Is $7.00 an hour fair?

[NanceXToo]

For me to pay a just-turned-17 y/o babysitter? To watch an almost 10 year old girl and an almost 5 year old boy?

 

It would be tonight from about 6:30 PM (after they've had their dinner) til about 11:30 PM.

 

She'd be watching them/interacting with them, giving them dessert, putting the younger one to bed around 8:30-9 and she could decide when to send the older one to lay and read in bed, with a suggestion of between 9 and 10 PM depending on how it's going for her.

 

The younger one usually gets tucked in without a problem, the older takes care of getting herself to bed. They're pretty well-behaved kids.

 

Once they go up, she's welcome to watch what she wants on TV, use my computer, and can help herself to whatever she wants to eat or drink.

 

Am I paying enough? I asked if she had a set rate she asks for babysitting, and the mom said no. My husband said, "ask if she thinks $7.00 an hour is fair." I did so, and she says that's fine but I want to make sure I'm being fair! She's the daughter of one of the moms in my homeschooling group and I hope to use her occasionally in the future, when my husband and I want to be able to go out at night and spend some time together or with another couple, which is kind of rare for us.

 

It's our first time hiring someone in a very long time, usually I get family to babysit when necessary, but that's just become inconvenient lately for various reasons.

 

ETA: The area we live in is not "rich" or anything like that, if that matters, we're all pretty average working-class people!

[MindyD]

I would've said $5 an hour. I think $7 is fair and even generous.

[Di3kids]

Probably, depending on your area. I'm in a rural area in WI and my dd13 is paid anywhere from $4-$7 an hour for 1-3 children ages 2+. My sister in CO paid at least $10-$12 an hour for two children, and this was several years ago. Yikes - I remember getting $1/hr. HTH

[StephanieZ]

I think it is fair.

 

I also think it will make a big difference if you round up to the nearest $5 or so, and give her a minimum of $20 for showing up at all. Those "little" things made a big difference for me when I babysat as a teen.

[Harriet Vane]

I think it is fair.

 

I also think it will make a big difference if you round up to the nearest $5 or so, and give her a minimum of $20 for showing up at all. Those "little" things made a big difference for me when I babysat as a teen.

 

:iagree:

[TheTwinsMom1]

We live in WI, I typically pay 10$ per hour for my twins. We also do as you do and let them eat anything they want.

[K&Rs Mom]

That's what I pay for my two ($5 an hour for just one). I agree with rounding up, too.

[PrincessAriel]

I think it is very generous. I remember getting paid fifty cents an hour. When I asked for seventy five, the woman quit asking me to babysit!

[bettyandbob]

where do you live? I'd have to pay 10 and leave a tip. You have to ask your neighbors, people at your church, and parents on your dc soccer team to get a feel for the going rate. It's expensive, but you want her to want to come back if you ever need her again.

 

Make sure whatever rate you go with the sitter and you are in agreement. Several years ago one of my neighbors thought she had an agreement on a rate with a sitter and at the end of the evening the sitter said it was per child, which would have made the rate insane since my neighbor had 3 kids (and they were easy kids to sit). Things were ugly with the sitter's parents who lived up the street and were demanding that the higher rate be honored. This was over a decade ago. I think the rate was $7 back then and so the sitter thought she should get $21/hour. That girl may have gotten money for that night, but no one on our street hired her again.

[bettyandbob]

I think it is very generous. I remember getting paid fifty cents an hour. When I asked for seventy five, the woman quit asking me to babysit!

 

 

Babysitters don't get the slave wages we got when we we're kids. They make well above the minimum wage where I live. I live in the same area I grew up. I made more than you--I got $1/hour.

[Farrar]

We paid our youngest babysitter (who was about 18 when she started sitting for us occasionally) $15 an hour. But we're in an urban area. Getting someone for anything under $25 an hour, regardless of experience, is a good deal around here. I have to say, when I was a kid and babysitting, I usually made between $5-$10 an hour and that was going on 20 years ago and not in a crazy expensive area like I live in now... so... I don't know. It sounds really low to me. Then again (or then again again?), I get freaked out when I see how little things cost outside the city in general, so it may be fine.

[Laurie4b]

Sounds fine to me, but the best way to know if it's fair is to ask other parents in your area what they pay. Fair here may be different from fair there. :) I think the rates here would be a little higher.

[Pretty in Pink]

I think it's reasonable. That's what my last teen babysitter charged: $5.00/hr. for the first kid and $2.00/hr for each additional kid.

 

It's definitely more than I made as a teen, which was in the 90s. I charged $1.00/hr per kid. I remember one summer I babysat 5 kids (ages 7 and down) for...wait for it...$50.00/week. That was 5 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., five days a week! And I cooked, cleaned, and ran the laundry while I was there. What a deal they got that summer.

 

Anyway, two kids at the local drop-in would run me $9.50/hr. I can take all four for $13.50/hr.

[AngieW in Texas]

The last time I had a baby sitter (very long time ago, since my youngest is now 12yo), I paid $5/hour for all three of my kids and they ranged in age from 3yo to 8yo. I made sure to have plenty of snack foods out.

[Gwenhwyfar]

Right now, dd13 has a babysitting job with 2 kids (ages 3 & 7) and they pay $10/hour. Sometimes another family brings their two kids to the same location (the parents do stuff together) adding in a 5 & 7 year old - then she earns $20/hour because each family pays her the $10 rate.

 

With 3,5,7,7 - she's earning every penny of that. :laugh:

[Jeannie in NJ]

the last time I used a sitter (years ago as dc are now 13 and 15) I paid $10 an hour to a college girl that lived across the street. I live in a small town in the Northeast and that seemed to be the going rate then and maybe even now.

[NanceXToo]

Thanks for the replies, all! We ended up having her here for just short of five hours, and we ended up giving her $8.00 an hour since we threw in an extra $5.00 when the friends we went out with were like "you have to tip your babysitter!" Huh? LOL I never even heard of that. Seriously! But my friend was adamant about it. So we threw in an extra $5.00. (is that common? Not that I minded, really, it was worth the night out! It's just that I never heard of tipping a babysitter before. Now I'm curious if everyone does that!)

[NanceXToo]

Getting someone for anything under $25 an hour, regardless of experience, is a good deal around here.

 

Wow. Most adults don't make that much money around where I live. I can't fathom paying a teen that amount! I had a lawyer try to hire me to be a paralegal in his office for $10.00 an hour. I was like yeah, right! I know I don't live in NY anymore but are you kidding me? I'd rather continue staying home with my kids than work for you for $10.00 an hour lol. (And good thing I made that choice since I ended up homeschooling anyway) :)

[LibraryLover]

I don't think it's totally out there.

[LibraryLover]

That sounds right.

 

Thanks for the replies, all! We ended up having her here for just short of five hours, and we ended up giving her $8.00 an hour since we threw in an extra $5.00 when the friends we went out with were like "you have to tip your babysitter!" Huh? LOL I never even heard of that. Seriously! But my friend was adamant about it. So we threw in an extra $5.00. (is that common? Not that I minded, really, it was worth the night out! It's just that I never heard of tipping a babysitter before. Now I'm curious if everyone does that!)

Edited August 15, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Barb_]

Thanks for the replies, all! We ended up having her here for just short of five hours, and we ended up giving her $8.00 an hour since we threw in an extra $5.00 when the friends we went out with were like "you have to tip your babysitter!" Huh? LOL I never even heard of that. Seriously! But my friend was adamant about it. So we threw in an extra $5.00. (is that common? Not that I minded, really, it was worth the night out! It's just that I never heard of tipping a babysitter before. Now I'm curious if everyone does that!)

 

My daughters are heavy babysitters. Some people round up or throw in an extra five or ten, others don't. It's always appreciated, but never expected.

 

Barb

[Pretty in Pink]

Yes, I usually do tip. I just round up to the nearest five.

[cjshima]

Yes thats a fair amount, including tip. Would usually pay about $20 min.

[anotherbrother]

I wish we could go out more often. It costs at least $15/hr for a babysitter around here if you can find one. Even if we could find one we can't really afford to pay $50-75 for a babysitter and then go out.

 

I'm glad you had a nice time. If she thinks $7-8 is fair I would keep her around.

[golfcartmama]

Going rate in our area is $10 for 2 kids.

[Snickerdoodle]

I overheard some moms discussing this at the park and the going rate is apparently 15 dollars per hour.

[AHASRADA]

Hmm, this thread is eye-opening. When I was a teen babysitter in the late 80s/early 90s, I was paid $5 an hour for 1 or 2 kids. They were usually pretty easy gigs like the one the OP described. I realize that was a long time ago now, but I thought $7/hour sounded reasonable (I guess I was thinking $1 increase for each decade, LOL!)

 

I would think a young teen with limited experience should charge less than, say, a college student or young adult. I agree the best idea would be to ask around your local area among people in a similar income bracket to find the going rate.

 

I'm just extremely grateful that I have never, ever needed to hire a babysitter. When my kids were very little, my mom watched them any time I needed to go out without them. Since we moved away and they were no longer babies/toddlers, we just took them everywhere and only had time out alone when visiting family who could stay with them. Now that ds is old enough to babysit, we regularly leave them home alone to go to appointments, errands, etc. during the day, but it still doesn't seem necessary to leave them home alone in the evening just so we can go out and "have fun" without them. We still reserve those "date nights" for our visits to the grandparents.

 

I will definitely be filing away the babysitting rate info. for the benefit of my own kids doing the babysitting!

[Holly IN]

WHOA!!! $7 an hour??? That is very generous.

 

For a full day of babysitting I only got $20. This is from Noon till 10 pm at night. That was every Sunday. I wasn't allowed to use their phone or anything. I could bring school books but that was it. I had to bring my own food and such. They had a swimming pool but wasn't allowed to swim either. They were very picky at what I could and couldn't do. This was for 2 kids under the age 6. (one was 3 yrs old and the other one was 6 yr old)

 

$7 an hour is very generous by today's standards I believe. My son's friend only gets $20 for babysitting 15 kids for 3 hours one day a week.

 

Holly

[Pretty in Pink]

My son's friend only gets $20 for babysitting 15 kids for 3 hours one day a week.

 

Can you explain what you mean? Surely one child is not left in charge of 15 children by himself?

[3littlekeets]

Jealous! Around here that would be a steal! Babysitters start at 10.00 per hour for one kid and 3 per hour for each extra child. College kids normally start at 15, though they'll watch all 3 of mine for that, so they are the best deal :D.

[Nature]

Times have sure changed. When I was a teen in the late 70's/early 80's, the going rate was 50 cents an hour no matter how many kids they had!!