How Much Should I Pay a College Student to Be Summer Nanny

I used the rate calculator on sittercity.com for the following criteria:

75287 zip code (1st Plano zip code I found)
2 children
0-1 yrs experience
18-21 years old

Their rate code indicates that $11.75/hour
That being said I ALWAYS OVERPAY - so if the rate says 11.75 and they are saying they get paid 12.00 - I would offer 12.50. They will turn down other jobs for me and they will feel "good" about what they are being paid - this has always gone a long way for me.

But to get a good sense, ask her what she charges and why. They WHY to me has always been telling.

Food and activities are typically covered, so you wouldn't deduct for that.

You will want to determine UP FRONT if you will be claiming this on your taxes - if so, you need to get the nanny's social security no and make sure they know that you will not be withholding and THEY are responsible for paying taxes. I would get that in writing... if you are planning on claiming on your taxes.

Rates vary by area of the country, but I'd suggest $10 - $15/hour.

M.:

I don't know the cost of living in Plano. However, here in DC - the going rate for someone with little experience is $15 to $17 an hour. If they have certifications like CPR, First Aid and early childhood classes? $20 an hour.

Interview your candidates...see how they play and interact with your children, check references...go with your gut!!

Good luck!

It depends on what you want. If you just want minimal care and just enough to keep them from killing themselves, then pay a minimum wage.

If you want them to be involved with your kids, take them places, engage with them, create and play with them, have fun with them, then you will need to pay way more. The more you pay, the more they will feel you expect.

What you pay the person tells that babysitter what value you are giving them.

Do you have any friends with a nanny? I would start there to see what the normal pay is for a nanny.

I am in Plano and my 18 yr old is a regular babysitter. She averages $12-$15 an hour for a weekly weekend babysitting job. She brings home about $100 for 1 night of work a weekend. She has never set a rate, it is just what they pay her. However, she is very active and involved with the children.

The average rate in our area is $10/hour.

If you want a "salary" vs pay by the hour, I would find out what the nannies get paid around here then negotiate a rate that you are both happy with.

Good luck.

find out what the going rate in your area is and there is your answer. There is too much variation based of the area one lives in to get a good number here.

My daughter did a month long babysitting job last summer in Houston. She was paid $10/hour, with no gas money. The kids were 7 and 10. I think the younger the kids, the more you should pay. She was quite pleased with what she made.

My sitters are paid $10 an hour when it's not normal hours. So if it's not covering work hours. My morning sitter still makes that much in the mornings as well, as she comes at 615 and leaves when the kids get on the bus about 825. We pay her regardless of whether she is here or not.

For full days, we do $50. I know that is low, but it's what our daycare provider recommended we ask for, and we have gotten EXCELLENT care for that. Last summer was not so good towards the end, but she was still happy with the pay. It's $2000 for the summer under the table, easy enough.

Our sitters do take the kids out. To VBS, swimming lessons, movies, library, the pool, play dates, whatever makes their life easier. We get a pool pass for the local pool, which happens to be right next door to my office. So I spend my lunch break with them and the sitter gets a break. We also take several vacations (normally, but not this summer) and they are paid for that. I am off every other Friday, and they are still paid. Any days they take off, they are paid, unless it becomes excessive or I have to use someone else.

For a summer nanny we are paying $50/day ffor two kids for 6 hours. It is less than we pay our normal sitters ($10/hour) by $10, but that is due to the agreement with our nanny. We also give her a pre-paid card for gas and activities.
Good Luck!

I own a sitter service in the area. Going rate for 2 is $14/hr babysitter wage. Nanny is 18/hr

I can say that if you compare the cost of a nanny for the wages they are stating below and compare it to full time child care you will save about 50% if you use a child care facility.

In Oklahoma, which is not too different on the cost of living, a school age child pays about $11-$15 PER DAY in child care and that includes meals and snacks. Either breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack or a morning snack, lunch, and an afternoon snack. Kids eat that much money in food per day sometimes!

I admit it's nice to have someone come to your home and watch the kids but think about the stuff you'll have to clean up every night, if you have her do any cleaning you'll have to pay her more for those tasks separately. So you'll have more work in the evening plus just a lot more in food costs.

I would use someplace fun, like the YMCA day camp program if you have one there. Otherwise I'd use a full time child care center with tons of kids their own age to do stuff with.

In Oklahoma the ratio's are 3 yrs 1 teacher to 12 kids, 4 yrs 1 teacher to 15 kids, and school age kids are 1 teacher to 20 kids. And they always have scheduled activities to keep the kids active. I had a summer schedule and we did stuff all the time. I took the schoolagers to the free movies at the Library, to the park to fish, to play at the big park on the next block (we walked), and all sorts of stuff to keep them either out of the building or out doing something during nap time so they wouldn't keep the little ones awake.