£10 per hour for babysitting? Is this reasonable

[Yena]

This is the first time I'm having to pay a babysitter for my little one. Her childminder has said she can do it over the weekend at £10 an hour, we'll drop her there and pick her up. Is this reasonable? I know she will be in an environment that she is familiar with since she is there during the week, but I thought £10 an hour was abit steep. Any thoughts on this please?

[memumma]

£10 per hour for babysitting your having a laugh, you must earn a lot to pay that.

Just imagine school holidays, i pay £4.00 per hour and i think thats a lot, In the holiday it cost me £200 per week £40 per day
which a £10 per hour would be a £100 per day
i'd have to stay home

[memumma]

nannydd

You must babysit for the Rich

[Cloudhopper]

This is too much. Nursery nurses at dds nursery offered to do babysitting for 5 per hour. and that is in kingston.

[Sunshinemummy]

Yena I've used Sitters and they were great. My friend uses them regularly as well.

[memumma]

£10 per hour for babysitting your having a laugh, you must earn a lot to pay that.

Just imagine school holidays, i pay £4.00 per hour and i think thats a lot, In the holiday it cost me £200 per week £40 per day
which a £10 per hour would be a £100 per day
i'd have to stay home

[memumma]

you could get your kids doing the odd sleepover and plan your night out when it's someone elses time to sit.

[nappyaddict]

i have paid £6 an hour before. i think that is reasonable.

[imananny]

would you work for £4ph memumma?

prob not, so why should someone who is loooking after the most precious irreplacable (dare I say posession) of yours earn that?

I would say that the average is about £8, but I earn/charge £10 ph, and I get lots of work

different areas and more experinced nannies can charge more imo

[SantaBarbara]

£10 per hour seems incredibly ludicrously and extortionately expensive. Completely over the top.

Either create your own babysitting circle (free sitting on a tit for tat basis) or find a local teenager (£10-£20 per evening).

Or maybe London is just another world??

[SmugColditz]

I would go to someone's house and sit and watch theor Tv simply to be a wakeful, sober and legal presence should a child wake for £4 an hour, yes, happily. I'm CRB checked too.

[SmugColditz]

Nannydd you are nannying in the evening though, which isn't the same as baby sitting, which is coming round to a tady house, doing no housework, and dealing with the children should they wake. If you are a baby sitter and a child is ill, you ring their parents and their parents come home.

This doesn't mean the babysitter is lazy, or underpaid, it means it is a different job. You wouldn't expect to do the windowcleaning if you were the plumber, and a babysitter should not expect to have to do a nanny's job. A nanny is not needed in the majority of babysitting scenarios.

[lindseyfox]

i charge £10 an hr as Parents get peace of mind for that they are leaving their children with a qualified nurse with lots of experience.

i do alot of babysitting for newborns and young babies often twins and parents can go out knowing the baby/ies will be fed bath in bed. seen to if unwell, ie calpol if needed. They know I would call them in an emergency, but they can go out for 4-5hrs and relax.

many teenagers earn £4-£6 an hr and if you just want someone to sit in your house and ring you if your child is unwell then thats fine - its every ones own choice.

you get what you pay for though and as children are the most precious thing you have dont you think its worth it?!

cleaners earn £10+ an hr - just a thought

[nannydd]

I don't baby sit for the rich, like "imananny" I am oftern turning down work, I know the differance between nannying and babysitting, as I have been doing it for over 20yrs. All my work is word of mouth.
I used to charge £3 per hr, and would get messed around by parents,then I decided to put up my fee's and charge a min fee, and a rate after midnight, I have found I get a lot more respect, and treated as a professional.I will even give recipts if the parents want them. I also feel strongly that all childcarers are underpaid and not respect for the responsibility of looking after the most precious think in the world.

[spicemonster]

The nursery staff at the nursery my DS used to go to charge 10 quid an hour - I would only use them if I wanted them to put him to bed. It's a lot if you have already put them to bed and all you want is someone to be in the house. I'd pay 5-6 quid an hour for that - I don't need a qualified nurse (and I pay my cleaner 8 quid an hour which is average in London)

[devonblue]

I think it's about right actually. Sorry to be different, but that seems to be not unreasonable for say a nanny in London, and the word nanny is very open to interpretation. If she's just having the one child for a one-off it's not exactly child-minding IMO. I currently pay £9.50 per hour for ad hoc childcare. It's not a lot different for a few hours anyway, so try not to let your resentment affect the day... Hope you have enjoy your day out.

[devonblue]

Sorry -re-read it - your evening out...

[schneebly]

I am 28, 2 kids of my own, CRB checked, own car, work as a playworker and I charge £5 per hour - more after midnight. I actively play with the children, will cook for them if neccesary and do all bedtime routines inc bath if requested. I also clean up after myself and the children. However after they are in bed all I have to do is listen out and check on them every so often when I am am sitting snacking and watching TV. No different to what I would be doing at home so am happy to get £5 per hour for it tbh.

[nannynick]

Why not charge £10? I've been charging that for a few years now. Helps pay my mortgage.
In my area parents will pay high for someone with lots of experience, quals, refs. Parents want peace of mind, no doubts that their carer will cope with anything that arises. You care for the children and the home, typically top 2 most important things.

[devonblue]

I think people in London often pay that much for a cleaner, and it seems only fair to pay the childcarer that much. Not saying I can afford it, and we don't have a cleaner, but to pay less seems a bit mean.

[nappyaddict]

our cleaner used to get £6 an hour - def not £10!!

[nannynick]

Cleaners in my area can get £15 an hour. Cleaning is better paid than childcare!

[Love2bake]

I work for sitters and get paid £6 an hour, but it's a minimum of 4 hours. So even if you go out for 3 hours, you pay for 4.

[lindseyfox]

ohh didnt mean to start a cleaner arguement just one family i have nannied for ad-hoc as i do work full time as a nurse they paid me £8 an hr that was 2yrs ago and the cleaner was on £12 an hr!!!

i put my rates up in april last year and again this year.

i turn down alot of work.

i too was getting messed around when i charged £6/£7 an hr (that was 5yrs ago).

min charge means you dont get booked on sat night from 8-12 then they come back at 10 and expect to pay you for 2hrs.

i do have one family i sit for 2 school age children have babysat for 3yrs for them and have charge her £7 an hr the whole time she is a very very hardworking single mum and i will only babysit straight from after school care as i work near there and therefore no real extra travelling cost to me. When i nanny once a month for them on a sunday she pays me £10 an hr.

[imananny]

so spicemonster - you are happy to pay your cleaner, someone who dusts/polishes/washes/hoovers etc more than you would pay someone to look after&care for your children

making sure your children are safe imo is better than havin a spotless clean house

agree witmick,though I earn £10 an hour,cleaners in my area do get paid £15+ an hour - doesnt seem right

[wellbalanced]

As other nannies have said yes i charge up to £10 per hour and the people i sit for are happy with this figure as they are getting quality childcare and peace of mind. I dont sit for the rich and famous, im also not in London.
I dont think its unreasonable.