How to find a good babysitter?

[HexagonalQueenOfTheSummer]

I have 3 children aged 13, 7 and 2. My DH works away a lot, and I am hoping to start doing some self-employed work in my pre-children profession soon, which will mainly involve me working at weekends and a couple of evenings per week. My DH generally works away 1 week out of 4 and works quite a few weekends, so I want to look for a babysitter that could come to the house and look after the children on the occasions that I'm working, DH is away and we can't get any family members to cover (my parents, DH's parents and my sister will all be able to help out but not all the time).

How do I go about finding a babysitter? My 2 year old goes to nursery a couple of times a week and someone suggested asking the nursery nurses there if any of them would be interested in some casual, occasional babysitting? Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance

Put your postcode into www.childcare.co.uk and you can search those near to you

Depending on the typical start time in the evening, it could suit many people. You may find that you need several different people, as babysitters may not want to make a regular commitment and someone who can do some weekeday evenings may not be able to day/evening at weekends.

Childcare.co.uk is a good place to start looking.

You could try advertising locally, such as in a local newagents/convenience shop if they have an ads board.

Ask around local people you meet. Certainly ask at the nursery though some nurseries will have policies regarding their staff working for people outside of nursery hours, so check with the manager first.