Post by Linda Sharps
What would you pay for a multilingual, background-checked babysitter with first-aid training, a college degree, glowing references, and the ability to take payment via credit card? As some young graduates are realizing, all of these attractive qualities can be worth $25/hour or more to families who are no longer interested in hiring the teenager down the street. If that kind of money sounds insane to you -- a date night that might cost $125 on TOP of the expense of a restaurant meal and movie tickets! -- you're probably not living in New York City, where the trend of highly-paid "super-sitters" is on the rise. However, it's not just the east coast where babysitting fees are getting too steep for many people. Until recently, I was paying $17/hour in Seattle ... and hell, my kids weren't even learning French.![]()
What would you pay for a multilingual, background-checked babysitter with first-aid training, a college degree, glowing references, and the ability to take payment via credit card? As some young graduates are realizing, all of these attractive qualities can be worth $25/hour or more to families who are no longer interested in hiring the teenager down the street. If that kind of money sounds insane to you -- a date night that might cost $125 on TOP of the expense of a restaurant meal and movie tickets! -- you're probably not living in New York City, where the trend of highly-paid "super-sitters" is on the rise. However, it's not just the east coast where babysitting fees are getting too steep for many people. Until recently, I was paying $17/hour in Seattle ... and hell, my kids weren't even learning French.