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I know teens who have done it, but they have done training courses...
Yet another example of the real issue.
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My friend’s kid has been asked to nanny this summer (currently 16ish)...
Nanny is a different discussion. A whole other level of responsibility.
(and/or a whole other level of pretentiousness)
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I’m not aware that was the norm (X) years ago.
Ask someone older. ^We'll tell you. And it was.
The girls would often compete for the better situations.
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Even 10-15 years ago...
My frame of reference is the 1980's when we were paying in the $20 bill range for an evening. Plus cable TV and junk food.
Soft couch in the dark basement for when the boys visited (direct experience here and the competing^ for it but before the '80's).
Last edited by MrRational; 05-17-2023 at 07:30 AM..
I think it would be tough to trust a $5-7/hour babysitter with your kids today knowing how some sitters physically abuse babies and kids. If they're cheaper than normal, there's a reason, usually bad.
I'm not sure paying someone more necessarily means they are better but I can't imagine anyone would be up for $5-$7 an hour unless they were a family member.
I'm thankful that I had and still have my parents to help out. I dont have any sisters but sisters also seem to be quite helpful as babysitters as well.
I just read the the national average for babysitting is $21 an hour.
Can that be true? When I was in school, seemed to me that babysitters were paid about half of the minimum wage.
First, average is the wrong metric though commonly used. Median is always better. And it is a national average, pulling rates from Manhattan and Moline, Illinois, into the same pool.
Where do you live? What is the local minimum wage? Are you willing to have a teen under the age to work in a store or restaurant (where they earn minimum wage or better) care for your kids? Do you require that the sitters have training?
We are a few years past sitters. In the Twin Cities (MN) $10-12 an hour was standard for one child under 12. If a nanny (HS or college), maybe $10 an hour but for 24-40 hours a week. That was 2017 or so.
Now, local businesses are starting teens at $17 and more an hour for fast food jobs (and nearly all retail and restaurants have help wanted signs, been that way for a couple of years). Our pet sitter charges $60/day to come to our house to care for our dog and cat multiple times.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Here $21 would be considered a bargain, if you could even find anyone to do it for that little. Our average is $24/hour, and people pay more than that, up to about $30 to poach the sitter away from others, they are in such short supply. It seems that the teens don't want to work any more. Our fast food places are importing adult staff from other cities, and paying less, about $20.
What I find really odd is that the day care/preschool facilities all have long waiting lists to get in, yet the public schools are laying off staff due to low enrollment. I guess no parents stay home to raise the kids any more, both have to work to handle the inflation. With the cost of day care here starting at $1,478/month it's cheaper than a babysitter, but they close at 5-6:30.
Here $21 would be considered a bargain, if you could even find anyone to do it for that little. Our average is $24/hour, and people pay more than that, up to about $30 to poach the sitter away from others, they are in such short supply. It seems that the teens don't want to work any more. Our fast food places are importing adult staff from other cities, and paying less, about $20.
What I find really odd is that the day care/preschool facilities all have long waiting lists to get in, yet the public schools are laying off staff due to low enrollment. I guess no parents stay home to raise the kids any more, both have to work to handle the inflation. With the cost of day care here starting at $1,478/month it's cheaper than a babysitter, but they close at 5-6:30.
Why is it odd? School age kids usually have a teacher-student ratio of 1:20, while infants require a ratio of 1:4 and it goes up incrementally until the kindergarten age when it reaches 20. A small daycare is going to need a whole lot more staff than a school with the same amount of kids, and the pay in early childhood education is lower. I was talking with my sister about it a few weeks ago and she told me the cost in her area was absolutely insane right now, but the cost of living is even more insane. In a friend’s town a long time ago, there were so few options that you had to pay for August-August even if your child was not born yet or old enough to enroll. They would do the same thing when you switched levels- like from 3yo to 4yo- you’d have to pay for the 3yo until the time your child was 4 and then pay for the 4yo starting in August- it was absolute robbery.
I'm surprised to hear there are public schools with low enrollment unless it's a very small town. I'm in the greater Boston area and it seems classroom size grows every year and there are many private schools as well. The birth rate is declining but there still seems to be plenty of kids around here.
I'm surprised to hear there are public schools with low enrollment unless it's a very small town. I'm in the greater Boston area and it seems classroom size grows every year and there are many private schools as well. The birth rate is declining but there still seems to be plenty of kids around here.
Well, there's immigration (both legal and illegal). More or less depending where you live.
Well, there's immigration (both legal and illegal). More or less depending where you live.
In my town there aren't many if any immigrant kids that have caused a population increase.
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