Q. When do I need to be available?
A. As a babysitter registered with our agency we expect you to be available all of the days and times you have advised Babysitters R Us you would be available. It is fundamental to our agency that our registered sitters are reliable and dedicated to the job. Most importantly, we need to be able to make contact with our sitters immediately after a client has made a booking. Therefore, we expect all sitters to answer their phone when we call. If there are times that you are not contactable via the phone, Babysitters R Us need to be advised of these times. Babysitters R Us understands there will be times when you have to decline a job offer, but we would rather you say no to the offer, than simply ignore our phone call.
Q. Am I employed by Babysitters R Us?
A. Babysitters R Us is a babysitting agency that matches clients (parents) with suitable babysitters, however we do not employ babysitters, we just undertake the relevant checks to ensure they are suitable to care for children and liaise between the parent and sitter regarding bookings and availability. The babysitters essentially work for themselves.
Q. Does it cost me anything to register as a babysitter with Babysitters R Us?
A. No, joining our agency is free!
Q. How long does the process take?
A. Once we receive your registration application it generally takes around 3-4 working days to check your references and finalise your registration. If you have met all of the registration criteria, we will then notify you by email or telephone to arrange an interview.
Q. Do I need any formal qualifications to become a babysitter?
A. It is not compulsory for a babysitter to have any formal qualifications, however it is highly recommended that a sitter has some experience working with children or has children of their own.
Q. What should I expect to be paid as a babysitter?
A. As a babysitter registered with our agency we recommend the rate of $15.60 per hour for a maximum of 4 children, with a minimum of three hours per booking. Each additional child (after the 4th child) is charged at a rate of $1 per hour, per child. Rates are $22 per hour after midnight, regardless of child numbers. Public holidays, Christmas Eve and Easter are $26 per hour for a maximum of 4 children. Each additional child (after the 4th child) is charged at a rate of $2 per hour, per child. and $31 per hour after midnight, regardless of child numbers.
Q. What if parents ask me to babysit privately?
A. All sitters registered with Babysitters R Us sign an agreement not to disclose their personal contact details to clients in order to arrange private sitting sessions. If a Sitter does this, they will be de-registered and will be liable for any Booking Fees the parent would have otherwise paid. Also, parents agree not to approach sitters directly and they understand that this could also see Babysitters R Us refuse them access to our service in the future. We suggest sitters politely decline a parents offer to arrange private sessions and direct them back to Babysitters R Us.
Q. Why do I have to be over 18 years old?
A. Babysitters R Us believes that 18 years is a suitable age for people to represent our company and to look after other people’s children.
Q. What happens about Tax?
A. Babysitters R Us does not employ sitters, therefore all tax obligations are to be fulfilled by the sitter themselves. We suggest sitters keep a record of all monies earned during the financial year. Babysitters R Us can provide a statement detailing all sessions attended by an individual sitter for the financial year, but as some clients do not have a firm session end time when we take their booking, we are unable to guarantee that dollar amounts we have recorded for a sitter's earnings will be accurate.
Q. What if I’m going away on holidays?
A. If a Sitter knows they are going to be unavailable for any period of time, we would expect the Sitter to contact Babysitters R Us to advise us of this. It only needs to be a short email or quick text message with the dates of the unavailability and this will ensure we won’t be calling Sitters with offers to babysit while they are relaxing on holidays.
Q. Why are we interviewed and policed checked?
A. These things are part of a process we follow to help us ensure that we are finding the right babysitters to represent Babysitters R Us and care for other people’s precious little people.
Q. What is a Family Information Checklist?
A. The Family Information Checklist is a form which we email parents to record their contact details, children’s names and ages and any other information they may wish a babysitter to be aware of while the sitter is in their home. Parents are required to fill in the checklist and leave it with the sitter. The sitter must read and refer to the checklist to ensure all relevant requests parents have made are fulfilled. To ensure that this form is correctly filled in, we suggest parents take the time to complete the details before the babysitter arrives.
Q. What is a job summary form?
A. This form is sent to a babysitter once they have been booked for a session. It has all the information you need in order to get to the venue and specific details about the session including client names, start and finish times and how many children will be in your care. It is expected that Sitters will take the form to the session.
Q. Why do I have a profile page on Babysitters R Us website?
A. Babysitters R Us is primarily an online agency and therefore the majority of clients will come to us via the internet. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive service to clients and allow them to make an informed choice regarding the babysitter they are hiring. Therefore it is necessary for you to have an online profile for clients to browse. For Sitters located in Tasmanian and Bendigo, your profile will only list your first name, age, experience and qualifications. For Sitters located in Melbourne, your online profile will require a photo as well as your first name, age, experience and qualifications.
Q. Am I able to charge a higher hourly rate?
A. No, the rates on the pricing page are the rates you are to be paid and it is a condition of your registration with Babysitters R Us that you do not ask clients for more money.
Q. What if a client asks me to use my own car during a session?
A. If you are required to use your own personal car during your babysitting placement, then you can charge a fuel cost. Clients are advised this will be at a charge of $0.62 per km. Please ensure you keep a correct record of distances traveled. We suggest you record odometer readings prior to leaving the babysitting venue and upon returning as this provides the client with an accurate total of km they are liable to pay you for.
Q. Are my personal details kept confidential?
A. Yes they are. All information about you is kept in a secured part of our site, or in a locked filing cabinet. This information is kept only for reference to the sitting jobs you may be referred to. For further details, you can view our privacy policy.
Q. What is the difference between a nanny and a babysitter?
A. A babysitter is generally classified as someone who takes care of the clients' children on a casual basis, after working hours (from 6 pm). They are employed solely for the care of the children and are not expected to undertake any extra duties such as washing and ironing. The babysitter should prepare the child(s) meal, tidy up after them, bathe and prepare them for bed.
A nanny is someone who cares for a child within the family home. Nannies may live in or out, depending on the families’ requirements. A nanny generally takes on all tasks involved in the care of a child. These tasks include the sole care of the child and any domestic duties involved in their health and well being.
Q. What if the client has indoor pets?
A. When a babysitter is arranged for a parent’s night out most of us forget to consider how our indoor pets will relate and behave with a new person. It is important that sitters have detailed information regarding any indoor pets so that they are prepared for situations that may arise. When parents leave the home the dynamics change. This can create confusion for some pets and unlike children, pets don’t always understand what is happening. If a client specifies they have an indoor pet we will include this information on the Job Summary. Of course, if you have stipulated you prefer not to attend sessions where the family has indoor pets, we will not offer you these bookings.
