Babysitter/Nanny: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire a babysitter?

Babysitters can be hired for personal or professional reasons. They look after young children while parents tend to other matters. The right babysitter candidate will go above and beyond by assisting with homework and other agreed-upon tasks.

• Support within the scope of child care
• Prepare basic meals
• Assistance with schoolwork

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance babysitter

Parents can hire babysitters full-time and or as freelancers. Freelance babysitters, who are typically neighborhood teenagers and young adults, are more convenient for parents who are just leaving children for one night. They have lower pay overall than full-time caretakers, and parents don’t have to pay benefits, such as time off and health care. 

Parents who have demanding jobs that keep them away from home for an extended time, such as executives, doctors, and small business owners, may require full-time assistance from a babysitter. In this case, it may be cheaper to hire a full-time caretaker than to hire freelancers every day. 

What are the types of babysitters?

There are a few different types of positions held by caretakers for children. These include:

• Babysitters: Babysitters are typically teenagers and young adults whom parents hire on a case-by-case basis to care for their children. Some are paid hourly, while others are paid a flat rate for their services. 
• Nannies: On average, nannies are older than babysitters and have made a career out of caring for other people’s children. They may hold certifications in first aid and CPR as well as a degree in child care. Some nannies may live with the families or travel with them on vacations or temporary job locations. 
• Au pair: An au pair is a young adult who lives with a family in a different country to learn more about their language and culture. In exchange for their knowledge and hospitality, the au pair is tasked with taking care of the children. 

Where to find babysitters

To find the right babysitter for your family, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Ask around the neighborhood. Asking neighbors may lead to teenagers or young adults who are qualified to look after your children and seeking an income. 
• Ask your coworkers. Your coworkers may have qualified teenagers, nieces and nephews who can take care of your children. 
• Post help wanted signs around the community. Putting up posters around the neighborhood may create leads and generate quality candidates to watch your children. 
• Check online sites for the right candidate. There may be some potential caretakers who have posted on popular internet sites looking for work. 
• Post your job online. Try posting your babysitter job on Indeed to find and attract quality babysitter candidates.

Skills to look for in a great Babysitter

A great babysitter candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

• Caring for children
• Problem-solving skills
• Child safety courses and certificates
• Punctuality
• Attention to detail
• Ability to follow instructions

Writing a babysitter job description

A thoughtful description is important in finding qualified babysitter candidates. A babysitter job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your babysitter job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting . These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on babysitter jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Nanny
• Babysitter
• Child care
• Nanny babysitter
• Babysitting
• Summer
• Live-in nanny
• Babysitter nanny
• Hiring immediately
• Childcare

Interviewing babysitter candidates

Strong candidates for babysitter positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Discipline techniques
• How they manage multiple children
• Their experience working with children

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of babysitter interview questions for examples (with sample answers).