Babysitter rates changing?

[Anonymous]

As a full-time nanny I make a very good wage, but I am saving aggressively right now for graduate school so I end up taking on a lot of babysitting jobs on the side. As my schedule gets fuller and fuller, I have been starting to give priority scheduling to the families who pay me a higher rate (some families pay me less because I began working for them back when I charged less).

I guess my question for nannies/sitters is, when your rates go up how do you explain that to the families you work for? Parents, how could your long-term sitter let you know her rates were going up while still maintaining her relationship with you?

To be clear, I totally understand if my new rates mean some families choose another sitter - I just think it would be better to give them the choice rather than just declining to take the jobs they offer and scheduling a higher-paying family instead.

[Anonymous]

MB here. I totally agree. I hate finding new sitters. I'd really appreciate the chance to pay a higher rate and avoid losing a good sitter. Don't make a big deal about it. Id just mention it the next time they call. If you really like them, you might accept a job at the old rate, and then inform them in person that there will be a different rate to book in the future. That way, you maintain a good relationship by helping them with their current need, but they know what the terms are before they call you again I bet most people will insist on paying the new rate anyhow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MB here. I totally agree. I hate finding new sitters. I'd really appreciate the chance to pay a higher rate and avoid losing a good sitter. Don't make a big deal about it. Id just mention it the next time they call. If you really like them, you might accept a job at the old rate, and then inform them in person that there will be a different rate to book in the future. That way, you maintain a good relationship by helping them with their current need, but they know what the terms are before they call you again I bet most people will insist on paying the new rate anyhow.

I completely agree with this poster. In the past I just told the families I've babysat for that my rates were increasing after a certain date. Out of the three regular babysitting jobs, I only had one family decide to use family instead of paying a babysitter. The other families were happy to pay the new rate. (It wasn't that big of a difference. I went from charging $10 an hour for one child to $12 an hour for one child. The fist sibling added $2 to the rate, and anymore siblings added $1 more to the rate.) Three kids at $15 an hour was still very competitive in my area.

I would only say this would be a big deal if you were already charging more than most babysitters in the area.