Interviewing a Babysitter
Interviewing a Babysitter
Babysitting is the practice of temporarily caring for a child on behalf of the child’s parents. Babysitting is commonly performed as an odd job by teenagers for money. Babysitters should understand that parents often have ambivalent feelings about leaving their children with a babysitter. The primary goal of a parents is to provide safe and competent babysitting without feeling a need for substitute parents.
Generally, Parents advertise for sitter in the local paper, agencies, community bulletin boards and word-of-mouth with other parents or neighbors.
Interviewing the Sitter
Generally, Parents interview interested applicants and examine references. This meeting provides an opportunity for direct exchange of ideas between the sitter and the parents. Questions related to rules regarding food and methods for handling discipline problems and fees the parents will pay. The sitter and the child(ren) should meet to get to know each other a bit.
Potential babysitters need to prepare for interviews with parents. The sitters should be ready to answer specific questions. They need to provide proof of identity such as a driver’s license or social security card and supply his / her names, addresses and phone numbers for three to five references.
During the interview parents may want to address the following concerns:
- Is the teenage babysitter is mature, well-groomed and disciplined?
- What childcare experience does she/he have?
- What were the sitter’s best and worst experiences?
- How does the sitter handle issues of discipline?
- What would the sitter do if the baby cried for an hour or more?
- What she/he will do, if the child was inattentive to the sitter’s directions?
- What she/he will do, if the child broke the sitter’s watch or destroyed other prized possessions?
- How does the sitter feel about Television? Would the sitter watch Television while the child was playing or napping?
- What kinds of programs do children and teenagers watch in her home?
- Would the sitter offer television as regular entertainment for the child?
- How much time does the sitter spend with other sitters and friends?
- Does the sitter enjoy taking the children outside to play in the backyard or to the neighborhood playground?
- What does she know about good nutrition? Does she limit snacks to healthy foods?
- Does the sitter drive a car, have a cellular telephone or have a need to spend time talking on the phone while working?
- What would the teenager do in an emergency such as a sudden illness for the child or if the sitter became ill suddenly?
- What would the sitter do if there was a fire and other emergency?
The interview is the proper time to discuss hourly or evening rates/pay. Some sitters request a higher pay after midnight. This is also the time to discuss travel arrangements. Does the sitter drive or have a car or does the sitter need to be picked up and returned home?
Paying the Babysitter
Babysitter pay rates may range from the age, experience, number of children they look after, the lateness of the hour when the parents return home, the type of care expected from the sitter and the time of day (or night) and whether the sitter drives or not. The distance traveled to the job also dictates the pay rate. In general, fees are higher for younger children.
