins travelling and pay a higher rate per hr (the agency pay the extra costs)

Mtorun · 19/05/2011 21:21

Whatever Lilly said. I have also stopped working for Sitters as it is not worth for my while. I have never ever paid more then they suppost! to pay. And as a sitter you can't complain. One occasion Sitters said "the families pay you don't. And if they book you for 4 hours and came in 3 hours they need to pay you 3 hours not 4 hours." That was the response I got from Sitters. Needless to say I do not work for them anymore. I get offers from my regular families but I don't accept them.

I'm also registered with Likeminders and they are very professional and lovely people and they do care about their sitters. Also they are cheaper compare to Sitters and they give more to their sitter.

TheseThingsAreGoodThings · 19/05/2011 21:54

I use sitters a lot. Always overpay. Will round up to the nearest hour and then to the nearest fiver.

Always book til midnight jst in case but we are usually back by 11 pm. But that is still a 5.5 hr booking.

NotSuchASmugMarriedNow · 21/05/2011 20:17

Hi, I work for sitters and I love them!

Some families round up, others pay the exact amount. I don't mind. I only expect to be paid the agreed amount so anything more is a bonus.

All my families have been lovely

pinkchick1 · 24/11/2012 00:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Tanith · 24/11/2012 02:23

You probably won't get male babysitters with Sitters.
My DH, also an Outstanding graded childminder with the same experience as me and a Level 3 qualification, was actively discouraged when he tried to apply to them.
When he persisted, he was told very grudgingly that they'd put him on their books, but they doubted very much that he'd get any bookings.
Another reason I don't work for them any more.

Their ratings are a complete waste of time as well. I had regular clients, positive comments from parents, never any complaints and I was rated "poor".
I tried to find out why and they didn't seem to have a clue how the ratings were worked.
"Perhaps you didn't smile enough?" was one suggestion they came up with!

knowittoowell · 24/11/2012 02:26

God, they sound awful

to them

malovitt · 24/11/2012 08:17

I'm an occasional sitter, and make it quite clear by text that my absolute minimum is 4 hours.
I also always take along a purse with a selection of coins & notes, so I have the correct change myself for any note I am offered.

One occasion of being left hanging around for 15 minutes at the end of the night whilst parents scrabbled around the house/their kids' money boxes for change was enough. It's so rude!

pinkchick1 · 24/11/2012 12:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Tanith · 24/11/2012 13:31

Thank you, that makes perfect sense!

I live in a semi-rural area and was offered a lot of bookings miles away, often for a couple of hours. I think the furthest was 15 miles! They also sent several bookings at once so, even if you did accept a booking for one evening, you obviously couldn't accept those offered for the same evening.
No wonder they were so evasive!

Didn't smile enough indeed!

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