Parent and Babysitter FAQs

For Parents

What is The Best Babysitters?

The Best Babysitters is a trusted online childcare job site, helping you locate the best babysitters and nannies near you.

Is this a subscription site?

No. It’s a ONE-OFF fee to join for a set time. No rolling subscriptions. You get full access to all the features when you join. No upsells. No surprises.

How does it work?

As a member you can

1. Post a job: to draw sitters and nannies to you.
2. Send emails: to carers who meet your criteria.
3. Select: Screen, interview and reference check to choose the best babysitter for your family.

Is this an agency?

No, The Best Babysitters is not an agency. We simply put you in touch with a range of great sitters and nannies. Then you interview, reference check and select the best one for you. We cut out the costs of an agency. So your dollar goes further.

Why use The Best Babysitters?

You get freedom, choice, flexibility and affordability.

Freedom to connect with babysitters directly, as there’s no 'middle-man’ controlling the process.

Choice to select the best babysitter for your family from a wide range of trusted carers.

Flexibility to arrange the hours that you need - day, before or after-school or evenings.

Affordability to pay the sitter directly, without costly agency fees or ongoing rolling subscriptions. It’s just a one-off joining fee.

So whether it's time to return to work, time to get help with your family, or time to get a moment for yourself, The Best Babysitters can help you.

What are the membership options?

One simple membership allows you to contact all the babysitters or nannies you need.

***There are NO rolling subscriptions, just a one-time membership. At the end of your membership it will not auto-renew.

Why Choose The Best Babysitters?

• Quality - As parents ourselves we genuinely care about helping you get the best sitters and nannies for your family.
• Affordability - There are no rolling subscriptions, just a one-off joining fee.
• Trust & Results - For over 15 years we’ve helped many thousands of parents find trusted carers.
• Experience - We bring over 15 years of knowledge, experience and passion to ensure The Best Babysitter works well for you.
• Customer Service - we give you friendly, kind and responsive customer service.

Who are the babysitters and nannies?

The Best Babysitters has a fabulous range of quality sitters and nannies available. From experienced career nannies who have worked for several families, carers who have worked in childcare centers, to the 'girl-next-door' who has babysat for years. Many of them are college students who enjoy working with children. So, you are sure to find a fabulous sitter or nanny your family will love.

How does the "Job Posting" feature work?

Every membership includes a Job Posting. It’s quick and simple to fill out. Babysitters and nannies will apply to you through our secure message system.

Your Job Posting is online for 30 days or until the ‘Applications Closing Date’ that you choose.

Applicants must be members of The Best Babysitter, so this will make sure that the carers applying have come through our site. This also ensures that your personal contact details are kept confidential, until you choose to swap details personally.

How many messages should I send & how long will it take?

To make the most of the site we recommend that you use both 1) the Job Posting and 2) send messages from your search. We recommend sending 10 messages, to get enough replies to find the right match.

Allow at least 1 week to get results. Usually results are within a day, but to get a range of applications to choose from you should allow up to 1 week.

What will the sitters' profiles show me?

You will see the sitter’s name, photo, education, experience, skills and hourly rates. You’ll see whether she has a drivers' license, first aid qualifications and references to show you. You will also see a personal description she has written, helping you get to know her.

Do your babysitters or nannies have other educational or cultural skills?

Our sitters and nannies have listed a wide range of skills and interests on their profiles. Many speak languages (French, German, Spanish), play music (guitar, piano), play sport, dance or create art. So you can choose a sitter with skills that will be enriching.

Can I find nannies, babysitters or after-school carers?

Yes! There are a wide range of carers including nannies and babysitters listed on the site who can provide different types of care. A nanny is generally an experienced person who provides childcare for a living and may have some professional qualification and training. She is often employed on a more regular and full-time basis. A babysitter generally provides occasional evening or weekend care, and may also study or work in another profession. After-school carers are in high demand and are often college students who have the flexibility to work short shifts. We recommend you use your Job Posting to find after-school carers.

Can I find someone who lives nearby?

Yes! You can choose to sort the list of sitters and nannies by 1) location or 2) most recently updated. The carers have all chosen how far they are willing to travel from home. Carers will only show up in your search if they have chosen to work in your area.

How do I identify the most updated profiles?

Every carer profile has a line stating "Updated on Month Day Year" (e.g. Updated October 1 2022) so you can choose to contact the most up-to-date carers.

Can I find a "House Keeper" at The Best Babysitters?

The majority of the carers at The Best Babysitters are willing to do some light house-keeping duties as part of their job. This usually covers duties related to children including light cleaning (wiping over kitchen benches), children's meal preparation and dishes, children's washing and running errands. Every carer profile will have an icon to show whether they are willing or able to undertake house keeping.

If you are seeking a domestic house-keeper who runs a house for a living, you are welcome to post a job on our site, but we cannot guarantee we will have the right candidates, as we don't specialize in this niche.

How is this site different to an agency, or other sites that process payments?

The Best Babysitters introduces you to the carers directly and lets you control the process and pay the sitter directly. Because we are not an agency, we do not screen carers or make bookings. Nor do we charge you any overheads, commissions, cancellations or other agency fees.

We also don't process payroll on our platform. Other sites that process pay take a percentage (e.g., 8%) of the sitter’s wage. This means that the sitter has to bump up her hourly rate to cover the money she loses in the transaction. We don’t take any money out of the sitters’ wage, so this keeps rates affordable and fair for all. Please read our Terms of Use for more information.

Does this site do background checks?

No, The Best Babysitters does not conduct background checks. Parents may ask a babysitter to supply a background check. The nanny can seek a background check on themselves through a reputable service that complies with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Services can run a range of checks, depending on the level of screening required. Criminal and legal data is kept at local, state and federal levels, so services can access the right information from various databases. We can recommend USA Background Checks for nannies to get a Basic Check for $19.95. The cost of a background check is usually between $20 - $75 with various providers, depending on the level of checks conducted.

We (The Best Babysitters site) do not conduct background checks, do screening or vetting.

As with any employment process, it is recommended that parents ask babysitters and nannies to provide them with any credentials. Parents should undertake their own verification of paperwork.

Does The Best Babysitters screen babysitters and nannies?

We are an introduction and job posting service only, so we do not do screenings. Parents should conduct interviews, view credentials and do reference checks before choosing a sitter or nanny. The Best Babysitters provides you with lots of resources to assist you in making the right choice. Online profiles show which carers have first aid qualifications, drivers license and references are available. You should ask the babysitter to bring these documents to your interview to show you first-hand, to confirm these details.

What quality control is conducted by your site?

The Best Babysitters does not undertake verification of the accuracy, ongoing currency or quality of information provided by babysitters and nannies in their profile. Parents should undertake verification and vetting of babysitters and the information that they show in their profiles including requesting copies of qualifications, first aid certificates and driver’s licenses.

Parents can use the ratings system to provide feedback about babysitters. If a parent raises any discrepancies or concerns regarding the information in a babysitters and nannies profile, they are followed up by The Best Babysitter staff immediately.

Babysitters who are inactive for a number of weeks are removed from the site, so we ensure the list of babysitters is as current and accurate as possible.

How much should I pay my babysitter or nanny?

You are free to negotiate rates with your nanny or babysitter, keeping the market-demand and industry rates in mind.

The babysitters and nannies on the site state their minimum hourly rates on their profiles. You can also state the rates you are offering on your Job Posting.

As a general guideline most babysitters charge $10-25/hr. This will vary based on the specific role, the day or hours, the babysitter’s age and experience and your location.

How do I pay my babysitter?

You pay your babysitter or nanny directly. We do not charge booking fees, process payroll or take a commission, so you save money.

How do I leave feedback about sitters?

We have designed a ratings system to allow The Best Babysitters community to share feedback with each other. Parents can post a rating and write a comment about babysitters they have used.

We welcome your feedback because this helps us and other parents to assess the carers on the site. Sitters are able to read and reply to ratings. Parents are also able to remove a rating.

What can I do if a carer doesn't respond to my email or turn up to an interview?

We do our very best to set expectations to ensure babysitters are responsive and reliable. Many carers do follow through appropriately. Unfortunately, however, there are a very small percentage of carers who do not. The best feedback is to post a Rating online to share feedback.

Are my personal details kept confidential?

Yes. Your messages are sent through The Best Babysitters site, so your personal email or phone number is not shown. Once you make contact with the babysitters or nannies, you may choose to exchange details. When you use the job posting feature, your job is listed with your first name and suburb only.

When carers reply to me, where are the emails sent? Do I need to check The Best Babysitters account or not?

Emails will always be sent to your personal inbox for your convenience. So you only need to check your personal email account.

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For Babysitters and Nannies

What is The Best Babysitters?

It is an online job and introduction site for babysitters, nannies and parents. An easy way for you to find jobs that suit you. You can search for jobs that are posted on our site. Parents can also send emails to you through the site. Parents interview, select and pay you directly, there is no agency.

Is it free to register?

Yes! It is free for babysitters and nannies to register. You don’t have to pay to join us.

Does this site take a commission out of my wage?

No. We don’t take any commissions out of your wage. Parents pay you directly. You keep all the money you earn.

Is every job ad on this site genuine?

Yes. Parents must pay to join our site and post a job. We don’t allow free job postings (other sites offer free access, which can mean the parents are less committed to the process). By having parents pay upfront we ensure that parents posting job ads are serious and the job is genuine.

Once I have registered, how do I get work?

There are two ways to get work.

1) Job Postings: You can search our job postings and apply to the parents.

2) Emails: Parents will email you to offer work. We will also email you with ‘job alert’ emails once per day to tell you about the latest jobs in your area.

What requirements are there for this type of work?

Most parents are looking for sitters who have experience, are trustworthy, loving, caring and responsible.

We recommend that you have references, qualifications and documentation (e.g, driver’s license) available to show the parents at your interview.

We encourage you to order yourself a Background Check, so this will help you build trust with parents.  Here’s a basic background check we recommend https://usabasiccheck.quickapp.pro for $19.95. (this is not sponsored)

We also ask that you check your email and update your profile to ensure you get the right requests to match your availability.

How often should I log in to the site and update?

We recommend that you login every week. The more often you log in the more likely you are to get work, as the babysitters who have logged in most recently are listed first.

How do I set my hourly rate?

You set your own rates, based on your qualifications, age, skills and experience. Rates may also vary according to the duties required and the location of the job.

Conduct a trial search of carers on the site to see a range of the 'going rates' in your suburb.

How do I get paid?

The parents pay you directly, based on the hourly rate that you and the parents agree to. Payment does not come through us. We do not take a commission out of your pay. This ensures you get to keep every dollar you earn.

What sort of work is available?

We have new parents joining every day with different needs. There is steady demand for casual babysitters, part-time and full time nannies.

I am only free on certain days or nights. How do I organize these hours?

It’s easy! Just update your profile to show the days or hours you are available to work. When your days or times change, just log in and change your availability.

How can I change the details on my profile?

Log onto the site using your email and password. This will open your account page where you can edit your availability.

My profile is 'hidden' - what does this mean?

You can set your profile to be hidden or visible.

If your profile is visible it means it is live on the site for parents to see and email you.

If your status is 'hidden' it means that your profile will not be seen by parents on the site, even though you are a member of The Best Babysitters. You may like to be 'hidden' when you are on holidays or if you don't want any more work. Simply click the ‘hidden’ check box when you edit your profile page.

When you are ready to find work again, simply tick the 'visible' box again!

Are my personal details kept safe?

Your personal details (last name, address, phone, email) are never shown on the site. All emails are sent through the site so your personal email address and mobile number is not given out. Once you reply to the parents, you may choose to give your details. Until then, all communication goes through the The Best Babysitters site.

Can I get a Background Check?

Our site does not conduct Background Checks. You can apply for a Background Check yourself if you’d like one. This will help build trust with parents and get great jobs. We can recommend USA Background Checks for you to get a Basic Check. It costs  $19.95. Or you can use any background check service provider you choose. The cost of a background check is usually between $20 - $75, depending on the level of checks conducted. We (The Best Babysitters site) does not conduct background checks, view or store details of background checks as we are not the employer. 

What is the difference between a babysitter and a nanny?

A nanny is an experienced person who provides childcare for a living, day and night. A nanny often has some professional qualification and training.

A babysitter mostly does after-school, evening or weekend work and may study or work in another profession.

What is house-keeping?

House-keeping covers a range of light duties for running a household. This may include light cleaning, child-related cooking and running errands. Some parents ask for carers who are willing and able to do housekeeping - so we have added this as an option to your profile. You can say yes or no to this question. It is completely up to you - we do not set any rules, we allow you to decide what works best.

Is this site an agency?

No. We do not set any rules about your hours or expect you to pay us booking fees. We are just an introduction site. An easy way for you to meet families and find work in your area. Please read our terms and conditions for more information.

Do I need to have a car?

Not necessarily. The beauty of babysitting is that you can select work in your local community. You decide how far you are willing and able to travel for work.

How many families can I work for?

As many as you like! Often babysitters or nannies have 3 or 4 families on their list. We don't set any rules. It is up to you to choose the families you wish to work for.

What if I think a job listing is suspicious?

If you have spotted a suspicious job that perhaps contains inappropriate content or something else that doesn't seem quite right, we encourage you to let us know.

How do the 'parent ratings' work? How can I get positive ratings?

Parents may write a brief comment about your work and give you a rating. Great ratings are achieved by carers who are responsive, reliable and excellent babysitters. Ratings and stars will be shown on your profile to promote you!