<p>Quick question...is it moronic to put babysitting under jobs on a college app? I don't know why it would, because it seems like a job to me, but I don't know...it's not REALLY the same thing as a job, because so many people do it and the babysitter usually doesn't have to show up for a regular schedule or risk getting fired, among other things most employees usually have to do</p>
<p>Actually, you do have to show up, and you have to prove yourself trustworthy with children, which in this day and age is a huge deal. </p>
<p>I would call it "child care" and if it's a regular gig call it nannying. I would also tell you that most high school students don't want to do child care, as kids can be a pain, and the pay is not great. If you enjoy it and are good at it, you can use that to differentiate yourself in the application. Qualities like empathy, being willing to help out when a parent needs a sitter..those are really wonderful things that can show that you have transcended the typical adolescent self centeredness. I would think an essay about your most horrible babysitting gig might be really fun to read and paint you as a terrific person. I can't remember now where I heard or read this, but it was a 14 year old sitter who was confronted with stomach flu and dealt with about 6 hours of continuous vomit because she could not reach the parents..and the punch line was that she agreed to sit for that family again. If you were pre-med or pre-nursing I'd think that would be a pretty cool essay topic. Everybody writes about Costa Rica; I doubt many teens write about vomit.</p>
<p>It's considered a job and by all means you should put it all your applications!</p>
<p>It is a job, one with more responsibility than most jobs high school students have, and you can list it under "babysitting." Don't make up some fancy title. That would just seem silly.</p>
<p>I agree; it is a job; call it what it is, as NSM says, and be accurate about the number of hours per wek that you work. </p>
<p>Incidentally, babysittingis a skill and resource that you can carry over to colelge: my D and a number of her college friends still babysit. It provides them with nice extra spending moey and a chance to be in a regular house as opposed to a dorm once in a while. The availability of experienced babysitters is an ongoing benefit for families in their particular college town.</p>