We have been fortunate enough to have family - mostly retired - within a hour of our home who are willing and able to watch our children if my husband and I need a night away. However, everyone's schedules are filling up and getting a family member to make the trek for a night of babysitting is getting more difficult. It's time to get a local babysitter but need advice on pay - what is the going rate? We have two children - 1 year and 4 years. Any advice?
You have a huge advantage of being in a city with a fantastic school of education. Perhaps contact UW-Madison's School of Ed and ask them if you can place an ad with their Early Childhood Education dept.
Going rate here in Chicago is about $12-15/hr for 2 kids.
Don't assume anything - no matter how old the sitter is. Tell them exactly what you expect of them (time to put kids to bed, etc.) and where they can/can not go with your children. i.e. - my neighbor had a bbsiter (teen) put her kids down, then wake them up b/c she was watching a scary movie and didn't want to be alone!!!! What?!
I would also let them know that if they need to reach someone/ have someone reach them that they are to use your house phone and that they are NOT to text while your children are awake. Not sure if you have teenagers in your life... but they text every minute of everyday. literally.
We pay 8-10 for two children and round up to the nearest hour. Good luck - maybe start with a short night out.. and build from there if you're nervous.
When my daughter was in high school, she got those who paid her $2/hour per kid - really?! To those that paid her $5-8/hour. Now that she's in college, she gets $10-15/hour. Ask around for some referrals. Ask them what they pay. And, then ask the babysitter what she wants to be paid. Good luck.
I can't imagine paying a high school kid more than minimum wage. A teacher in child care barely makes that and has a degree of some sort usually.
I think it is still doable for the babysitter to get a couple of dollars per hour per child. That's all, they are kids, not professional nanny's.
I would ask some of your neighbors and friends because it truly varies depending on your location. We pay our college-aged sitter $8 an hour and "round up" because we love her! She also house sits for us when we are away and was my son's daycare aide for several years before she went to school full time.
My girlfriend in NYC pays her sitter $12-$15 an hour depending on how long they will be out and what she will need to do while they are gone. Our children are exactly the same age and both well-behaved. We live an hour away from eachother.
It depends on your area as far as rates go. I am in far North Dallas burbs and the going rate is $10+ per hour.
My 16 yr old regularly sits for a family weekly from about 6:30pm-almost midnight and gets $85 cash. This is for 1 little boy. Needless to say, when that family calls, she drops whatever plans she has and goes to babysit! Her other families pay around $12/hour.
She does interact with the children. She teaches them Spanish (this helps her practice because she is in Spanish 4 AP), she does mani/pedis with decals and gems for the little girls (with parental permission of course), she id CPR trained as well.
Shs is very responsible and makes sure the children follow house rules.
As for looking for a sitter, talk to your neighbors, our HOA has a website (private) where babysitters can advertise their services for free, talk to your friends for references.
Good luck!
It really depends on your area, so ask neighbors and friends. Where I live, we pay $10/hour for a high school sitter for two kids and $15/hour for a college or adult sitter.
And I agree with the previous poster - don't assume anything. Write out everything you expect and the entire routine for your children.
