How Much Is Fair To Pay A Teen Babysitter?
#1
Posted 10 June 2007 - 07:32 PM
#2
Posted 11 June 2007 - 02:04 PM
What is considered to be "fair-pay" and what is GREAT-PAY!?????
Of course it depends on how many kids they are watching, and how old the kid is..... but still
What if the kid is 8, and good behavior?
I don't know if it's fair or not, but I pay our 16 yr old neighbor $8 bucks an hour for watching our 3 yr old....
Hope this helps,
/dusty
"To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." - Thomas Jefferson
"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money," - Margaret Thatcher
#3
Posted 11 June 2007 - 04:52 PM
#4
Posted 11 June 2007 - 04:53 PM
#5
Posted 12 June 2007 - 08:08 AM
Hi there, A.V.
I agree with MikeinFolsom...I know adult/child/pediatric CPR, and while it is not so hard to learn...in a crisis situation, I think most people would be lucky to be able to focus on doing it correctly...let alone a teenager. It's a great skill to have if you have kids or are around kids, but it's not something I would count on. As long as you have a phone, I would instruct any babysitter to dial 911 in an emergency situation and let the professionals handle it. Definitely the key is to find someone who will interact with your child(ren) and not camp out in front of the TV or spend their whole time on their phone, talking or texting. Don't be shy about insisting that they interact with your child...that's what they are getting paid for ! The pay sounds about right...they seem to be charging about $8 - $10 per hour, which I think is a fair price to get out of the house for awhile When I was a teenager (way back in the stone age! lol!) I charged $1.00 per hour for babysitting....wow, how the times have changed...I guess inflation affects everyone...even teenage babysitters!
**On a side note - I am a "retired" daycare provider who lives in Natoma Station and I still do occasional childcare @ $7.00 per hour. I am currently going to school (although I don't have to leave the house because it is a distance learning program) so I am available most anytime, if you are looking for someone . I love to interact with young people and I really like to engage them in art projects and scientific stuff! Please feel free to contact me if you are interested, and I would be happy to tell you more about myself and answer any questions you might have .
#6
Posted 12 June 2007 - 08:19 AM
I'll buy a pizza for you to share with kids, and I'll pay you a fair wage depending on what the kids tell me how you sat.
If you catch them doing something naughty and stop it before it gets crazy (like pulling a bag of flour out of the way and accidently dropping it on the floor) I will give you a bonus. If you answer the phone within 2 rings when I call and I know you haven't been sitting on my phone I'll give you a bonus.
I pay $10 bucks for 2 1/2 hour services and I give a five buck bonus total if the sitter has done well.
A kid CPR trained is invaluable in a crisis. I watched an 11 year old clear the airway of a kid choking on a Dorito one time. The kid did it all right and even followed through with an immediate call to the 4 year olds parents and then her own parents.
If you really want to be conscientious about the kid you hire-don't just take the CPR certificate for granted-quiz the kid.
#7
Posted 12 June 2007 - 09:18 AM
The rates you guys are quoting sound close. Kids 14 and over can get $7.50 an hour if they find work elsewhere.
My daughter co-babysits with her friend. She is babysitter certified; the friend is not. It's a really good plan because they can handle 3 kids a whole lot better than one 14-year-old could. If they have a challenge, two heads can be better than one. They don't charge more, just split the earnings between them.
#8
Posted 12 June 2007 - 10:13 AM
The rates you guys are quoting sound close. Kids 14 and over can get $7.50 an hour if they find work elsewhere.
My daughter co-babysits with her friend. She is babysitter certified; the friend is not. It's a really good plan because they can handle 3 kids a whole lot better than one 14-year-old could. If they have a challenge, two heads can be better than one. They don't charge more, just split the earnings between them.
I have to disagree with part of this...all teens DO NOT have a cell phone these days. And cell phones should be used as a last resort. Anywhere a teenager is babysitting, there should be a working land line, as this will bring help much faster in an emergency since the address will come up automatically at the dispatch center. Also, performing CPR is challenging, at best, with both hands...you can't do it while holding a phone. If a child stops breathing or is choking and starting to turn blue, it's time to call 911 and get help on the way prior to starting CPR. CPR does not have a very high success rate, even when performed properly, and should be left to professional emergency medical technicians or paramedics, if possible. I mean, CPR is better than nothing, and I think it should be started right away if help is more than a couple of minutes away, but it has a much better chance of working when performed by technicians who have the right equipment and training.
I do agree with the fact that babysitters should be informed as to how to handle other, more common emergencies such as cuts and burns. The dept. of parks and rec (I believe...not 100% sure) also offers a pediatric first aid class. I would be more inclined to hire one that had taken this training than the CPR.
#9
Posted 12 June 2007 - 03:12 PM
This sounds like what our daughters get. If you have girls...it's GENERALLY but not always easier...so I'd up the dollar value on active boys!
The other thing we considered was...how hard is it to keep a good babysitter--that our kids know...and how motivated do we want them to be to change prior plans when we call to see if they're available. Sometimes we paid MORE than we thought fair because we wanted motivated sitters.
There's another thread on this topic from a few months ago...
#10
Posted 14 June 2007 - 08:46 PM
#11
Posted 14 June 2007 - 08:55 PM
#12
Posted 14 June 2007 - 09:28 PM
#13
Posted 18 June 2007 - 01:16 PM
#14
Posted 18 June 2007 - 03:36 PM
#15
Posted 07 July 2007 - 01:34 PM
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