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Original poster

How much do you pay for babysitter?

34 replies

WonderGirl11 · 04/05/2019 19:25

Just that really. I’ve been looking for someone to come look after my daughter for a couple of hours 6-8pm while I go to yoga or similar. The person I found wants £15/hr. Seems a lot to me but is that normal?

I think I might be staying home.

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Fucktifikeepmyrealname · 04/05/2019 19:28

I paid £15 ph for two kids in London 10yrs ago (nursery nurse with quals and first aid). I pay £9ph in Central Scotland now (student with no quals but loads of common sense and basic Nintendo knowledge).

Go figure.

TacoTeabagging · 04/05/2019 19:29

Ours is 12.50 per hour, East anglia.

Original poster
WonderGirl11 · 04/05/2019 19:29

I need to contact the uni!

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thepointt · 04/05/2019 19:30

Bubble app is great. Ranges from £10 onwards I think

Tobebythesea · 04/05/2019 20:45

We pay £40 for 3 hours. In the SE.

Original poster
WonderGirl11 · 04/05/2019 21:37

Thanks all. It seems £15 per hours is quite high then. We are nowhere near London/SE. Useful to know!

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Thatsnotmyotter · 04/05/2019 21:47

I used to get paid £8 per hour and I did the baby ironing! This was only about 5 years ago too!

Is DD going to be in bed already when they arrive or will they have to ‘do bedtime’? I think that makes a bit of a difference.

Original poster
WonderGirl11 · 04/05/2019 22:26

It would be pre bed, she wouldn’t settle easily for someone she doesn’t know well, hence getting home for 8pm. They just need to hang out and watch Disney films. I am rethinking my plans!

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ssd · 04/05/2019 22:30

Where are you op, I babysit?

Original poster
WonderGirl11 · 04/05/2019 22:33

Cornwall, chances are you are far away... most places are!

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Thatsnotmyotter · 04/05/2019 22:42

Sounds like a job for a friendly (relatively cheap) student to me, rather than a highly qualified and therefore expensive type.

ssd · 04/05/2019 23:14

I'm hundreds of miles away, sorry 😁
Hope you get someone.

NuffSaidSam · 04/05/2019 23:19

You'll pay a premium because it's only two hours.

They have to give up their evening and turn down any other work. They have to travel to your house and then home again. It has to be worth their while.

I charge £12ph if the children are awake, £10ph once they're in bed...but 3 hour minimum booking. It's not worth my time otherwise.

Original poster
WonderGirl11 · 04/05/2019 23:26

Thanks ssd, nice thought though!

I take your point NuffSaid. Ideally I need a student who wants a bit of extra cash who lives round the corner, then my plan for cheap-ish time away might work. Otherwise it’s abandoned I think.

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Scanon · 04/05/2019 23:29

I pay £8 per hour. Im shocked people pay twice that!

Parent19876 · 04/05/2019 23:30

Oh wow, i babysit regularly (have quite a few families i adore), am qualified.
I'm in East Anglia and charge £5 per hour per child..

Scanon · 04/05/2019 23:31

Keep looking...don't give up! Could you do a swap with someone? They look after your child once a week, and you return the favour? At your house/their house, whichever works.

Reasonstobeearful · 04/05/2019 23:33

My advice is to let everyone, and I mean everyone, you know - parents at nursery, your neighbours, people you work with, friends of friends - know that you're in the market for a babysitter. There will be nice teenagers, students, older kids etc who will think it's easy money to get a few quid for sitting in someone's house eating pizza and watching films. Then they'll get older, and you always need a backup choice anyway, so keep letting people know. But they're out there. And you don't have to pay them twice minimum wage.

WingingWonder · 04/05/2019 23:36

We pay a teen £25 for an evening usually 4 hours, kids asleep in bed...

CanYouHelpFindThis · 04/05/2019 23:39

I got £10 3 years ago. But that was London...

I dont know anyone who would do it less than £8 an hour. And normally atleast 3 hours as a minimum...

But good luck

Original poster
WonderGirl11 · 04/05/2019 23:39

Parent you sound like what I need.

Or, maybe a swap. I hadn’t really thought I could do that as I am a single parent but there might be a way to find another parent in a similar situation so we can help each other out.

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BackforGood · 04/05/2019 23:41

My dd would only charge you £10 in total for that. (£5 an hour)

It would be a great regular income and a bonus that it didn't take the evening, not a negative.

I agree with Reasons - just keep mentioning it to people and someone will have a ds or dd who is a 6th former or student who would be happy to pick that up for you.

Original poster
WonderGirl11 · 04/05/2019 23:42

Thank you reasons, good advice too.

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Original poster
WonderGirl11 · 04/05/2019 23:48

Yes, agree BackforGood. This hopefully will suit someone, they just need to be local and doing a bit of babysitting for extra cash. If they don’t live far they’ll be home by 8.15pm. Plenty of evening left for study/going out/watching proper tv not kids stuff etc.

I won’t give up, I also won’t pay £30 so I can go to yoga. That would be well, very expensive yoga!!

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SarahBeeney · 04/05/2019 23:53

£7 an hour but my two babysitters are teenagers.
I'm in SE London.

The most anyone I know pays is £12 an hour around here.