How do I become a babysitter?
January 8, 2015 5:51 PM Subscribe
I graduated from college a while ago and have been trying to figure out what to do with my life ever since. While idly combing through job postings I found a few looking for a babysitter and thought "I could do that... maybe." I'm looking for advice on how to turn that tentative "maybe" into something more confident.
I think my trepidation mainly comes from two places:
1. I've worked with and generally like children, but I've never babysitted before
2. I'm kinda introverted and have confidence issues in general
With regards to (2): I'm already in therapy and trying to work on it :)
With regards to everything else: I'm not particularly friendly with my neighbors or any other adults who might have children. Until recently I was the baby of the family, so there were no opportunities to look after younger relatives. (There are currently actual babies in the family but also plenty of aunts/uncles/older relatives, so no one asks for my help. Also I'm ridiculously afraid of being responsible for a teeny tiny person who can't communicate their wishes orally.) My experience and desire to work with children comes from being an America Reads/Counts tutor during my last 2 semesters of college.
This spanned two school years. Each year I was paired with a different first grade teacher. Responsibilities ranged from random light errands and paperwork to working one-on-one with kids. Generally I'd take my cues from the teacher by asking questions and watching how they interacted with the children. If there was a test, I'd be on the lookout for wandering eyes and broken pencils. If there was a writing assignment, I'd walk around the room answering questions and trying to help those who seemed stuck. I sharpened a lot of colored pencils and helped spell a lot of words. That sorta thing.
To my surprise, this turned out to be my favorite job ever. Before getting hired I wasn't sure how I'd feel about working with kids, but once I became more comfortable around them I was so glad I hadn't let my anxiety stop me from trying it out. Maybe I was just lucky in getting sent to a nice school with nice teachers, but damn, I really miss that gig and those kids.
It's hard for me to describe just how much I enjoyed it (honestly part of me is afraid of sounding like some kinda weirdo). On my first day I got mobbed by a little girl named Maddy who asked me to sit at her table. She grabbed my hand and dragged me over and pulled out my chair and was just SO. EXCITED. As much fun as kids like Maddy were, I felt embarrassingly invested in pretty much all of them (especially the quiet ones, with whom I felt a kinship). They were all so fascinating! And hilarious! And occasionally baffling and/or terrifying (omg the first time someone burst into tears) but just great in general.
Sidebar: I went to a school assembly and learned I'm secretly a giant sap. Apparently I can't handle a group of children earnestly singing "Keep Holding On" without almost crying. Although my semester ended in May and theirs ended in June (so technically my job was over and I wasn't getting paid) I kept helping out once or twice a week. I remembered the last day of school was a half-day about an hour before dismissal and rushed over to say goodbye. When I got a bunch of hugs--especially when those hugs were from the quieter kids, or those who I didn't think cared much about me--I played it cool on the outside but on the inside I was DYINGGG (in a good way, in case that wasn't clear).
I would've loved to keep working there, but I was hired through my school's work study program so once I graduated there was no more funding. (Actually I've thought about contacting a few teachers and asking if I can volunteer or something but I feel kinda weird and really awkward about it?? Also right now I am hella poor so I feel like I should be trying to earn money.)
So now I guess I'm trying to recreate that somewhat by becoming a babysitter. How can I do that with my limited experience? I left on good terms with the teachers I worked with, so they'll probably be willing to act as references.
In case it matters: I'm a 23 year old LGBTQ cis girl living in NYC. I say "girl" partially because I still feel like a kid sometimes and partially because I tend to look young for my age.
Sorry for the rambling, and thanks in advance for any advice!
I think my trepidation mainly comes from two places:
1. I've worked with and generally like children, but I've never babysitted before
2. I'm kinda introverted and have confidence issues in general
With regards to (2): I'm already in therapy and trying to work on it :)
With regards to everything else: I'm not particularly friendly with my neighbors or any other adults who might have children. Until recently I was the baby of the family, so there were no opportunities to look after younger relatives. (There are currently actual babies in the family but also plenty of aunts/uncles/older relatives, so no one asks for my help. Also I'm ridiculously afraid of being responsible for a teeny tiny person who can't communicate their wishes orally.) My experience and desire to work with children comes from being an America Reads/Counts tutor during my last 2 semesters of college.
This spanned two school years. Each year I was paired with a different first grade teacher. Responsibilities ranged from random light errands and paperwork to working one-on-one with kids. Generally I'd take my cues from the teacher by asking questions and watching how they interacted with the children. If there was a test, I'd be on the lookout for wandering eyes and broken pencils. If there was a writing assignment, I'd walk around the room answering questions and trying to help those who seemed stuck. I sharpened a lot of colored pencils and helped spell a lot of words. That sorta thing.
To my surprise, this turned out to be my favorite job ever. Before getting hired I wasn't sure how I'd feel about working with kids, but once I became more comfortable around them I was so glad I hadn't let my anxiety stop me from trying it out. Maybe I was just lucky in getting sent to a nice school with nice teachers, but damn, I really miss that gig and those kids.
It's hard for me to describe just how much I enjoyed it (honestly part of me is afraid of sounding like some kinda weirdo). On my first day I got mobbed by a little girl named Maddy who asked me to sit at her table. She grabbed my hand and dragged me over and pulled out my chair and was just SO. EXCITED. As much fun as kids like Maddy were, I felt embarrassingly invested in pretty much all of them (especially the quiet ones, with whom I felt a kinship). They were all so fascinating! And hilarious! And occasionally baffling and/or terrifying (omg the first time someone burst into tears) but just great in general.
Sidebar: I went to a school assembly and learned I'm secretly a giant sap. Apparently I can't handle a group of children earnestly singing "Keep Holding On" without almost crying. Although my semester ended in May and theirs ended in June (so technically my job was over and I wasn't getting paid) I kept helping out once or twice a week. I remembered the last day of school was a half-day about an hour before dismissal and rushed over to say goodbye. When I got a bunch of hugs--especially when those hugs were from the quieter kids, or those who I didn't think cared much about me--I played it cool on the outside but on the inside I was DYINGGG (in a good way, in case that wasn't clear).
I would've loved to keep working there, but I was hired through my school's work study program so once I graduated there was no more funding. (Actually I've thought about contacting a few teachers and asking if I can volunteer or something but I feel kinda weird and really awkward about it?? Also right now I am hella poor so I feel like I should be trying to earn money.)
So now I guess I'm trying to recreate that somewhat by becoming a babysitter. How can I do that with my limited experience? I left on good terms with the teachers I worked with, so they'll probably be willing to act as references.
In case it matters: I'm a 23 year old LGBTQ cis girl living in NYC. I say "girl" partially because I still feel like a kid sometimes and partially because I tend to look young for my age.
Sorry for the rambling, and thanks in advance for any advice!
Addressing the confidence issue -- you will be great, after your teaching experience. There will be plenty of demand for 1st grade age if that's where you'd like to start. A big plus for both you and parents will be if you take a kid-CPR class. Go for it.
posted by JimN2TAW at 6:20 PM on January 8, 2015
posted by JimN2TAW at 6:20 PM on January 8, 2015
Response by poster: Potentially relevant: I worked with first graders from January 2012-June 2013 and September 2013-December 2014. I graduated from college in January 2014. I would've kept visiting the school but my mom was diagnosed with cancer and I had a lot of family/personal junk to deal with.
Tutoring and becoming an actual teacher are other possibilities I've considered, but ones I'm less interested in for various reasons (for now at least). If you have anything to share on those fronts please MeMail me :)
(The short version: I suspect tutoring would be less fun and could easily become more about test prep than building a relationship with kids--which seems boring. Teaching involves a lot of stuff I don't feel ready for.)
On preview: I majored in Computer Science and am currently interning in the field. While that's still something I'd like to pursue, right now I'm more interested in working with kids.
posted by green socks at 6:22 PM on January 8, 2015
Tutoring and becoming an actual teacher are other possibilities I've considered, but ones I'm less interested in for various reasons (for now at least). If you have anything to share on those fronts please MeMail me :)
(The short version: I suspect tutoring would be less fun and could easily become more about test prep than building a relationship with kids--which seems boring. Teaching involves a lot of stuff I don't feel ready for.)
On preview: I majored in Computer Science and am currently interning in the field. While that's still something I'd like to pursue, right now I'm more interested in working with kids.
posted by green socks at 6:22 PM on January 8, 2015
Back in the day when I was 12, I went to the YMCA and took a one-weekend Babysitting Certificate course, and was good to go. At 23, and with experience working with kids, you probably don't need that; but if you wanted to have some credentials to present, a first aid and/or CPR (including infant CPR) course might be a good idea.
But seriously, if 12 year olds babysit, you can. And the best way to find out if you like it or not is to do it. In your shoes I'd go ahead and respond to those ads, and see if you get any opportunities to test it out.
If you don't get hired for any of the advertised jobs, babysitting often happens through word of mouth. In addition to using the teachers as a reference, maybe you could contact them and let them know you're looking for babysitting work. Ask if there's a bulletin board at the school where you could post your details? Maybe the teachers could refer you to parents they know are looking? (Or, maybe some of the teachers have kids themselves?) There will be some parents who want to hire you, one way or the other!
posted by snorkmaiden at 6:30 PM on January 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
But seriously, if 12 year olds babysit, you can. And the best way to find out if you like it or not is to do it. In your shoes I'd go ahead and respond to those ads, and see if you get any opportunities to test it out.
If you don't get hired for any of the advertised jobs, babysitting often happens through word of mouth. In addition to using the teachers as a reference, maybe you could contact them and let them know you're looking for babysitting work. Ask if there's a bulletin board at the school where you could post your details? Maybe the teachers could refer you to parents they know are looking? (Or, maybe some of the teachers have kids themselves?) There will be some parents who want to hire you, one way or the other!
posted by snorkmaiden at 6:30 PM on January 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
(There are currently actual babies in the family but also plenty of aunts/uncles/older relatives, so no one asks for my help. Also I'm ridiculously afraid of being responsible for a teeny tiny person who can't communicate their wishes orally.)
Volunteer! Shove those other aunts and uncles out of the way and get some babytime. Also, the parents of these babies? They didn't know any (well, much) more than you did when they had one the first time, so don't count yourself out on that account. Lots of young kids looks after their younger siblings; lots of us started babysitting when we were in junior high. If taking care of children were rocket science, we wouldn't be here - remember this!
If you want to make yourself more attractive (based on what I hear from co-workers with young children), take a pediatric first-aid course from the Red Cross or similar.
posted by rtha at 6:34 PM on January 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
Volunteer! Shove those other aunts and uncles out of the way and get some babytime. Also, the parents of these babies? They didn't know any (well, much) more than you did when they had one the first time, so don't count yourself out on that account. Lots of young kids looks after their younger siblings; lots of us started babysitting when we were in junior high. If taking care of children were rocket science, we wouldn't be here - remember this!
If you want to make yourself more attractive (based on what I hear from co-workers with young children), take a pediatric first-aid course from the Red Cross or similar.
posted by rtha at 6:34 PM on January 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
I was a babysitter for a while with a background similar to yours! (Lots of kid experience, but no sitting per se.)
Make a profile on SitterCity, linked above, highlight your classroom experience, and emphasize that you'd like to take care of slightly older children. Pay the extra to get their background check, a lot of families look for that. Then, poke around in the 'sitter wanted' ads and be pro-active about contacting families. They'll typically invite you over for a quick 'get to know you date' where you both play with the kids a bit and talk to the parents separately about their expectations. If you're lucky, a family will contact you first!
I did both sittercity and my own ads on craigslist; the family I wound up working for longest found and messaged me via sittercity first. Once you get one family and forge a good relationship with them, they'll start referring you to other people, or you'll meet their kids' friends' parents through play groups and stuff.
Also--if you went to school in the city post ads on your campus, or contact former professors! My main family had one academic parent, who then referred me to someone else from his department--it seemed like it was pretty common for people within the university to share babysitter info among them. Could work for any other kind of close-knit professional network too.
I'm kind of awkward and introverty, and I liked babysitting a lot because I could just be my weird self with the kids, and they loved it anyway as long as I was playing along with their games.
posted by ActionPopulated at 7:05 PM on January 8, 2015 [4 favorites]
Make a profile on SitterCity, linked above, highlight your classroom experience, and emphasize that you'd like to take care of slightly older children. Pay the extra to get their background check, a lot of families look for that. Then, poke around in the 'sitter wanted' ads and be pro-active about contacting families. They'll typically invite you over for a quick 'get to know you date' where you both play with the kids a bit and talk to the parents separately about their expectations. If you're lucky, a family will contact you first!
I did both sittercity and my own ads on craigslist; the family I wound up working for longest found and messaged me via sittercity first. Once you get one family and forge a good relationship with them, they'll start referring you to other people, or you'll meet their kids' friends' parents through play groups and stuff.
Also--if you went to school in the city post ads on your campus, or contact former professors! My main family had one academic parent, who then referred me to someone else from his department--it seemed like it was pretty common for people within the university to share babysitter info among them. Could work for any other kind of close-knit professional network too.
I'm kind of awkward and introverty, and I liked babysitting a lot because I could just be my weird self with the kids, and they loved it anyway as long as I was playing along with their games.
posted by ActionPopulated at 7:05 PM on January 8, 2015 [4 favorites]
Maybe do a few low-cost things to boost your resume like infant/child CPR from your local Red Cross, the American Camp Association also offers online courses in related topics and you can usually get a membership for free with a little googling.
posted by rubster at 7:09 PM on January 8, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by rubster at 7:09 PM on January 8, 2015 [3 favorites]
If you are looking for a regular gig, you might also look for job postings for a pre-school classroom aide or an after-school program. In both settings, two years of experience as a classroom aide would make you highly qualified, especially if you have good recommendations.
posted by metahawk at 7:17 PM on January 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by metahawk at 7:17 PM on January 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
Working at a preschool or daycare for a while is another option. Plus you get to network with parents and will pick up a ton of babysitting jobs if they know you're available. Youlld definitely need a background check and infant CPR/first aid.
posted by fshgrl at 7:23 PM on January 8, 2015
posted by fshgrl at 7:23 PM on January 8, 2015
You sound like you'd be a great babysitter. If you have a bit of common sense, the rest is just really paying attention to the kid and playing with them. The parents will give you any particulars you need (what to feed the kid, what you should do, bedtime/nap routine, etc).
Definitely get certification in infant/child first aid.
If you don't feel confident being responsible for kids on your own right now, you can look for "mother's helper" type jobs. The parent will be home doing something like making dinner. Your job is usually to just entertain the kid so you can ask lots of questions.
I actually find an introvert/quieter personality does well with kids. Most kids just want someone to get down on the floor and build legos with them hours or act out the same scene from frozen fifty times in a row.
And a future career that you can be working toward is teaching computer skills/computer science to kids! There's a math club in my town where parents pay something like $100 every week for their kids to play math games for an hour. Teaching simple programming to kids is big too.
posted by betsybetsy at 7:47 PM on January 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
Definitely get certification in infant/child first aid.
If you don't feel confident being responsible for kids on your own right now, you can look for "mother's helper" type jobs. The parent will be home doing something like making dinner. Your job is usually to just entertain the kid so you can ask lots of questions.
I actually find an introvert/quieter personality does well with kids. Most kids just want someone to get down on the floor and build legos with them hours or act out the same scene from frozen fifty times in a row.
And a future career that you can be working toward is teaching computer skills/computer science to kids! There's a math club in my town where parents pay something like $100 every week for their kids to play math games for an hour. Teaching simple programming to kids is big too.
posted by betsybetsy at 7:47 PM on January 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
I think that you would be a fine babysitter, with all that experience working with children in a professional capacity. Does that mean you also have first aid qualifications? You can keep a level head in a crisis situation, if one came up? Emphasise all that stuff. If I was looking for a babysitter for a young child, I'd definitely want a mature person whom I could trust, rather than a high school student who might panic.
In terms of future career options, considering your computer science background:
How's your coding? Would you be interested in teaching young children to code? There seem to be a lot more options now. Especially programs like "Girls Who Code" etc
posted by kinddieserzeit at 7:49 PM on January 8, 2015
In terms of future career options, considering your computer science background:
How's your coding? Would you be interested in teaching young children to code? There seem to be a lot more options now. Especially programs like "Girls Who Code" etc
posted by kinddieserzeit at 7:49 PM on January 8, 2015
Oh, NYC's main LGBT Center has a really nice variety of programming for parents. So I bet you could find some good babysitting possibilities if you left flyers there and/or visited one of their family mixers or playtimes. Maybe there's even an active registry of queer-friendly babysitters there. Speaking as a queer parent (though we're not in NYC), I'd definitely appreciate a list of known-queer-friendly babysitters, and if it exists anywhere, it's probably either at the Center or known to the info desk attendants there!
posted by kalapierson at 7:53 PM on January 8, 2015
posted by kalapierson at 7:53 PM on January 8, 2015
Do you want to occasionally babysit or do you want to be a nanny with a 8-6 job with benefits?
If babysitter, sitter city or care. Com and get the CPR training.
If nannying, in my experience in DC, you as a college grad and (I assume) native English speaker as well as legal resident would make you very attractive as a nanny once you build up some expierence.
posted by k8t at 8:09 PM on January 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
If babysitter, sitter city or care. Com and get the CPR training.
If nannying, in my experience in DC, you as a college grad and (I assume) native English speaker as well as legal resident would make you very attractive as a nanny once you build up some expierence.
posted by k8t at 8:09 PM on January 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
Like k8t above I'm wondering if you'd like to become a nanny. You should definitely look into it. I'm not in NYC but maybe some mefites who have nannies in NYC can give you some advice on this. In the meantime be sure to get the CPR etc. training, and consider taking a child development class at your neighborhood community college.
posted by mareli at 5:51 AM on January 9, 2015
posted by mareli at 5:51 AM on January 9, 2015
Thirding the nanny gig. I've got a friend who's great with kids and is a superb nanny. You get a better relationship with the kids, I think, than as a babysitter. Babysitting could be a good way to get more experience before you're able to pick up a nannying gig, though.
Also, see about getting certified in CPR & First Aid. Red Cross often has classes. Your local library might offer classes, too. And parents are very reassured by someone who's got up-to-date, child-specific CPR & First Aid training.
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:55 AM on January 9, 2015
Also, see about getting certified in CPR & First Aid. Red Cross often has classes. Your local library might offer classes, too. And parents are very reassured by someone who's got up-to-date, child-specific CPR & First Aid training.
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:55 AM on January 9, 2015
I am a woman with children who uses babysitters, and after the most basic "don't set the baby on fire or smoke in the house" stuff is taken care of, I can tell you what I love in a babysitter:
1. Be reliable. Be on-time or early. (not TOO early, because then I start to feel weird about paying you for the extra half hour you're there or whatever, but if you're supposed to show up at 3, showing up at 2:50-2:55 will always be welcome.) If something starts to look like it might affect your ability to make a previous commitment, don't wait until you're sure it will before you call me to give me the heads up.
2. Be available. Unfortunately, some of the times when people most need babysitters (as opposed to nannies) is during times when fun things are happening, because people need babysitters so they can go do those fun things. You may have to expect to work every Friday and Saturday night for a while. People don't like to make a dozen calls looking for a sitter; if you can often be the last call they have to make, you will frequently be the first call they choose to make.
3. This is probably not feasible long term, because it is quite irritating, but if you can swing it even in the beginning: Be willing to work for short periods of time. I need an hour of babysitting twice a week, to cover the time between when I leave for rehearsal and my husband gets home. A lot of babysitters aren't willing to work for only an hour, because it is a giant pain in the ass. But my current babysitter lives across the street, and so it's really easy for her to just walk across the street and then walk back. That may only be something you can offer to people in your building or very nearby, but it is incredibly welcome and may help you build up a clientele or list of references.
posted by KathrynT at 9:49 AM on January 9, 2015
1. Be reliable. Be on-time or early. (not TOO early, because then I start to feel weird about paying you for the extra half hour you're there or whatever, but if you're supposed to show up at 3, showing up at 2:50-2:55 will always be welcome.) If something starts to look like it might affect your ability to make a previous commitment, don't wait until you're sure it will before you call me to give me the heads up.
2. Be available. Unfortunately, some of the times when people most need babysitters (as opposed to nannies) is during times when fun things are happening, because people need babysitters so they can go do those fun things. You may have to expect to work every Friday and Saturday night for a while. People don't like to make a dozen calls looking for a sitter; if you can often be the last call they have to make, you will frequently be the first call they choose to make.
3. This is probably not feasible long term, because it is quite irritating, but if you can swing it even in the beginning: Be willing to work for short periods of time. I need an hour of babysitting twice a week, to cover the time between when I leave for rehearsal and my husband gets home. A lot of babysitters aren't willing to work for only an hour, because it is a giant pain in the ass. But my current babysitter lives across the street, and so it's really easy for her to just walk across the street and then walk back. That may only be something you can offer to people in your building or very nearby, but it is incredibly welcome and may help you build up a clientele or list of references.
posted by KathrynT at 9:49 AM on January 9, 2015
Response by poster: How's your coding? Would you be interested in teaching young children to code? There seem to be a lot more options now. Especially programs like "Girls Who Code" etc
My initial response was going to be something like "Oh man there's no way I'm good enough to teach programming" but that's probably some latent impostor syndrome talkin. Thanks for the suggestion; I'll consider it :)
Thirding the nanny gig. I've got a friend who's great with kids and is a superb nanny. You get a better relationship with the kids, I think, than as a babysitter. Babysitting could be a good way to get more experience before you're able to pick up a nannying gig, though.
Mmhm. For now I'd prefer to concentrate on babysitting and gaining skills/experience (seems lower-stakes and less anxiety-provoking). If I decide to do babysitting long-term rather than as an occasional thing, then maybe I'll think about becoming a nanny or au pair further down the road.
1. Be reliable. Be on-time or early. (not TOO early, because then I start to feel weird about paying you for the extra half hour you're there or whatever, but if you're supposed to show up at 3, showing up at 2:50-2:55 will always be welcome.)
2. Be available. Unfortunately, some of the times when people most need babysitters (as opposed to nannies) is during times when fun things are happening, because people need babysitters so they can go do those fun things.
3. This is probably not feasible long term, because it is quite irritating, but if you can swing it even in the beginning: Be willing to work for short periods of time.
I'll be sure to keep that in mind--my internship requires that I visit the office only once or twice a week and my schedule is flexible, so that should help.
. . .
Thanks so much for all the great answers! I wasn't sure whether I should post this question but you've all been very helpful and reassuring :) I'll definitely look into first aid/CPR classes and try to start looking at ads, reaching out to people I know, etc.
posted by green socks at 10:47 AM on January 10, 2015
My initial response was going to be something like "Oh man there's no way I'm good enough to teach programming" but that's probably some latent impostor syndrome talkin. Thanks for the suggestion; I'll consider it :)
Thirding the nanny gig. I've got a friend who's great with kids and is a superb nanny. You get a better relationship with the kids, I think, than as a babysitter. Babysitting could be a good way to get more experience before you're able to pick up a nannying gig, though.
Mmhm. For now I'd prefer to concentrate on babysitting and gaining skills/experience (seems lower-stakes and less anxiety-provoking). If I decide to do babysitting long-term rather than as an occasional thing, then maybe I'll think about becoming a nanny or au pair further down the road.
1. Be reliable. Be on-time or early. (not TOO early, because then I start to feel weird about paying you for the extra half hour you're there or whatever, but if you're supposed to show up at 3, showing up at 2:50-2:55 will always be welcome.)
2. Be available. Unfortunately, some of the times when people most need babysitters (as opposed to nannies) is during times when fun things are happening, because people need babysitters so they can go do those fun things.
3. This is probably not feasible long term, because it is quite irritating, but if you can swing it even in the beginning: Be willing to work for short periods of time.
I'll be sure to keep that in mind--my internship requires that I visit the office only once or twice a week and my schedule is flexible, so that should help.
. . .
Thanks so much for all the great answers! I wasn't sure whether I should post this question but you've all been very helpful and reassuring :) I'll definitely look into first aid/CPR classes and try to start looking at ads, reaching out to people I know, etc.
posted by green socks at 10:47 AM on January 10, 2015
Have you considered working at a daycare or in an after school care program? Once you work there for a bit, you'll have plenty of babysitting gigs, as long as the center allows you to babysit for the families that go to the center.
posted by freezer cake at 10:49 AM on January 12, 2015
posted by freezer cake at 10:49 AM on January 12, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
For you, being NYC based and being a bit anxious, I would try these three approaches:
• Just answer the ads and let them decide if they want to hire you or not.
• Post your own ad in CL.
• Post your own ad in a service like SitterCity or other organizations where you can provide a listing.
Right now, you are focusing on all the glass half empty perspectives. Turn it around. As in think about the average babysitter (ie, a teeny bopper who has little child care experience). So things that you can stress is to your advantage: 1) you are a college graduate (some parents would prefer this over the teenager). So state in your ad/response that you are a college graduate. 2) Childcare experience - you were just employed working with children in an educational capacity. Work this angle. 3) References- people who know and can discuss how you worked with children. Other things that you could ad are things like - what was your major (education? or something that you can tutor children with?). Can you get CPR and put that stamp in your ads?
If you don't want to work with a certain age, don't answer that ads and state up front in your ads, children aged 3- whatever in your ad if that is what you want.
Even if you look young, don't even mention this. You graduated college and are at least 20-21, right? Don't even address this or your low confidence. You succeeded at that job and got used to kids, right?
Don't take this wrong - my concern for you would be the money in this industry - you don't mention what your undergrad was in, but I wonder if you can work it for tutoring? You can charge much higher rates. But you might not want this so feel free to ignore.
Good luck.
posted by Wolfster at 6:14 PM on January 8, 2015 [1 favorite]