Why our babysitting job doesn't have applicants?
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Anonymous
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We have tried to get a part time babysitter for our children for a month. But we have got only one applicant, who wanted to meet us and be interview. We have ads in Craigslist and cittercity.com and we have got about 20 replies. I have responded to all applicants and asked some common question, but have newer heard them. I don't understand why they apply our job, if they are not interested in it?
I have thought some reasons: - We have low pay rate, but this is stated in original ad. - We are foreign and it is not stated in ad, I just tell that when I respond to the applicants by email. - I use an email instead a phone. My email address have a foreign suffix. Do Americans prefer to use a phone? Does they think that I am a suspicious guy? - I'm a male, who contact to applicant. Is this unusual in the US? Should my wife do that? - My written English is not fluent, but I think reader understand what I mean. Could you tell what do you think about reason? My guess is that babysitters don't want to work for foreign families. What we should do, that we find a babysitter? We live in Portland metro area, in Oregon. |
Anonymous
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You say low pay - what is the rate?
How many hours is this? Is it for just a date night or something every week on the same day? How many children? & ages You say babysitter so you will get just that - are you expecting someone to do the dishes, laundry? Tutor kids? We will need to know these things before knowing why someone is not responding |
Anonymous
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Although your written English is not fluent, it's very easy to understand.
It might be a little bit of a red flag that you're a male doing the interviewing AND you have a foreign suffix to your email. You could always create a free yahoo or gmail account with the US suffix so that you have a local one. People are very concerned about possible scams. Are you contacting babysitters or only waiting for them to contact you? I suggest looking through ads on care.com and sittercity.com and sending messages to people you are interested in. |
Anonymous
| If your emails are worded anything like your post then that would raise a red flag for me. There are so many scams and many times a sign something is a scam is bad grammar. I would not mention you are foreign and if possible try to do a phone interview. Also, keep in mind that if you offer a low rate these applicants are going naturally respond quicker to the higher paying jobs. |
Anonymous
| What hourly pay rate are you offering? |
Anonymous
| Honestly, I don't mean to be offensive, but I think it's a combo of your imperfect English and low pay rate. It's not because people don't want to work for someone foreign, it's because people are wary of scams. It probably doesn't help that you are a man either, again, it's the scam concern here. Do you have anyone who can help you proofread your ad and your emails? I think that could help quite a bit. |
Anonymous
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If I got an email on Craigslist or Sittercity from a male with a foreign email offering a rate that didn't seem normal for the area, I would be very suspicious and would not continue responding.
Get an American email address, have your wife respond, and raise your rate to something more in-line with the area (depending on how low you really are at). You'll have no trouble finding someone. No need to mention that you're foreign. I'm not sure why that's relevant to a babysitting job. And Americans are fine using email for this type of thing - it was the other circumstances that are giving you difficultly. |
Anonymous
This. I would assume your ad was a scam, and I wouldn't apply to a lowball rate. You don't say what the rate is, but that combined with the broken English, foreign email address, and the fact that you're a man is certainly what is driving sitters away. |
Anonymous
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I could tell you were foriegn without being told. It's most likely the low rate and depending on amount of kids and what your looking for.
Scammers usually make the rate higher to attract potential victims so a low rate wouldn't make sense but everything else would raise red flags. Get a US email address. and proof-read your emails. |
Anonymous
These cannot be main reasons for sitters go away, because these all are stated in ad and even so the sitters are replied to the ad. Only just my first contact they go away.
I have not put anything to the ad or told sitters about that, but the duties are: babysitting, changing diapers, preparing food to the children and cleaning their mess. The most important information about the job is in the ad and they are: 4 hours at once, 2 times a week, 2 toddlers, ages 20 months, and $7 per hour. OP |
Anonymous
| NP here. That is seriously LOW. I would never waste my time on 8 hours a week at 7/hr. |
Anonymous
| Totally seriously, they make be checking in on the possibility the rate is a typo. |
Anonymous
Federal minimum wage is $7.25 so there's that, and its a completely unreasonable rate for 2 toddlers and part time at that. Some applicants simply blast applications to as many ads as possible, which I suspect is why you are getting initial responses then hearing no more because they are looking more closely at your ad once you respond. You need to look into increasing your rate honestly if you would like to find someone. If that is all you can afford, I would suggest looking into daycare. No one with any business watching children would take your job for $56. |
Anonymous
I have done both. I searched babysitters with a low salary request from cittercity.com and sent messages to 10 people, but I didn't get any respond. OP |
Anonymous
Well, OP, you're paying an illegal rate. And a rate so incredibly low that it's not worth anyone's time. If you can't raise the rate, then you won't be able to find anyone. |