<p>One of my teachers asked me to babysit his three kids for a little over three hours (this is not a weird thing at my school, btw... I go to boarding school). This is kind of a big commitment the week before finals, but I need the cash. I've babysat before but never for one of my teachers... should I just wait and see how much money he gives me or ask for a certain amount? I'm CPR certified but I don't want to risk my grade for a few bucks...</p>
<p>If you're close to your teacher, tellhim your concerns. He'll probably understand, and either give you a lot of money, or tell you it's ok and to study for finals. Also, could you study after the kids went to sleep?</p>
<p>Tell him something like, "Do you still want me to babysit this weekend, I charge $_ an hour." You decide the price you want and if he's willing to pay it then he'll say he still wants you to babysit. But I don't think you should get into the fact that you'll only babysit if it's truly worth it to you, it sounds a little selfish.
Also If you decide you don't want to babysit, it might be considerate to give him the name of a friend who might do it.</p>
<p>Don't ask a price. I've never dared to do that. I always get a good 40 bucks or so anyway. (Well, that's for one particularly evil child) And seriously, you can spare a few hours, can't you? Babysitting is easy. And if you really want to, you can sudy while the children attack you. (I do that all the time) The terrors of small siblings...</p>
<p>For heaven's sake, have the guts and self respect to set a price on your services. Don't just accept whatever you are given. Talk to other babysitters, find out what they charge and what sitting experience and certifications they have, and set your price accordingly. Tell people what you charge when they ask you to babysit.</p>
<p>When I taught college, I used to have my students babysit for me. The only students whom I asked were students whom I highly valued for their being good role models for my kids, and having good sense and being very responsible. I wasn't looking to hand over my precious kids to the lowest bidder. </p>
<p>I found it, however, aggravating when babysitters wouldn't name a price for their services. I no more wanted to go into that transaction having to figure out what to pay than I would have wanted to go into any other business transation that way.</p>
<p>I also lost respect for students who were unwilling to name a price for their services. Why should I value someone who doesn't have the confidence to value themselves?</p>
<p>Back 10-12 years ago when I needed sitters, I usually paid $5 an hour for a sitter taking care of 2 kids who were well out of diapers. The minimum I would have someone sit was for 4 hours. That was the rate when I had to pick the price, and it happened to be the going rate in my city for generous parents to pay. I imagine that now, it's probably about $8 an hour in my area for 2 kids out of diapers.</p>
<p>I did know one prof who, when a student said "pay me whatever you want," paid a student $5 for taking care of an 8-year-old son overnight. When I heard about this, I was floored at how stingy the prof was, but when you think about it, the babysitter set herself up for that kind of treatment when she didn't name a price.</p>
<p>For parents who are concerned about their children's welfare (and IMO most teachers/professors are very picky about things like this), it is very difficult to find good, qualified, responsible babysitters. Students who meet this bill are valued and parents will pay well for their services.</p>
<p>Have the guts to set your price -- now. Make sure that you also let the parent know that you are CPR certified. You can set the price now while also asking the parent about what the parent desires you to do when you babysit. You really should have done this before accepting the assignment because for all you know, the parent may be expecting you to spend a lot of time interacting with the kids, something that may hurt your studying for finals.</p>
<p>Since you've already agreed to babysit, it's too late to back out of the commitment. It wouldn't be fair to expect a parent to have to go through the work of finding a substitute because you thoughtlessly accepted a job without finding out the details. Backing out now also would be the type of behavior that would cause a teacher who had valued you to think less highly of your character.</p>