Babysitter Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a babysitter. Feel free to use our job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a babysitter.
Who is a Babysitter?
The babysitter is responsible for watching over children while their guardians are away. Their duties include providing transportation to and from a child’s extracurricular activities, preparing basic meals, and keeping the child company with games and other entertainment. Essentially, a babysitter assists parents by looking after their children temporarily while the parents or guardians are away from home.
However, this doesn’t mean just changing nappies and preparing bottles. Babysitters are responsible for all aspects of child care, including recognizing and meeting all needs. They are responsible for watching them sleep, helping them wash and dress, and even inventing games and playing with them. For older children, the babysitter may be responsible for helping with homework, picking them up and dropping them off at school or preschool, and accompanying them to afterschool activities, such as sports, swimming lessons, and dance lessons. If children are being transported by a babysitter, they might need their vehicle.
A babysitter must be able to quickly and effectively respond to emergencies. Even with the best care and attention, sometimes problems may still arise. To ensure the safety and well-being of their children, babysitters must be able to respond to emergencies. Babysitters must have basic knowledge and skills in-home safety. A babysitter must also have a broad range of skills including patience, creativity, responsibility, communication skills, empathy, and a sense of responsibility. The babysitter should be able to communicate with the child/children they are looking after. However, it is equally important to communicate with parents constructively and to follow their instructions.
Babysitting is a job that takes place mostly at the home of the family who requests it. The needs of each family will dictate the hours worked. Babysitters are often needed for a short time, such as in the afternoon or evening to pick up children from school or preschool, and then look after them until their parents return from work.
Babysitter Job Description
Below are the babysitter job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a babysitter job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
- Providing entertainment for children through games and other activities
- Helping children with homework
- Transporting children to and from school, after-school activities, and play dates
- Preparing snacks and meals for your children
- Changing diapers
- Taking your children to the bathroom and putting them to bed
- Doing some light housework to keep your home tidy. This includes cleaning up spills and washing dishes after meals.
- Supervising and looking after children
- Organizing games and other activities
- Assisting children in eating and preparing meals.
- Recognizing and meeting the needs of children is key.
- Assisting children in their activities and commitments (preschool/schools, sports, courses, etc.)
Qualifications
Babysitting jobs usually require a minimum age, certain certifications, and key soft skills.
Education
Employers often require babysitters to be at least 16 years of age. Employers often ask for references from babysitters. These references can be from former employers or personal friends. They usually reflect on the candidate’s ability to care for children and their responsibility.
Training
Babysitters are often trained on the job because each employer has different needs. Before they start a babysitting job, they are usually given instructions on how to care for the children and demonstrate how to do complex tasks.
Certifications
Many organizations offer courses that can be used to obtain certification in childcare or related licensure. These courses may be offered at a reduced fee by local hospitals, fire stations, or community centers. These are some of the most popular certifications in babysitting:
- Babysitting Basics
This four-hour online course is recommended for potential babysitters. It aims to give you the confidence and skills necessary to babysit. This course covers basic infant and child care. It teaches you how to recognize age-appropriate activities, what to do in an emergency, and how to handle common behavior. A certificate is printed upon successful completion of the final exam.
- Advanced Childcare
This course offers advanced childcare training in leadership, behavior, discipline, safety, professionalism, and basic baby care skills like holding and feeding.
Essential Skills
- Negotiation Skills
A babysitter must use non-violent methods to persuade the children she cares for. You must use non-violent words like “please” and “sorry”. Employers are looking for people who have this skill set.
- Patience
Babysitters must be patient with the children they care for. Children should be allowed to complete chores when asked. You can keep reminding your children, even if they refuse to do the chores twice or three times, that they are responsible for making their parents happy.
- Customer Service
Customer service is a key part of any job, including babysitting. Even though you don’t directly deal with customers, your coworkers are involved in most situations at work.
- Problem-solving
This refers to the ability to identify problems and find similar information to help you implement solutions. Problems could come from the parents of the children. However, the complexity of any problem that you face will not limit your problem-solving abilities.
- Be loving and attentive
Babysitters who are always on their phones checking emails and text messages won’t be able to do the job effectively. Babysitters must be attentive and loving. Good babysitters listen to their children and are kind and compassionate with them.
- Experience
Babysitters have to demonstrate that they can do the following: clean up after the children have messed the house up, prepare food, change diapers, and help with chores. However, only those who have the right skills can learn a lot from this job.
- Competence
He/she who shows weakness all the time will be considered incompetent. You must be competent in your job so you can continue to work as a babysitter.
- Punctuality
The babysitter must arrive on time. Babysitting can be just as delicate as any other job. If you don’t sit up, you could lose your position.
- Communication
Communication is key. You need to discuss meals, snacks, unruly behavior, and check the children with you frequently to ensure they are safe. You will be viewed as a competent babysitter who has excellent communication skills.
- Good health
To avoid the spread of diseases, the babysitter should be in good health. Babysitters who have a contagious illness or cold should not be considered for the job. To avoid any unpleasant situations, please take care of yourself before you send your application.
- Know more about children
You need to understand the stages of children’s development. Also, you need to be able to feed, bathe, diaper, dress, and play with older and younger children.
- Conflict Resolution.
The babysitter is responsible for resolving conflicts between children under your care. First, stop the fight and listen to their complaints. You must not be biased in your judgment. After this, resolve the issue peacefully among them.
- Time Management
This is a critical skill for this career as it will increase your productivity. You can clutter up your normal activities, meal preparation, or appointments if you don’t plan your time properly.
How to Become a Babysitter
- Take Babysitting Classes
A babysitting course is a great way to start your journey as a babysitter. To find out when and where babysitting classes are available, check with your local Red Cross office or hospital.
If you don’t see any in your area, you can search online or ask your family for suggestions. Ask a seasoned babysitter, a childcare provider, or an early childhood teacher.
You will learn how to interact with children, and how to deal with a variety of situations you may find yourself in as a babysitter.
- Learn First Aid and CPR
Children love to climb, reach for things, and jump off couches and beds. Children often get many bumps and bruises from doing this! It is important to know how to help children when they are hurt.
Children are safer if you keep an eye on them. Accidents do happen and you have to be able to respond if there aren’t any adults nearby.
You might feel panicked at the sight or sound of blood, or not be able to recognize what to do. CPR and First Aid training will equip you to deal with any emergency that may arise while babysitting.
- Find out more about children
Babysitters may find it helpful to have a better understanding of child development.
These are the stages children experience and they will learn basic skills such as sitting up, rolling over, or walking.
While it’s not necessary for babysitting duties, understanding how children develop can help you set expectations. Understanding the differences between a 3-year old and a 5-year-old is key to planning your babysitting day around them.
It’s a good idea to get as much knowledge as possible about children if you plan to become a babysitter or any other type of childcare worker.
- Develop your confidence
Babysitters must have confidence. It is important to be able and willing to lead the children’s lives while they are away from their parents. You should be able to spend time with them, but they must also respect you and follow your instructions.
Will you be able to tell the children you are watching that they can’t play if you babysit the nearby children?
You should not only think about your children. What should you do if their parents refuse to pay you or come home late? Are you able to confront them to discuss the issue and come to a solution?
It is a smart idea to think of possible situations you might encounter while babysitting.
- Choose the type of babysitting service you want to offer
You don’t have to be nervous about babysitting families with babies or infants.
You can also look for families with one or two children if watching three children simultaneously seems overwhelming. You can also babysit with a friend and share the cost.
- Find babysitting jobs
Babysitters most often find their first job through the support of their family and friends.
It’s a good idea to babysit first for someone you already know, before jumping in and watching strangers’ children.
- Get your rate
You probably won’t enjoy babysitting for free, no matter how much you love spending time with your children. Babysitting is a financial endeavor.
It is important to determine in advance what you will be paid for doing this job. Rates will vary depending on your experience and qualifications. A babysitter working in most areas will charge $10 an hour. However, if you are a newbie, you may need to charge less.
You might be offered a low-ball offer by some families. Some families might base their offer on what they were paid for babysitting 10 or 20 years back. Don’t be afraid of asking for more or quitting babysitting jobs that only pay $10 per hour.
The children you are watching might affect the rate. You should charge more for younger children as they require more attention.
- Learn Valuable Interview Techniques
People will start to inquire about your babysitting services after you have advertised them.
Parents will ask you questions about your qualifications, experience, and why you are interested in babysitting. You should also be prepared to answer questions about how you would handle certain situations such as when someone knocks at your door or if a child starts crying.
Also, you should bring proof of your completion of a babysitting class, First Aid, CPR, or any other safety courses. These certificates are important for parents to verify their babysitter’s qualifications.
When interviewing for babysitting jobs, make sure you are safe! The parents should be informed about the interview time, location, names, and addresses of the children’s parents, as well as any other details. When the interview is finished, call their parents.
Where to Work
Babysitters work in private homes and take care of children at home. Babysitters may cook for the children, entertain them in the family room, and ensure that they sleep at their scheduled times. Sometimes babysitters will also take care of children outside the home, such as when they drive them to school, sports, or other appointments. Many child care professionals need to drive to fulfill their duties.
Some babysitters have a set schedule, but many offer child care services upon request. They can work in the morning, evening, or weekend.
Babysitter Salary Scale
The average salary for a babysitter in the USA is $24,375/year or $12.50 an hour. Entry-level positions start at $19,500 per year, while the most experienced workers can earn up to $35,000.