What does a Babysitter do?
A Babysitter works with families when they need extra childcare services. Parents may hire a Babysitter to take care of children when they are working or have evening responsibilities or events. Babysitters take on a lot of responsibilities when they care for children, with some taking on larger tasks such as cooking meals and cleaning up after the child. Babysitters help ensure that children do not get into trouble, or harm themselves or others, while their parents are not directly supervising them.
Babysitter skills and qualifications
There are benefits to hiring all types of Babysitters depending on your needs, but there are some particular skills and qualifications a babysitter should have. These include:
- Ability to solely focus on the children despite distractions
- Special skills in cooking, arts and crafts, or sports and recreation
- Ability to be timely, attentive, and caring
- Should be able to have a flexible schedule
Babysitter experience requirements
Babysitters range from young to mature and non-experienced to very experienced. Depending on the child’s needs, some may require a Babysitter with more experience. For example, if a parent needs childcare while they are at home, they may choose to hire a younger Babysitter with less experience. However, if parents need full-time childcare when they will be away for work while expecting the Babysitter to cook and clean, they may hire someone with more experience. If a Babysitter has previous experience working with children in any setting, this could be considered an asset. Babysitters should typically be able to provide several character or work references upon request.
Babysitter education and training requirements
Any Babysitter should know basic first aid and CPR, certifications that are widely attainable through private and public programs. They may be enrolled or have graduated from an Early Childhood Education (E.C.E.) course. There are also Babysitter programs designed to teach young people how to be prepared, safe, and responsible when it comes to childcare. Having taken a program like this would be considered an asset for any candidate.
Babysitter salary expectations
According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a Babysitter is $17.00 per hour. This amount will range depending on experience, age of the children, and duties needed. Some positions that include cleaning, cooking, and taking children to appointments often pay more.
Job description samples for similar positions
If this role is not quite the type of position needed, there are a few similar sample job descriptions that could be useful: