Nanny and Babysitter rates (Boston, Natick: how much, houses, elementary school) - Massachusetts (MA) - City-Data Forum

Parsec · 09-10-2013, 03:10 PM

How much are you guys paying for a babysitter in Metrowest? I've found a few who are asking for anywhere from $10-15/hr for 2 kids.

Also what is the going rate for a nanny who can pick up 2 kids from school, drive them to after-school activities, cook dinner and wash dishes? I've found a few who are charging anywhere from $20-40/hr.

I will ultimately go with who I feel most comfortable with, but at the same time I want to make sure we are paying within market rate. Thanks.

capecodcathy · 09-11-2013, 07:42 AM

This is roughly about right. Confirmed with a college student who did this four years. One year, though, there was so much driving involved she charged more for gas.

Mordi · 09-11-2013, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parsec

How much are you guys paying for a babysitter in Metrowest? I've found a few who are asking for anywhere from $10-15/hr for 2 kids.

Also what is the going rate for a nanny who can pick up 2 kids from school, drive them to after-school activities, cook dinner and wash dishes? I've found a few who are charging anywhere from $20-40/hr.

I will ultimately go with who I feel most comfortable with, but at the same time I want to make sure we are paying within market rate. Thanks.

15/hr for 2 kids is a good deal. dont know about the dinner/dishes/activity stuff. let me know if y ou find someone who does all that so that I can steal them away.

tikaram · 09-11-2013, 10:09 AM

10 is too low, especially for how much you expect to be done by the person. the lowest market rate would be $15. 40 seems too much though, so you are looking at a range between 15 and 30/35 roughly. now if you want the person to fix simple meals or warm up a prepared one - it's one thing. but cooking dinner and cleaning after would put the rate in the upper price bracket for sure.

Parsec · 09-11-2013, 11:46 AM

Sorry for the confusion - I was asking for rates for 2 separate things. A babysitter for date nights (once a week for 5 hours) and a nanny for the daily after-school routine (5 days a week, 4 hours per day). Babysitter would only need to watch the kids for 1-2 hours then hang out after the kids go to sleep. Nanny would have to do all those things I listed above and maybe even help with homework if time permits. I was hoping for a nanny in the $20-25/hr range. Do you think that rate is too low if they need to prepare meals on a daily basis too?

I recently was flamed by a lot of people on this forum for assuming most college grads in MA earn in the upper 5 figures on average and many chimed in to say they only earn $40-50k/year which is about $20-25/hr. Does a nanny really command a higher salary than a desk job that requires a college degree? I'm a parent so obviously I understand nannying is a tough job, but the educational qualifications are much lower so I would think the salary would be lower because there should be a larger pool of qualified applicants.

495neighbor · 09-11-2013, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parsec

Sorry for the confusion - I was asking for rates for 2 separate things. A babysitter for date nights (once a week for 5 hours) and a nanny for the daily after-school routine (5 days a week, 4 hours per day). Babysitter would only need to watch the kids for 1-2 hours then hang out after the kids go to sleep. Nanny would have to do all those things I listed above and maybe even help with homework if time permits. I was hoping for a nanny in the $20-25/hr range. Do you think that rate is too low if they need to prepare meals on a daily basis too?

I recently was flamed by a lot of people on this forum for assuming most college grads in MA earn in the upper 5 figures on average and many chimed in to say they only earn $40-50k/year which is about $20-25/hr. Does a nanny really command a higher salary than a desk job that requires a college degree? I'm a parent so obviously I understand nannying is a tough job, but the educational qualifications are much lower so I would think the salary would be lower because there should be a larger pool of qualified applicants.

The educational requirement may not be lower if you are asking they tutor your children on their homework.

Parsec · 09-11-2013, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 495neighbor

The educational requirement may not be lower if you are asking they tutor your children on their homework.

Their homework consists of word problems like this: "Katie has 11 apples. She eats one for snack and gives three to her friends. How many does she have now?" A high school girl can do this job after school because HS gets out earlier than elementary school, but I don't feel comfortable letting such a young driver shuttle my kids around town.

timberline742 · 09-11-2013, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parsec

Does a nanny really command a higher salary than a desk job that requires a college degree? I'm a parent so obviously I understand nannying is a tough job, but the educational qualifications are much lower so I would think the salary would be lower because there should be a larger pool of qualified applicants.

I only know two nannies personally and both earn more than $50k in the suburbs of Boston. Can't say if that is normal. I would think there would be a premium on non-full time hours though.

Scriptkitten · 09-11-2013, 03:51 PM

$15-$20 is normal for babysitting.

However I have a neighbor teen I pay $10/hr

tikaram · 09-11-2013, 07:36 PM

Parsec, I don't know what was the discussion, and I'm sorry to hear you got flamed. Thing is, many cleaning ladies do pretty well these days, despite the fact they have no college education. And why is that? Because they work for themselves, they have their own business cleaning houses. They are organized, and answer the phone quickly, and get back to you when you leave a message etc etc - the whole set of skills on top of being just a good cleaning lady. It has nothing to do with education.

Same with cooking, first it depends on what type of cooking are we talking about. Mac and cheese out of the box, and warming up a pizza slice in the microwave? Sure, a teenager can do that, and you don't have to pay more than $10 an hour for that. Heck, my kids can do it, as well as fix simple sandwiches, and making bowl of cereal etc, and cleaning up a mess after themselves. They are not even teenagers yet.

But "real cooking"? I come from Europe, and we have completely different food culture, that many americans don't seem to share. My friends have a "cooking lady" to make "real food" every day, and pay her significantly more than 10.
Besides, to me cooking is not just throwing open the pantry and fridge, and putting something together, it's planning, it's shopping, it's portion count etc (do we need to have leftovers, if yes how much etc) There is a lot to it.

Sometimes I think that when my kids grow up and I feel bored, and miss good ol' days I could offer my services, but would never work for 10 or even 15 (of course I'm not a teenager

) I have a Masters, but who cares? it has absolutely nothing to do with these other skills and abilities I acquired over the years. I know I'm good at time management and can get lots of things done around kids activities, pick up / drop off, homework, shopping, planning etc. A teenager cannot do all that. Plus their driving record would be of concern to me. Now driving around say Natick is one thing, but I wouldn't let my kids drive with a teenager or a young driver even on rt 9, not to mention masspike. I'm willing to pay more for that, if I have to hire someone. And yes, I would say that it's absolutely fine (in my book) to pay more to a nanny, than to someone with a basic desk job.