How Much Should You Pay Your Babysitter ?
This is a lot trickier than you'd think! The going rate for babysitters can vary by several different factors and you'll have to do some investigation to get the right answers.
Here are a few of the things that can affect the pay rate of your babysitter:
Location: This will affect your cost the most. The higher the cost of living in your area the higher your pay rate will have to be to fit the expenses he or she is looking to cover with this job. It could also be higher if you're living in the city or a neighborhood with a bad reputation. It helps to ask other mothers in your area what the going rate is for babysitters and decide on a value that is at least that high. Factor in how far they travel to reach you as well.
Age: You'll want to consider their age when making an offer per hour. For a teenager the minimum rate might be acceptable but for someone who is older and to whom money is less for spending than for paying the bills you may want to consider adding a bit more.
Experience: This is very important! If they've been sitting for years and have oodles of experience (especially through an agency and if it includes nurse or CPR training) you won't want to be making too low an offer. Again a teen is likely looking for pocket money where as someone with more experience is looking for a way to make a living.
Are You Special Needs? If you have a child who requires special care it's important you keep that in mind when making an offer on pay. You'll need someone who is capable of taking care of those needs adequately as well.
More Than One: If you have 2 or more children you'll need to offer a higher pay. The more children there are (regardless of how sweet and well-behaved) the tougher the job will be, plan your per hour accordingly.
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