what do I charge for an after school sitter job?

[britt92084]

I wanted to find a job I could do at night, but by my own hours, so I thought about being an after school sitter (I work at a junior high so my hours work perfect for it)

 

I'd put flyers up around town, but I'm not sure how much I should charge. I don't want an extreme amount. I was thinking if someone could help me figure out how to charge for whoever does call.

 

I realize alot of parents are strapped for money I just want a little extra cash. I want to save for my move this summer.

 

so what do I do... charge by child? charge by age? hmmm... I would also be willing to help older children with their homework. I am a para with special needs children (all autistic) so I have that experience as well.

 

 

any advice would be appreciated. thank you!

[KG]

IMHO....Charge by the child, but offer a discount as the number goes up. Charge more for the younger ones. Here in NY they get about $8 an hour.

[glegend]

You could charge by the hour. You could charge by the hour maybe 5 to 10 dollars. Your thing could be an affordable service.

[metrogirl]

I think it's nice that you realize that not a lot of parents are rolling around naked in money. So many parents can't afford child care these days.

 

Kudos to you!

[Alezia]

My daily daycare provider charges 30$ per day for a full-time child in daycare.

Are you looking to have regulars or just take the odd job because I think that could impact the way you would want to price out your services. You might want to offer the "homework" help option and leave it up to their choice if they wish to take it - some parents might not.

 

I think per hour is great if you want to make more money and babysit less hours but would be something that you would do on a special occasion ex: parents go see a movie that night. I think somewhere around minimum wage should be fine (here it's 8.50$ or so).

 

If you are looking for something more permanent I would charge a flat-fee per day for X hours which would total less than what you would make on a hourly rate. This is mostly for a 3-nights a week type kid where you'd be guaranteed more income.

[shikashika]

hmnn I got over $5 an hour 20 years ago... so I imagine it must be at least double that now.

 

Just because there is a recession does not mean that parents should be paying you crap wages.

 

What is more important than looking after someone's children?

 

I always find it odd that jobs that are so important, (like babysitting) *some* parents will find a way to pay as little as possible.

[Alezia]

On most date nights my partner does not want to spend more than 20-30$. He's cheap, and I accept that he will never dine me out at a fancy restaurant of 30$ a plate.

 

If someone would charge me 10-15$/hr, that means I get to go take a "free walk" for 2-3 hours. I might not consider the services as much lol =) Maybe use them once every 4 months.

You must also consider what you would consider profitable. What would you really be willing to work for.

If everyone is offering you 8$/hr and you only accept 15$/hr, then you might not get a lot of clientele. But if you don't think 8$/hr is worth your time, then don't do it.

I don't think childcare is a very profitable path by itself :S

 

People's financial situations are all different. My old babysitter just charged me a flat rate of 15$ for the night and another 15$ for a night stay; which I considered quite reasonable. You might want to look at what people in your neighborhood are charging. (Note: here more than 7$/day is considered "criminal", so considering I'm paying my babysitter 30$/day, I'm already way above the average.) I'm in a very ghetto area... =)

[KG]

Try Craigslist in your area, look at the charges there...might help you.