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I need some money.
I have a trip to Arizona coming up that I have to pay for, we are doing fund raising through the PD, selling butter braids which contribute to taking off money from our total trip cost which is nearly $300.
And numerous uniform and equipment cost as well, $50 for my tactical uniform and a bunch of other stuff.
I haven't baby sat in a LONG time.
I don't know what parents look for now a days.
I am lifeguard, first aid, CPR and AED certified.
I am a police explorer.
I am 20 and female.
I just don't know what parents look for now.
And how much to charge?
We pay $10 per hr.
We have 4 teens that babysit for us at various different times.
The best one, a girl in year 11, has authority. She just has it. don't ask me how. She is a pretty quiet kid but always smiling. Our kids obey her. When we get home they are all in bed asleep. She reads bed time stories to them. The best thing is then once they are asleep she loads the dishwasher and cleans up from dinner.
The other baby sitters we usually find alseep themselves on the couch with the TV on.
Next time I interview a potential babysitter I am just going to ask if they will do the dishes once the kids are in bed. My bet is that the ones who say yes are also likely to be better baby sitters and better with kids. Maybe I will get someone who will clean the house
What do we look for - some kind of personal connection. Like we know the person or know their parents or have at least known them for some time away from the baby sitting context. For example 2 of the teens live up the street. We really don't know them but we had seen them many times walking past so a few times we struck up conversations with them and then asked if they would like to baby sit.
If we had a complete stranger apply, I would want to find a person or two who knew them and ask them about them.
That's my problem. I have lived in my town now for about 2-3 years now and I still don't know anyone on my street, except the people who live on both sides of me. One elderly couple and a stay at home mom who never really needs help.
I don't know anyone and my best best are putting up fliers(waste of paper and my time) and this one website...I forgot what it was called.
I need some money.
I have a trip to Arizona coming up that I have to pay for, we are doing fund raising through the PD, selling butter braids which contribute to taking off money from our total trip cost which is nearly $300.
And numerous uniform and equipment cost as well, $50 for my tactical uniform and a bunch of other stuff.
I haven't baby sat in a LONG time.
I don't know what parents look for now a days.
I am lifeguard, first aid, CPR and AED certified.
I am a police explorer.
I am 20 and female.
I just don't know what parents look for now.
And how much to charge?
You said you've baby-sat before. Can you call up any of those people and ask them to be references for you? Even if they are in a different state, it will be useful.
From your resume on this page, plus two references who spoke well of you, I would give a chance.
I would *not* explain why you are babysitting, because it will appear that you are temporarily available and once you have the money I would be looking for a new sitter.
You could tell the parents you will not plop the kid(s) in front of the tv all night and ignore them.
Maybe you could get together a craft bag or some other fun activity so they can feel like you are more than just a 'body' they are leaving with their kid but rather someone who wants to do things with them.
I have hired 3 different sitters off care.com, there are a number of different sites like this. It is like a self service match-making for caregivers, and those needing care.
Not every caregiver is going to fit every person needs. You need to decide what your strong points are and play those up. I have boys, they do not like to sit down and do crafts, for instance. I look for someone that will not sit on the couch, the entire time, and will engage my boys to go play outside. This may not be the situation, say for someone with a young baby, where you may need to offer a more gentle touch and show that you are nurturing.
On the website, you can look at others profiles (without making an account) just to get an idea what some caregivers advertise about themselves.
A few things that I would say everyone would be looking for in a caregiver is
#1 prompt- if I am paying you, and I ask you to be at my house at 7pm, because I have a 730 reservation, than that is my number 1 priority/concern. I also do not want to hear your excuses about your car breaking down (reliable transportation is a must).
#2 able to communicate- I want a few words from you, on my return home, about how things went with my children. A simple fine seems okay, but it also makes me think that you did not pay that much attention to them, if you can't say...."Boy was being silly when I asked him to brushteeth....(whatever)"; just a simple antidote that I know you were aware of them.
Last but not least, your personality may be a good match with a certain family , and not so much for another. If you are easy-going and flexible, you are likely to find more customers, but even this is not fail proof, because some families may want the "ENFORCER". I expect my sitter to have a bit of authority (this is why I will not hire teenagers anymore), but if she is not playful too, I don't think we would have a match in my family.
I need some money.
I have a trip to Arizona coming up that I have to pay for, we are doing fund raising through the PD, selling butter braids which contribute to taking off money from our total trip cost which is nearly $300.
And numerous uniform and equipment cost as well, $50 for my tactical uniform and a bunch of other stuff.
I haven't baby sat in a LONG time.
I don't know what parents look for now a days.
I am lifeguard, first aid, CPR and AED certified.
I am a police explorer.
I am 20 and female.
I just don't know what parents look for now.
And how much to charge?
We had a sitter last night, and I can tell you what I don't look for! She ate almost 2/3 of a package of Oreos! Don't do that! CPR cert is great! If someone leaves you a message about sitting, call them back even if the answer is no. They'll be more likely to call you next time. Show up on time, and be polite. I think $10/hour for 2 kids is reasonable. Experience with other kids the ages of mine is important, too.
edit: and put away (or have the kids put away) the toys you play with while you are there.
That's my problem. I have lived in my town now for about 2-3 years now and I still don't know anyone on my street, except the people who live on both sides of me. One elderly couple and a stay at home mom who never really needs help.
I don't know anyone and my best best are putting up fliers(waste of paper and my time) and this one website...I forgot what it was called.
I probably wouldn't hire a complete stranger from a flier. Word of mouth is better. I found my sitters through our church youth group. If you see a family with kids out on your street, you could introduce yourself, point out your house, and let them know you are available.
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She ate almost 2/3 of a package of Oreos! Don't do that! CPR cert is great! If someone leaves you a message about sitting, call them back even if the answer is no. They'll be more likely to call you next time. Show up on time, and be polite. I think $10/hour for 2 kids is reasonable. Experience with other kids the ages of mine is important, too.
