Last year I organized a babysitter meet and greet in my town. I reached out to all groups of friends and got recommendations on sitters and asked for contact information (emails). I then emailed those potential sitters and asked them to spread the word that I was hosting a babysitter meet and greet and to send any interested friends my way. Once I had the group of sitters, I scheduled an event date and then shared it through my networks. The was held at a local enrichment center (the space was free since it brought families and potential future employees to this person's place of business). Here's what I asked the potential sitters and why:
Age
It's great if you can find someone who won't be heading off to college in the next few months or if they are older are staying local.
Detail your babysitting experience:
For obvious reasons
Do you drive? Does hiring parent need to pick you up/drop you off?
This is important. I once found a sitter who told me she drove but then when we booked her she told me she would need to be picked up. She drove but she didn't have a car so make sure this question is clear.
What side of town do you live on?
Again, more important if you will be picking this person up. You may not want to be driving 20-minutes across town if you just have a quick meeting to go to.
Home Phone Number. Cell Phone Number. Email and can they all be used.
I like that I can text someone to set-up a job or email so it may be important to ask if they are okay with your communicating this way and if they have plenty of minutes and texting options.
Do you have any certifications?
For obvious reasons
What is your availability?
I found many of the high school kids have sports so it's easier to know this ahead of time.
Any restrictions on hours you can sit?
Again, you may find they have driving curfews or just curfews their parents set. It's very important. We once had a sitter scheduled for months for the night of my husband’s high school reunion. The event was in the city so it wasn’t until a few days before hand that we realized she may have to be off the road by 11:00. Which was the case.
Hourly Rates
For obvious reasons
Once you find a new sitter, never assume they know anything and definitely write it down. I once had a sitter who put my son’s diaper on backwards. I asked if she knew how to put a diaper on and she said yes (she didn’t). Another sitter put my kids to bed at 7:00. My husband and I take the blame because we told her so much information that night but it was still very frustrating. I find with younger sitters I have to actually pull out the containers for leftovers AND tell them to put them in the fridge. I also find I have to tell them to do the dishes. For so many years I only used teachers who are just fabulous but as we’ve expanded our list of babysitters it’s definitely been a challenge. We found that the high school girls are MUCH more affordable but you definitely get what you pay for.
