How much to charge for NYE babysitting?

[12ylnon]

Hello, i'm just about to send out an email to my babysitting clients about new years eve and i was thinking that i'd probably charge a flat fee for the evening/night. I usually charge £8 ph (which is pretty standard down here) , but i'm not sure how much would be appropriate to charge as a flat fee.

I was thinking £60- too much? Too little?
How much would you expect to pay? Bearing in mind i'm in the south east.
Thanks!

No idea, that's why I would never have a babysitter on NYE - or anyother time for that matter.

Might look into becoming a babysitter myself !

Me neither :) but there's plenty of people need them.

It's such easy money. I was paid £100 by one of my wealthier clients the other day for helping out and doing the childcare for an adults birthday party. To be fair, it was very hard work, but usually it's not bad at all. I usually offer to do some ironing/dishwasher loading/ tidying up as well so the parents get their moneys worth.

*that

I would say double time, so £16 an hour is fair. with a flat rate negotiable?

And FWIW, I can remember getting £45 for a NYE babysitting as a teenager cough twenty years ago (and being blown away by it!) so I think £60 is cheap!

You could go to sealed bids ?

Hehe, nice idea!

My friend who worked for a nursing agency would get double hourly rate for working weekends and triple hourly rate for bank holidays!

At £60 you'll get your hand bitten off!! Fee does depend on where you live (and of course how long you would be baby sitting) but I'd say that you should charge a minimum of double time.

I would expect to pay 2.5 times the normal rate. So for 6 hours (say 7 pm to 1am) that's already at £48 on your normal rate. I don't think anyone is going to go out on New Years Eve and come back much before 1.00 are they?

£60 seems very cheap to me, but then £120 seems a lot, though the latter would be fairer. Maybe split the difference and go for £80 flat rate?

I guess it also depends whether your clients are the sort who will be home by 12.30 or take advantage and crawl in at 5 a.m.

12ylnon Whereabouts are you? fingers crossed it's Leeds I would bite your hand off for £60 nye babysitting. As a bonus you also get to keep my first born.

i charge £10 for normal bs and on bh charge double so on nye would charge £20 - i have never actually bs as dont want to, but every year i get asked by various people and each time i chose a lucky friend to take my place

so yes £60 for the night is a bargain, i can earn that for a normal bs :)

I will probably go for about £80- £100 then. Glad i asked- would have been making a bit of a mistake asking £60!

Dawn I'm Tunbridge Wells, in Kent.
Thanks for the advice!

We're in Kent too,, and £80-£100 is the going rate for babysitting NYE

At least double time on NY eve. So £16 an hour, or even 2.5 times so £20 an hour.

OP - Very near me then :)

Well I'm already booked by the same family I sat for last year.

DH is away skiing, my children are going to go to my parents and I'm baby sitting.

Charge is the same as last year £300, but I'm starting at 5pm until 10am the next day. I think thats a bargain TBH

I charge triple rates for xmas eve and new years eve and boxing day as dont really want to work them but will for the right money. 2yrs ago I was paid £45 an hr and they booked me and promised to come home at 11pm so I could get home for midnight (was a 50min drive) to see in the new year with my husband I said I didnt mind and they could go out as late as they wanted but they were insistent bless them.

I rememebr as a teenager I was the babysitter for all the families round the green and one got in early for new year eve and my dad said you have to do whoever asks first and I had their 2 children and their friends 2 children they were older children so up til midnight - I did 6pm til 2am and they came home and handed me £5 (I was 15 and thats what they paid me for a normal eve 8pm-midnight they were the worst paying ones) I didnt know what to say but my dad went mad and went and had a go at them for exploting me and how others families had wanted me and despite them offering me more money he had made me stick to an original arrangement and they didnt offer anymore money and my dad made sure I didnt babysit again for them and it was known locally they were tight buggers and no-one would babysit for them -

I wouldnt want to be earning less than £100 for NYE. If I was just needed for the evening (say 4/5/6hrs) I would prob charge £20-£25ph but state a min charge of £100 which would apply even if parents retuned early. If I was needed overnight I may reduce hourly rate a bit but it would depend on location, number of children/babies, number of hours required, how much sleep I was likely to get etc. (I definitely wouldnt go below £15ph though).

12ylnon I used to live in TW and v gd friends of mine still do. Their daughter made £80 in 2 not very long babysitting sessions last weekend and as far as I know, she never gets paid less than about £40 for 3 hours' babysitting. At £60 on NYE you are well under-rate. If you're doing a flat rate I would say £120 no problem. In fact I have other friends there who would probably want your number!

BfG Faints clean away at the idea of anyone with young children being able to afford these amounts for a babysitter, before you start adding in the cost of the evening out

Then wonders how she can get signed up to babysit for someone

Wonder what sitters charge rofl

Me too BFG , but people do and i'm happy to help

I've done nye babysitting in the past. Definitely charge £100 minimum. If they don't like it good luck to them finding someone else whereas you'll be snapped up by people who are willing to pay you what you're worth for good quality childcare for their children. The are paying for the knowledge that their children are safe and happy with you so they can enjoy their evening. State your rate in the text so everyone knows where they stand.

eastmidlandsnightnanny - I've had similar experiences. Never babysit for anyone who doesn't pay you properly, come home at a reasonable time and in a reasonable state and who doesn't thank and appreciate you!