Occasional Care Q

[chrissie250]

Hi all

I have been approached by a lady who has a 12yr old and a 2.5 yr old and has asked me if i would care for them on occasional sat nights from about 8 till midnight just so her and dad can go out, it would be at their house which is not a problem, my query is how much is fair to charge do you think, iv not looked after children as a babysitter since i lived at home!! ....... 13 yrs ago or more!

Any help would be appreciated, thanks

Chrissie250

[sweets]

i charge £6 an hour for babysitting. i think it should be more really but you have to think about wether its worth it for the parents to go out if they are paying more.

[beccas]

It would depend on how much you would charge if you were minding on a sat normal hours then how much you are willing to take for a sat night and 2 children

[jodi-anna]

i charge £6 an hour for babysitting. i think it should be more really but you have to think about wether its worth it for the parents to go out if they are paying more.

I think £6ph for two children is more than reasonable. The older child is likely to be up later on a Saturday night and the younger child my be restless and need a little bit of comforting.... £6+ would be fine for the extra responsibility. Possibly more if parents return after mid-night...... and how do you get home/length of journey etc?

[Twinkles]

Can you find out the going rate for your area ? I'm sure it's much more than that here in Surrey.

[chrissie250]

Thanks all for your replies x

I was actually thinking of asking what the parent is prepared to pay, but then went onto think some parents will say not alot in hope you do it for cheap!

As for my travel i would be driving myself there and back.

I am thinking i will explain my childcare charges during the day would cost them £28 for both children and any additional hours i do from 6pm i charge £5 per hour per child totalling £40.

I keep thinking thou that that is alot and i would probably not pay that much so how can i charge that much!!

[mumx3]

I regularly pay £10 per hour to a friends daughter to baby sit for my 3 kids on a saturday night. I always get her to come about 8pm once the 2 little ones are in bed and then she just keeps my 11 year old company until 9pm when it is her bedtime.

I tend to book her from 8pm to 11pm and pay £30 plus we give her a lift home. (6 miles away).

Forgot to say we live in North London, and I charge £50 per day for minding, or £5.80 per hour (which is minimum wage).