What's the going rate for babysitting?

[Sausagegirl]

My 14-year-old goddaughter is babysitting for us tonight. How much should we pay her? Don't suppose I can pay what I used to get - a fiver for six hours and all the Corona I could drink!

[redcrx]

depends what she may be expected to do. My 2 year old son can run rings around our babysitter and she often has to get him to bed, sit him on potty (not a nice job for anyone whos not mum or dad) and then generally try and get him to stay in bed.

She gets �5 per hour (rounded up to nearest hour).

Mind you, we buy chocolate, drinks, crisps for her and tell her to help herself to anything she wants and yet she never touches a thing!

[Sausagegirl]

My little girl will already be in bed and once she's in, it's very, very rare that she will wake up, cry, want the loo etc.

A fiver an hour was what i was thinking, but it's good to know someone else is too. Don't want to be accused of taking the mick!

[redcrx]

well my babysitter even tries to give us some back lol

its above minimum wage and at 14 itll probably seem like very easy money if your little one is already in bed.

[Pippa68]

I would agree on a fiver an hour.

I used to earn quite a bit when I babysat ~ about a tenner for the whole evening 25 years ago, which was a lot! mind you it was usually from about 7.30pm until 2.00am ;o)

[Reverandfunk]

And drink all the Harveys Bristol cream

[Bohne]

Hm, I would think that that falls under the general taking and giving in a family...
I would not pay her at all!

[Bohne]

Sorry, I skipped the 'god', thought you were talking about your daughter...

I used to get 10-15 German mark for a night (almost 25 years ago), plus all the sweets and contents of the fridge I wanted!

[Bohne]

Sorry, wasn'T finished...

I checked on babysitting rates recently, too, and I think 5 Euro an hour (about 3,50 pounds) seems reasonable, if no work is involved as in your case.

So with five pounds you are certainly not taking the mick!

[tigwig]

I don't want to alarm you but I agree with zacsmaster about leaving a young child with a 14 year old. How old is your little girl? What if there was an emergency like a fire or something or she fell very ill? I know it is unlikely but would a 14 year old really be mature enough to know what to do and administer first aid? Anyway not really meaning to lecture you but I wouldn't leave my 3 year old with someone so young and to answer your question, I think �5 an hour is more than generous especially for a 14 year old

[Sausagegirl]

Zacsmaster: Assessment for what? Does she need to sit an exam before she can do it?
I don't think we can be accused of being neglectful of our daughter.
a) My goddaughter is a very close family member
b) She lives down the road and her mum is at the end of the phone
c) my husband's parents live next door and will be in

Well, I feel like a really great parent now.

[redcrx]

just to add, my babysitter actually lives next door so her mother is on hand if there are any emergencies. Her mother is a firefighter, as is my partner and 2 doors down is a paramedic so i have no more worries about leaving my son as i would if my mum was babysitting really.

[JB]

From the sounds of things there will be an army of people on hand if needed! Go out, enjoy yourself, and trust your own judgement. I used to babysit from around the age of 13, and was more than capable of knowing what to do in an emergency (which thankfully never arose!) And given the maturity of kids these days, your god-daughter is probably more clued up than most adults!

[Robinia]

don't feel bad Sausagegirl, there's obviously plenty of back-up for your god daughter.
I had a brilliant babysitter who was 14 when she first came...her parents lived a few doors down too. She was great with my boys & when she left school she went to be a nanny in London for a few years....I told her it was my glowing reference that got her the job.

tigwig..I daresay there are 24 yr olds who don't know any first aid.

[Robinia]

btw..about 6 bob (30p) should be enough to pay her...that's what I got at 14 for 2 & half hrs on a Sat.... :o)

[howdy]

Sausagegirl, give her what you would like to receive for doing said job.

[4getmenot]

Free the innocent 4

[mrs_overall]

I pay my babysitter �20 for the night. Sometimes we're only out for a couple of hours, sometimes for 4-5 hours so it all balances out in the end. She also gets free run of the fridge.
Have a great night out!

[isymcd]

My daughter is 16 now but would have been more than capable @ 14. The Red Cross set up a Basics of Babysitting course which i run as an after school club for our year 9's @ school who are 14. Many of them like your god-daughter are starting to do some babysitting. I don't carry out a formal assessment on hte course - just a couple of multiple choice question sheets.

Go out and enjoy yourself - I would pay about �20.