Rate for (student) babysitter?

[Liska]

I think I have just found an ideal babysitter - student who lives on my road and volunteers at the local Children's Centre in the hols (she's thinking of doing a PGCE). She's lovely, and would be perfect for babysitting my 4yo dd so that dh and I could pop out to the pub occasionally.

Problem is, I daren't ask her with no idea of what going rates are. I'm thinking of evenings when dd will already be in bed, so she'd basically just be watching my telly and keeping an ear out, but I know that she's responsible and good with kids if there were to be a problem.

Any ideas on the usual hourly rate? (I'm in Oxford).

How about looking on sites like Childcare.co.uk to get a feel for what people advertising as babysitters are wanting. That may help give you some range. I would expect it may be anywhere from £5 per hour upwards.

Thanks, nannynick! I hadn't found that particular site, and there's a good range on there.

You hadn't found it? Whenever I look at this part of mumsnet, their advert is to the right hand side of my screen above Mumsnet Latest. Maybe we all see different ads.

I'd offer £6 an hour.

I'm a registered childminder and I charge £5/h. I'm just outside London.

I have just started using a babysitter for my 10 month old twins. She works in a nursery (baby room) in the day.

She charges £6 per hour, which she said is slightly less than her hourly rate in the nursery. We are in (rural) Cambridgeshire.

I had decided that I thought £7/hour was about right, so I planning on working out what £6 /hour is for each session, then rounding up to the nearest £5 so that payment is easy. I can't imagine giving her £12 or £18 - £15/£20 just seems easier. This will mean her hourly rate is slightly different each time, though always more than she charges IYSWIM.

Hope that helps