What would you pay a babysitter?

[AlmostStace]

I refuse to pay online finders fees for professional babysitters and I've finally found a lovely, trustworthy, child-experienced 15-year-old girl near me to sit for my boys (4 and 2) on the occasional evening out. They'd be in bed and are (usually!) very good at staying there, so she wouldn't be expected to do anything other than sit and watch telly. But I'm agonising a bit over what to offer her - things have changed since my days of doing similar! I don't want to be cheap and take advantage (she's very sweet and would, I suspect, take whatever I offer) but we're not made of money. Any thoughts on the going rate?

I'd go by minimum wage for that age and offer around £4 an hour.

Depends on the length of the evening out. I have a teenage babysitter and if it's a 7-11pm job then I give her £25 If we're out later then I pay more. She's good - I don't want her to go elsewhere!

Our 18 yr old babysitter asks for £5 an hour. We usually round up to the nearest £10 so if she does 3 hrs she gets £20. She is however also a family friend and madly trying to raise money for a school trip!

I was paying a local teenager £30 - £35 for a standard evening's babysitting (say 7.30 to 12ish) until recently. Now my eldest child is 15 and I don't have to any more! Its fabulous.

£5 an hour

We pay minimum wage for the age bracket and escort home (lift if I'm driving, DH walks them if we've been drinking) round up to nearest hour.

Good stuff. Thanks all!