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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
Too Good to be true?? Sitter response from Craigslist
Ok- So MIL watches DS on a daily basis, I can't stand it anymore so I put a listing on Craigslist to see what I would get back. Below is a response I received today- I thought it was really well written, almost too good to be true.. opinions?
My name is______. I am a 22 year old nursing student living one block away from ____ Hospital in ____. * side note- thats 5 blocks from me. I am interested in the position that you are looking to fill. I am CPR certified, as well as very experienced with all ages of children. I am the oldest of 8 children ranging in age from 3 months to 18 years, and have been babysitting since I was 12 years old. I have plenty of references for you from people that I used to babysit for, as well as family friends who have seen my interaction with children. I am very responsible and believe in providing children with educational experiences and am a huge advocate of good old-fashioned playing outside. I take my own siblings on outings to the zoo, library, park and pool on a regular basis, and would be able to provide your children with a variety of fun things to do. My boyfriend andI do not drink or smoke. We have a golden retriever who loves children, as well as a friendly cat. We also have a nice backyard. Prices are definitely negotiable. Childcare is more than a job to me; I have always enjoyed doing it. Typically, depending on the ages of the children, I would ask for $2-3 per child per hour, but like I said, I know the economy is bad, and that can be negotiated. The only reason I would ask this price, is because I don't believe in just plopping children down in front of the tv. I can also negotiate to drop the children off or pick them up. Please let me know if you are interested in references or more information. Please feel free to ask any questions.
Some questions I have:
1. How many children do you have and what are their ages?
2. When would you need the childcare to begin?
3. What do you expect from someone who will be watching your children?
</aThis discussion has been closed.
Re: Too Good to be true?? Sitter response from Craigslist
The ad it self seems fine... when I was a nanny, mine sounded very similar. Everyone tries to sell themselves and their abilities in ads like that.
My issue is her price. Why is it so low? I lived in a HCOL area in college and earned 15-20.00 per hour. We moved to a lower COL area and the lowest I ever got paid per hour was $10.00.
I agree- and that is negotiable!? I guess it wouldn't hurt to send an e-mail back. Maybe ask for a phone number so you can talk to her.
Maybe I'm terribly naive, but that doesn't raise any red flags to me. Nor does the rate--my sister lives in a mid size city in the midwest and she pays about $2.25 an hour for full time in-home day care.
I think it would be worth meeting the girl, at least!
She might have a lot of kids in mind. She comes from a big family.
W (02/2009), N (08/2012), and C (04/2014)
The Mouse ~ 06.12.08 | The Froggy ~ 02.23.11
"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."
I guess I don't get why she's telling you about her boyfriend or her pets. Would your child go to her house? That would make me a bit nervous.
Obviously, if she would be driving your child to the zoo or the park, get a background check that includes driving history & verify her insurance.
DS1 born June 2008 | m/c at 9w March 2011 | DS2 born April 2012
i thought it was good that she included that info. i would like to know if my sitter has a dog, and it's great that they don't drink or smoke.
W (02/2009), N (08/2012), and C (04/2014)
Actually that is NORMAL for Craigstlist, and most in home sitters. If you look on my local CL most are advertising at $4 an hour or less. My friend watches a child 4 days a week for $420 a MONTH. I am going to be watching an infant for $4 an hour for 6 weeks.
People are pretty hard up for money and child care is where a lot of people have cut back on because they have lost a job and don't have a need for care anymore. In Raleigh (my city) the average center is $1200-2200 a month, so in home moms, or college kids are the way to go for full time care, we aren't talking a fun night out once and a while where yes, you would expect to pay $8-10 an hour.
Ummm, I don't know what the cost of living is in your area, but that fee is insane. That's not even minimum wage.
Otherwise, I don't think her description sounds too good to be true... where we used to live in Philly, there were tons of nursing and education students looking for part-time babysitting jobs, and many were highly educated with solid references and backgrounds. I actually found a part-time babysitting job myself through Craigslist, before getting pregnant with Lyla. I made $12/hr though (for 1 kid, age 2, childcare only), and that was pretty low for my area and qualifications.
I'd clarify things with her on the fee issue, but definitely sounds like it would be worth setting up a meeting. Good luck!
FWIW I thought that I would just say that when I babysat for multiple children, I would charge very low, but it would be $3 a head and if it was only one child for 4 hours or less it would be $6/hr. I think the e-mail sounded legit, besides it doesn't hurt to email them back or arrange a meeting to ask for clarification.. She may just be trying to earn ANY money considering she is a student *presumably* without a job.
Sounded very much like our sitter until I got to the $2-3/hr part. That seems fishy to me.
And I'm confused, would she be watching your LO at her house and not yours?