Is this rate reasonable/unreasonable?
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Anonymous
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We have a 7 yr old 2nd grader. I want a babysitter who will come to our house, walk 3 blocks to his school and pick him up at dismissal (3:10pm), walk him home, help him get a snack and "supervise" him doing his homework. After that, he might have a friend over, go to a friend's house (he has 2 friends immediately adjacent - one across the street and one around the corner) or the sitter might play/do activities with him. One day a week drive him to a karate class and one day a week drive him to a piano class (both within 2 miles of our house). Occasional light housekeeping included - like unloading the dishwasher. Oh - and when they get home they need to let the dog out (though my son can do that himself).
I am home by 5:45pm, so it's basically 3:00-5:45pm. I want to offer $25/day, but I am nervous that it is too little. I don't have much flexibility on that. I suppose that I could take out the "occasional light housekeeping" if that would make a difference (though I would dearly love to include it...). Thoughts? |
Anonymous
| Yes it seems very low. It doesn't even equal min wage (depending on where you are).. You might get someone but I doubt they'll be there long before quitting abruptly. |
Anonymous
| Yikes. That's only about $8.50 an hour. I don't even know if a high school student would want to take that on. |
Anonymous
| Yes, personally I think that is too low. I would expect to pay closer to $40-$50 a day honestly. |
Anonymous
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Sigh. Okay! (this is OP)
It's basically $9/hour. (isn't minimum wage $7.25?) But I hear you. I just am facing the reality of how cheap the after care at school has been (but it's not been good for my son, and I really don't want to send him again this year). |
Anonymous
| Sorry OP, I totally understand! I have a 9 year old son and have an after school part time nanny. She does pretty much what you described plus prepare dinner a couple nights a week for him. I pay her $16 an hour.... Good luck!! |
Anonymous
I understand your dilemma OP, but think about it from your potential employee's point of view. This job would not appeal to anyone but a neighborhood high school kid *maybe* (do you really want a highschooler driving your kid?) and you can forget about including any light housekeeping if you go with that rate. You're offering very few hours which tends means a higher hourly rate, while your rate is on the absolute low end of acceptable. If you are in the DC area expect to pay closer to $15/hour as well as gas reimbursement for any driving for an adult with a reliable car and driving record. If you don't have any flexibility on the rate, consider splitting the cost with another family nearby. $18/hour ($9/family) would be very attractive, and your kid would have someone besides nanny to entertain him. |
Anonymous
| Way too low. You need to pay more for part time to make it worth someone's time. I had an after school gig like this from 3-6 for three older children and it paid $20/hour. |
Anonymous
| I don't think you will find anyone willing to take this job. I understand financial struggles but PT nannies, especially around the after school slot (3-6) generally make decent money since they are working few hours. You may be able to find a high school or college student for $15 an hour. |
Anonymous
Yes, that is too little to ask someone to put aside those hours (so few and right in the middle of when they could get a different position that had more hours for the day). I don't know where you are located which would affect the pay rate for this type of work, but I would assume 3 hours a day (have them get there by 3pm so they are a bit early, and just in case you get home a bit late or so you can talk for a few minutes) and then do $13-15/hr at the minimum. Where I am located, $15/hr is the very minimum I would do and for anything 3 hours or less per day, I bump it up an extra couple dollars an hour (that is 1 child rate with very little to no housekeeping, cooking dinner, etc). If no occasional light housekeeping and can guarantee 3 hours per day, I say you could get away with $12-13/hr if you aren't in the immediate DC metro area. You also have to include paying for gas and wear and tear on her vehicle which can be covered by the federal recommended rate of 56.5 cents per mile (only while on the job like picking up and bringing to activities etc, not commute to and from work). |
Anonymous
| Impossibly low unless you find a 13-14 yr old in the neighborhood. |
Anonymous
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For such a weird set of hours, it would be hard to find someone with such availability. I would hire a teen-ager, but even that may be hard since you need someone for mornings.
Good luck however. I hope you find someone soon. |
Anonymous
The 13 or 14 year old wouldn't be able to drive to the Karate and music lessons like the OP wants. Also, OP wants her son to be able to have friends over, and I'm not sure if that's a good idea if the sitter is only 13.... |
Anonymous
That's exactly the problem. OP wants to pay teenage sitter wages for a job that requires an adult. $9/hr isn't going to cut it. |
Anonymous
| I think you could find someone but it would be tough. I have a sitter who occasionally does that for me except she doesn't drive him to afterschool activities, she picks my ds (age 8) up from school at 3:20, then just brings him home (about a mile away) and supervises until I get home at about 5:30. No housekeeping although she usually does my dishes anyway. I pay her $30. She is an older retired lady. |