babysitting rate for new nanny what is the right thing to do?

[Sleepdeprived72]

I have just hired a nanny part time and have asked her to do some baby sitting for me. When she is nannying I pay her ten pounds an hour gross. Should I be paying her the same for baby sitting or should I agree a "babysitting rate" with her. Not wishing to do anything on the cheap here but also don't want to pay over the odds if it isn't expected. We are based in Surrey if that makes any difference - views appreciated, just want to understand what my nanny is likely to expect or have expereinced in prior nanny jobs.

we pay our mothers help/nanny a different babyitting rate to her regular salary

have agreed £6/hr as a babysitting rate

I'm in West Surrey and my babysitting rate is £10 per hour.
It is up to you and your babysitter (your nanny in this case) to negotiate the rate of pay. If your nanny babysits on the same day as they are nannying, then babysitting is technically over-time isn't it? Perhaps best to offer same rate, rather than risk nanny wanting overtime at say "time and a half".

£10/hour is quite steep for babysitting. Why don't you join sitters instead?

Just ask your new nanny how much they charge for babysitting. If you are prepared to pay that rate, then do so. Otherwise negotiate the rate down, or look around at other providers.
Don't assume your nanny will want to babysit for you at all - some nannies may not want to work day and evenings, it can make for very long working days.

I also live in Surrey and pay our Nanny £10ph gross. She babysits for friends of ours and us also occasionally, and charges £6.50 ph. But yes, I'd ask her how much she charges. At the end of the day she should be competitive with the alternatives...

I also charge £10 p/h (SW London) for babysitting. It can really depend on where you live.

Our previous nanny charged £10ph for nannying, but £8ph for babysitting. On the assumption that the kids are more or less asleep....

We pay £10 ph cash in SW London for babysitting. Only the first part (bedtime) is work, the rest of the time they are asleep.

The advantage of the nanny over Sitters is that the children know the nanny, the nanny knows the children and also where everything is.

We were in a hotel between Christmas and New Year in Scotland where the recommended rate was £12 per hour till 11pm and £14 per hour after that, more if the children were under 2. This seemed pretty steep to me...

I a nanny, (full time live out) i dont have any babysitting in my contract.

When i babysit i get (cash in hand obviously) £7 per hour which is significantly less than my gross rate

BUT i just sit there and play on the Wii / surf the internet or watch telly so i dont mind

I dont think babysitting is the same as nannying and i wouldnt charge or expect £10 per hour for babysitting

I only really babysit for the family i work for and get £10 per hour in London.

Hi,

Do rates tend to be different if you're asking a teenager rather than a professional nanny or sitter?

I've got a neighbours' daughters' friend babysitting next week but when I asked her how much she charges but she kept saying 'whatever' and 'I don't mind' - which wasn't hugely helpful!

Our DD is 19months - but almost always extremely good at bedtimes (the early hours are another matter...) so the likelihood is that she wouldn't have to do anything other than watch telly/DVDs/surf the net.

Also, as a first-timer at this kind of thing, is there any other babysitting etiquette I should know about? eg. I remember that my brother-in-law always used to give the babysitter a lift home - would that be expected?

Any advice would be welcome!

i too charge £10 per hour for babysitting.

I am in Hertfordshire

Yes I'd think you'd expect to pay less for a less experienced sitter. Check out her age and the minimum wage and give her that - around £5-6 ph I guess..

Do rates tend to be different if you're asking a teenager rather than a professional nanny or sitter?

Yes, a teenager will cost less than a trained, experienced nanny. Much of the money you are paying, in my view, is for 'peace of mind'. All the bits of paper a professional nanny will have, help give you as the parent 'peace of mind'.

I started babysitting as a teenager, and certainly didn't charge anywhere near what I do now. Back then I would often only be babysitting for a couple of hours, not for 4+ hours, and the children were often pre-school and school aged. Now nearly 20 years on, I tend to care for babies and toddlers.

When I was a teenage babysitter, the children would 9/10 times be in bed, asleep. These days, 9/10 times the children are awake and up and about - I take over the evening routine, so bathtime, story, evening feed, twilight feed etc.

Giving a babysitter a lift home these days I don't think is expected. I don't recall ever getting a lift home. As a teenager, I used to cycle to/from babysitting... until I learnt to drive. If you are going out to enjoy yourself - you may be consuming alcohol, and getting a taxi home... thus last thing you will want to do is drive your babysitter home!

Re lifts: we pay for a cab home or DH (who is okay about forgoing a drink) drives.

Before I drove the people I babysat for would pay for a tax, but if it's a neighbour then I wouldn't thing that was necessary!

And yes, a professional nanny will cost the most, a mature sitter will be a little cheaper and a teenager will be cheapest.

£5 an hour would have done me fine as a teen - I started off charging £3, that's now more than doubled! I think I put it up every time I got a new certificate (1st Aid, CACHE, MNT) and now I raise yearly for new clients because I'm getting more experience all the time. That means some people are still on £5 an hour whereas others pay me £7.50 but I don't mind