Looking for a high school child care helper after school

[Anonymous]

Do you want any of your four kids giving up all after school activities in high school? Probably not! Pay a college kid or a grown up a decent wage or be prepared for flaky teens!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has nothing to do with being "poor". Working fro young age builds character and helps learn value of money. What a silly comment. Lots of high schoolers in my middle class neighborhood work and volunteer.

It’s not a “silly comment” at all. Many, many kids in DCUM Land come from well off families who prioritize after school enrichment, sports, tutoring, etc that will actually affect college admissions, unless their kids financially need to work to help support the family during the school year (which few do). It’s 2022,not 1990, and admissions officers are unimpressed by your little Jimmy’s minimum wage school year job, I assure you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good luck to you. I found a really sweet high school junior who committed to 5 days/week. Like, she confirmed that would be “no problem!”

Week 1, she mentioned that she would need Mondays off for swim practice. Week 2 she needed two days off to decorate for Homecoming, plus her day off for swimming. Week 3 she needed 1 day off to help her boyfriend get a tux for homecoming, 1 day off to study for an exam, and Friday off to get ready for homecoming. We called it quits after 3 weeks.

I know you’re only looking at a few days per week but if you do this, you’re going to need to be super flexible.

Yeah, the multiple after school afternoons a week is a “job” that many parents want to hire for and very few people want to reliably fill for any ongoing amount of time.

[Anonymous]

Rubbish. My son was doing amateur lanscaping for pocket money and then went to UPenn. We don't care for sports though in a way some people do, and we never wanted to stress him out over ECs. He scored 100% on Sats, it was 9 yrs ago. He did not need any tutoring since his high achool teachers were already good, and we helped him with science subjects and math as needed. The point is, kids learn better when they know what it is to work a "hard" job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has nothing to do with being "poor". Working fro young age builds character and helps learn value of money. What a silly comment. Lots of high schoolers in my middle class neighborhood work and volunteer.

In lieu of sports, school plays, and other clubs/activities? The high school kids I know that are in after school clubs/activities sometimes have jobs, but mostly summer only, or weekend only. It's hard to balance school, a sport, and a job at the same time.

My older kids went to a high school with many low income students (I think it was about 65-70% FARMS at the time.) Many of these students did NEED to work in order to help with family expenses. Unfortunately those kids were usually not able to participate in sports.
Since OP only needs 10 hours per week, I'm not sure if her job would work for a student that NEEDS the money--because the total weekly pay would not be enough.

It's also possible that OP could find someone that can do the job NOW, but then in November will want to try out for basketball or in the spring want to do track, etc. and will have to quit then.

This. Good luck finding a kid willing to abandon all of their ECs (which your schedule demands) for $150 a week.

OP again: We are open to more than one student filling this role, if ECs are an issue, plus some non-school activities could be early morning or post-dinner, rather than immediately after school. I think some students in the area might appreciate an opportunity to earn some pocket money. If not, we'll have to come up with a plan B.

No. If you're only looking to pay "pocket money" you're not going to find anyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a full-time nanny, but with 4 kids, we could use help in the after school hours. Currently, the three older children are in three different schools. There would be no driving, but we would like to have this helper do one of the bus pick-ups (about a block from our house) in the afternoon, then help with homework, and play with the kids. The youngest child is an infant, and the nanny or I (WFH) would mostly tend to him. While we'd prefer the same person from 3:30 - 5:30 PM on weekdays, we could employ two, or possibly keep the schedule flexible. No cooking, diaper changes, or other household chores.

My question is how much to pay/hour and where to advertise. We are about a 15 minute walk from the high school. Do high schools have job boards? Neighborhood Facebook group?

We pay $15/hr for this for two kids. She comes twice a week (the most she wants). I found her through word of mouth - high schools don’t really have job boards that I know of.

People will say it’s impossible but we lucked out - she missed two days all school year for Covid exposure and that’s it. No drama, no fuss. Just cheap, reliable care who also does the dishes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you want any of your four kids giving up all after school activities in high school? Probably not! Pay a college kid or a grown up a decent wage or be prepared for flaky teens!

+1 This. The hours are problematic. Most High School kids stay after school for sports/clubs/extra help etc, particularly if you live in an area where most kids are college bound. It's not that high school kids aren't interested in opportunities to earn money, but these hours are terrible for them. Maybe you can find someone, but I think it would be hard to get someone reliable. Plus they may have school trips/vacations/etc. I would try to get a retired neighbor to help you out instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you want any of your four kids giving up all after school activities in high school? Probably not! Pay a college kid or a grown up a decent wage or be prepared for flaky teens!

+1 This. The hours are problematic. Most High School kids stay after school for sports/clubs/extra help etc, particularly if you live in an area where most kids are college bound. It's not that high school kids aren't interested in opportunities to earn money, but these hours are terrible for them. Maybe you can find someone, but I think it would be hard to get someone reliable. Plus they may have school trips/vacations/etc. I would try to get a retired neighbor to help you out instead.

No retired person would take the job. I have had great luck with teens.

[Anonymous]

I asked up thread but OP hasn't returned yet. What time does the high school close to her let out for the day?
I'm really curious if those hours will even be possible for a high schooler? OP didn't say where she lives (or if she did, I missed it!) Loudoun county schools don't get out until 4:18 pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has nothing to do with being "poor". Working fro young age builds character and helps learn value of money. What a silly comment. Lots of high schoolers in my middle class neighborhood work and volunteer.

In lieu of sports, school plays, and other clubs/activities? The high school kids I know that are in after school clubs/activities sometimes have jobs, but mostly summer only, or weekend only. It's hard to balance school, a sport, and a job at the same time.

My older kids went to a high school with many low income students (I think it was about 65-70% FARMS at the time.) Many of these students did NEED to work in order to help with family expenses. Unfortunately those kids were usually not able to participate in sports.
Since OP only needs 10 hours per week, I'm not sure if her job would work for a student that NEEDS the money--because the total weekly pay would not be enough.

It's also possible that OP could find someone that can do the job NOW, but then in November will want to try out for basketball or in the spring want to do track, etc. and will have to quit then.

This. Good luck finding a kid willing to abandon all of their ECs (which your schedule demands) for $150 a week.

OP again: We are open to more than one student filling this role, if ECs are an issue, plus some non-school activities could be early morning or post-dinner, rather than immediately after school. I think some students in the area might appreciate an opportunity to earn some pocket money. If not, we'll have to come up with a plan B.

And you would be wrong. A lot of teens are getting “pocket change” from their parents. Also teens and even college students are not a good choice if you need someone reliable every single day and you are going to depend on them to pick a kid up.

Wouldn’t the easier solution be that the nanny you currently employ actually pick up the kids? It’s not unheard for one person to take care of 4 kids at once.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has nothing to do with being "poor". Working fro young age builds character and helps learn value of money. What a silly comment. Lots of high schoolers in my middle class neighborhood work and volunteer.

In lieu of sports, school plays, and other clubs/activities? The high school kids I know that are in after school clubs/activities sometimes have jobs, but mostly summer only, or weekend only. It's hard to balance school, a sport, and a job at the same time.

My older kids went to a high school with many low income students (I think it was about 65-70% FARMS at the time.) Many of these students did NEED to work in order to help with family expenses. Unfortunately those kids were usually not able to participate in sports.
Since OP only needs 10 hours per week, I'm not sure if her job would work for a student that NEEDS the money--because the total weekly pay would not be enough.

It's also possible that OP could find someone that can do the job NOW, but then in November will want to try out for basketball or in the spring want to do track, etc. and will have to quit then.

This. Good luck finding a kid willing to abandon all of their ECs (which your schedule demands) for $150 a week.

OP again: We are open to more than one student filling this role, if ECs are an issue, plus some non-school activities could be early morning or post-dinner, rather than immediately after school. I think some students in the area might appreciate an opportunity to earn some pocket money. If not, we'll have to come up with a plan B.

Ask around OP, to the moms of teenagers in the neighborhood. But a friend of mine with 4 kids also does a similar piecing together of afterschool care with multiple college students who are juggling their class schedules, and they're always quitting on her. You may get lucky, but you may have to pay a premium.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a full-time nanny, but with 4 kids, we could use help in the after school hours. Currently, the three older children are in three different schools. There would be no driving, but we would like to have this helper do one of the bus pick-ups (about a block from our house) in the afternoon, then help with homework, and play with the kids. The youngest child is an infant, and the nanny or I (WFH) would mostly tend to him. While we'd prefer the same person from 3:30 - 5:30 PM on weekdays, we could employ two, or possibly keep the schedule flexible. No cooking, diaper changes, or other household chores.

My question is how much to pay/hour and where to advertise. We are about a 15 minute walk from the high school. Do high schools have job boards? Neighborhood Facebook group?

We pay $15/hr for this for two kids. She comes twice a week (the most she wants). I found her through word of mouth - high schools don’t really have job boards that I know of.

People will say it’s impossible but we lucked out - she missed two days all school year for Covid exposure and that’s it. No drama, no fuss. Just cheap, reliable care who also does the dishes.

Well, you said it yourself--you "lucked out." Your experience is highly unusual. I think what's most likely to happen is what a pp at 19:27 described: " she confirmed that would be “no problem!”

Week 1, she mentioned that she would need Mondays off for swim practice. Week 2 she needed two days off to decorate for Homecoming, plus her day off for swimming. Week 3 she needed 1 day off to help her boyfriend get a tux for homecoming, 1 day off to study for an exam, and Friday off to get ready for homecoming."

[Anonymous]

I think you'd likely have to be in the $30hr range to get and keep someone for at least half the school year

[Anonymous]

Honestly I think you'd be better off just hiring an additional FT nanny

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I asked up thread but OP hasn't returned yet. What time does the high school close to her let out for the day?
I'm really curious if those hours will even be possible for a high schooler? OP didn't say where she lives (or if she did, I missed it!) Loudoun county schools don't get out until 4:18 pm.

OP here: I checked on this prior to posting; the high school dismissal time works pretty well with our 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM.