Charges for a babysitter?

[NaturalBaby]

I'm currently registering as a childminder and looking for babysitting work to fill the time before I can start work as a childminder. Childminders in my area charge around £4 per hour so I'm wondering what to charge as a babysitter. I'm offering a few hours during the day and evening/weekends as well.

Probably £5-£8 an hour, for care of all the children in the family, not per child. Your competition may well been teenagers, who may accept £20 for the evening. Look at what other people in your area are offering/wanting.

Thats my problem at the moment.
I work as a nanny and have been looking to do occasional babysitting, but families seem to want to pay £15 and have the local teenager for the evening rather than pay my rate

What would you charge for evening babysitting? I have 3 dc's of my own so am looking for 1 child to babysit at the moment to fit in with all my running around.

If it was during the daytime and the DC was awake I'd pay more, but I have to be honest and say if it is for an evening, going out once she's in bed, I find it hard to pay £6-8 for a professional sitter. As the others have said, a teenager will do it for £20. When they are doing nothing but sitting in to the house listening to DD snore over the monitor, it's hard to justify paying much more.

Fit in with running around? Would you not be at the child's house, just caring for them?

Not sure a parent wanting a babysitter would want you ferrying around the child to whatever evening activities your children are doing.

I mean I'm offering a few hours during the day between the school run or in the evening after extra curricular activities.

My DD is 17, babysits for local families during evenings, weekends, holiday times etc. She has done a 1st aid course & has lots of experience looking after little ones. She charges £6.00 per hour and £8.00 after midnight.
Maximum no of children is 3 day time & 4 in the evening.
She makes a lot of money.

I'd happily sit in a quiet home ignoring my housework for £6 per hour! It's hard to work out what other people are charging locally, I have been very fortunate to have never paid for a babysitter so have no idea what the going rate is! Think I need a chat with the mums at school in the morning.

I pay my teenage niece £20 for a night for 7 year old ds, plus about £10 in snacks!