should i tip a babysitter?

[micegg]

Not sure tip is the right terminology. We occasionally go out and use the services of a babysitter agency. They charge around £5 per hour and we book for 4 hours. The money is given staright to the babysitter. I am not quite sure how much she gets and how much the agency taked. Is it good practice to give her a bit extra? If so how much? I am never sure. The exact bill for 4 hours is £23.20 and I normally round up to £25 for convenience sake.

excuse the typos!

I am with an agency as Babysitter, and I get the impression that the parent pays the agency seperately, as the agency told me the parents would give me the money that I earn.
There is no rule about tipping, I charge £8 an hour, so I wouldn't be suprised if I didnt get tipped. I wouyld say yes if it was a private babysitter, as they will be more keen to come back and say yes to you over someone that doesn't tip!

I used to work for sitters and it was very nice to be paid a little extra as the parents were never back on time so would say yes.

We are always back on time so thats not a problem. How much extra is considered OK? As I said at the moment I round up to £25 which is only £1.80 extra so is hardly a tip. It is actually Sitters we use.

some families that i have babysat for do "tip" and some don't.

If your fave babysitter has 2 bookings to choose from, she will always choose the better payer so "tipping" (even a small amount) almost guarantees you youre favourite sitter