fbpx

What is the Going Rate for a San Jose Babysitter?

Whether it be for date night, to get some work done or run errands without the kids in tow, it’s so important for families to have a babysitter they can trust. Once you do find one, though, the next question usually is how much do I pay a San Jose babysitter? 

The short answer is, the going rate for babysitting in San Jose is between $15-$30 per hour. A the time of this writing, Indeed.com lists the average rate for a San Jose babysitter as $19.78 per hour. That’s quite the range! So how do you know how much to pay the babysitter your hire? Here are some things you might consider when deciding what to pay them.

How much experience does the babysitter have?

This is probably the biggest determinate of how much to pay your babysitter. If you are hiring a high schooler with little experience, $15-$17 per hour is likely a good rate. If you are hiring a professional preschool teacher who babysits on the side, expect to pay around $25-$30 per hour. A college student might fall somewhere in between these rates.

What rate is the babysitter requesting?

Sometimes the best thing to do is simply ask a potential babysitter what their rate is. You’ll likely hold an interview with potential babysitters, so it’s a good idea to ask them then. If you use a website such as care.com, the available babysitters say right on their profile what their rate is. The nice thing about using a website like care.come is that you can also purchase background checks and read reviews.

How often will they be babysitting for you?

Another big factor in determining what to pay your babysitter is how often you will be using their services. If this is regular job, similar to a nanny, babysitters are usually paid at a higher, more professional-level rate. If you’re only hiring them every once in a while for date night the rate might be at the lower end of their range. You’ll notice that on sites such as sittercity.com, even those sitters list a range for regular babysitting vs. one-time.

What responsibilities will they be taking on?

Of course, watching your children is a babysitter’s greatest responsibility. Will there also be additional tasks you have them do or any light housework? Common responsibilities include doing dishes, preparing dinner or maybe even folding laundry. There might potentially be more responsibilities at certain times of day if there are meals to prepare and baths to take.

As you can see, there are a number of factors that will effect whether you pay your babysitter $15/hour or $30/hour: qualification of the babysitter, their experience, and their responsibilities. Taking all of these things into consideration and having a conversation with your babysitter during their interview should help you determine a rate that you’re both comfortable with.

You might also like:

Interview with a pelvic floor physical therapist in San Jose
Alviso Maternity Photography
Interview with a Family Dentist
Palo Alto Family Photo Session
Q&A with Santa Clara Family Dentist

Featured Categories

Information

Family

Maternity

Newborn

This is a group for San Francisco Bay Area moms to connect, encourage and share resources through all stages of parenting. Motherhood is both joyful and challenging, and we need support through it all! We also have regular live Q&As with experts such as pediatric dentists, sleep specialists, and more!


Join my Free facebook mom's group!

Join today!
Join today!