How much to pay a teenager babysitter?

[MrsOnTheMove]

Tonight I have a friends daughter babysitting for the first time, she is new to babysitting and I haven't a clue what the going rate is?

I pay:

£4 if 16 to 18
£5 if over 18
£7.50 if they do ironing as well.

DD 17 gets about £3.50-£5 per hour. Usually just £10, £15 or £20 depending on how long she has been there.

She normally doesn't mind how much she gets, it's all easy money- except last week when a baby wouldn't settle all evening so she couldn't get her homework done which is what she usually does

This is only for hour and half - two hours max so I can attend PTA meeting, DD's will be asleep - is £10 too much?

I pay £10 up to ten pm and then an extra fiver if I'm even 5 mins past. Never in later than 11 pm though. She usually starts at 7-7.30. I pick up and drive home.

As Mills says its easy money. I always put ds to bed and tell her to use the phone as much as she likes and I leave her chocolate out.

Ten quid makes it worth her while to do it and encourages her to do it again. Why not go out for a drink after and make it 2 and a half hours. Get your moneys worth....I am sucha northerner....

The drink afterwards sounds great!! given that the mtg is above a pub!! If I give £10 I won't feel so mean and I know she will babysit again if DH plans a night out to clash with mine!!

Sorry - next question, do I tell DD's? They will be asleep (3 & 5) never wake (but tonight they could???) but if I tell them they will probably get too excited and not sleep ....

If your dds know the babysitter very well then I wouldn't tell them. That's what we do with our 4 yr old anyway. We only use a very close friend and dd wouldn't be traumatised at all if she woke (highly unlikely). On the other hand if we told her then there is no way she would go to sleep.

DD's know her very well and would think it wonderful if they knew they had a 'playmate' for the evening!!

I have a slightly different take - whilst your child may not be traumatised if they wake up, if this does happen they may not be so trusting in the future. I get interroagted each night at bedtime.

Our babysitter is nearly 17 and we pay him £20. My DC's are 10.5 and 8 and they put themselves to bed. Although he is expected asked nicely by the boys to interact with them so he does not get a minute to himself until they go up to bed at 9.30.

He usually starts at 7.00 and we are home between 11/11.15.