Babysitting Is a Job. Here’s How to Get Paid.

So what do I love about babysitting? The money, of course! When I first started babysitting, I found it so awkward to tell people how much I charged.

Yes, I am a Safe Sitter® graduate and I practiced saying, “I charge $8 an hour, will that be okay?” in class. But when faced with my first few babysitting jobs and that dreaded moment when we started talking about my wage, I chickened out and just let people decide how much to pay me.

And how did that end up? Let’s just say I ended up making half of what I wanted to make on one of my first jobs and I immediately realized I needed to get my act together.

Telling an adult how much you charge to babysit can be really intimidating. No one likes rejection and you definitely don’t want to lose the babysitting job because you charge too much. But, you also don’t want to work for less than you’re worth.

One of the hardest things about babysitting – discussing money. It’s awkward and when I first started babysitting I wasn’t sure what to charge and I was afraid to just throw out a number.

Wait, you charge how much?

So, I didn’t. I just let them decide what to pay me. That was a mistake.

I’m all out of cash. Oh, but here’s two coupons for free ice cream.

I needed to get my act together, and fast. Because I can’t pay for this with coupons for ice cream. Plus, babysitting is hard work. I realized that I was providing a valuable service and I deserved to get paid. You do too! And it’s easier than you think. Here’s how to do it in three easy steps.

Step 1: Decide what to charge. The rate is going to be different depending on where you live, how experienced you are, and whether you completed a training course like Safe Sitter®. A trained, experienced sitter can charge more. If you really don’t know what to charge, ask your friends what they charge or use minimum wage in your community as a starting place. If you get paid $8.50 an hour to bag up burgers and fries, you deserve at least that much for caring for somebody’s child. Remember, keep it simple by charging by the hour. But if you’re babysitting more that two kids, it’s okay to charge more.

Step 2:  When people contact you about a babysitting job, tell them what you charge. I charge $10 an hour, will that be okay? And let them know how you prefer to be paid: cash, check, or mobile transfer. A lot of people don’t carry cash anymore so give them an advanced warning if that’s how you want to be paid.

That’s it! Oh, wait a minute. I said there were three steps. Give yourself a pat on the back. You are the Babysitting Boss. Now, go spend some of that well-earned money.