Advice on home help / babysitter rates please

[Lilipot15]

I have two young kids (presently both under two) and am struggling with keeping them both happy at the end of the day. Baby still needs a third nap and toddler getting tired and needs more attention. Baby won't take that nap in cot despite best efforts.
The daughter of a family friend is interested in some babysitting. I would be around - at worst walking baby around the street to get to sleep then bring in in pram. In the long run, when that nap is dropped I'm looking for someone to keep both kids entertained whilst I tidy up / get tea ready etc....presently that is done by CBeebies!
It would likely be just once or twice a week, with the aim of more babysitting work in evenings once kids older.
This young woman works as a teaching assistant.
I have no idea what the going rate is for this sort of role? Don't want to start discussing it without a reasonable idea to avoid embarrassment all round.
Advice needed please!

Going rate for babysitters is £5 per hour here (not SE). Perhaps a bit more if they have to do more (normally it is watch tv whilst children are in bed).

I pay Dd1's old nursery keyworker £7ph for babysitting - depending on time she feeds them/puts them to bed etc so worth it!

Thanks, I was thinking at least £5 per hour. I will be in the house, but she has a day job and I don't want to insult her by proposing too little. Hopefully it would lead on to more frequent evening babysitting as they got older.

Where I am babysitting is generally £10 per hour. When I have used paid babysitters, it has been staff from DD2's (former) nursery

You might get more replies if you report your post and ask MN to move it to the home childcare forum.

Thank you. I'll do that.

Any other thoughts here? Don't want to be vastly off the mark - I'm only looking for a couple of hours once or twice a week and she would not be in sole charge of the two of them. Might be left with my toddler whilst I'm out with the pram in the street, or alternatively walking the baby to sleep. £7.50 per hour??
We are not in London and she would drive 10 mins to us.

Anyone else?

You would need to offer at least National Minimum Wage. If they are 25+ then also look at National Living Wage (which starts in April at £7.20).

So you are right at pitching it around the £7.50 mark and seeing what they say... it is always easier to increase salary than it is to decrease it. So offer low to start and then you could offer a payrise if all goes well.

Sounds like you are offering a job, rather than she offering you a service, so you need to look at your responsibilities as an employer.

Thanks, that is helpful

£7 an hour minimum

I get £8 per hour for babysitting. That's evening babysitting. Daytime I try £9 but sometimes people won't pay it!!