Babysitting rates

[probablynotthesame]

Hi, I've got a friend with a 16yo daughter. She's very sensible and intelligent more into her sports and playing video games with her brother than going out and messing around.

She's going to start doing some evening babysitting for me around 7/8-11:30/midnight. She doesn't have any childcare qualifications nor is she taking a childcare pathway in her chosen career, it's just to earn a bit of money.

My question is how much do I pay her? I don't want to insult her/her mum but I presume it should be less than a qualified professional?

Should it be hourly or nightly rate?

Appreciate any help on this!

where are you? In outer London, staff at nursery who do babysitting on the side get £10/hour, teens get £7-8

My daughter charges £5ph before midnight and £7.50ph after midnight. We're in the West Midlands

Thanks, I'm in the SE. So would you think £7ph is acceptable?

It’s really a matter of discussing/negotiating it together, as you nee£ to agree something you’re both happy with.

TBH, comparisons with qualified childcare providers don’t seem to have much relevance. Most evening babysitting costs much more than daytime 'professionals' rates.

I would ask her, but my dd is happy with £20 - £25 for an evening like that.
Depends a bit on things like how she is going to get there / get home, and (importantly) on whether it is pacing up and down with crying babies, or if it is just sitting watching Scooby Doo for 20mins then saying 'bedtime now' and sitting on your sofa twiddling her thumbs for 4 hours.

Essentially a question of discussing it with your family. Where do you live? What’s the going rate for the area? Truthfully I just finished a babysitting job today for a family across the hallway from us. They expected £6 for a hour of work. A local childcare student enrolled at a local college babysits our children and she makes £10.

For me personally it depends on a good job being done. Any childcare provider is required to entertain my children and occasionally assist them with homework.

Sometimes I ask them to make dinner. This is usually something easy that’s heated up in a conventional oven or microwave on a plate.

I am a full time nanny, mid 20s and I get £8 an hour. I'd think £7 is too much.

I get 10 pounds an hour in London. Full time trained experienced nanny though. I wouldn’t expect to pay a teenager that for babysitting.

This is interesting thank you for your reply's @JellyBears what would you think would be an acceptable rate? It will just be evening work DC will be in bed she won't have to do anything apart from be there, and have full access to sky/Netflix food/drinks.