Babysitting is one of the high-paying side jobs (up to $20.57/hour) you can start from your teenage. But how would you convince the parents that you will care well for their children when you don’t have any experience? And why would parents hire an inexperienced person to handle their kids?
Well, it’s hard but doable!
Related: How to get good Job ImmediatelyYou can start by babysitting voluntarily or seeking jobs as a mom’s helper. These activities help understand children’s behaviors, connect with parents, and get referrals. Gradually, you can start applying for paid jobs when you are confident about your childcare abilities.
Yet you must convince parents that you will care well for their children.
That is why before you seek babysitting jobs without experience, you must have good communication skills, first aid training, and know how to handle kids in different situations.
In short, you can babysit without experience but not without certain skills.
So, in this blog, we have listed easy ways to approach babysitter jobs with no experience and how to prepare yourself for landing those. Also, you will find handy tips to write a babysitting resume that gets you jobs even when you have no prior work history.
But first, let’s analyze what features make babysitting a great way to make some money;
Why Is Babysitting A Good Job?
- The Pay Is Good; Many teenagers are generating a good amount every month by caring for young ones.
According to the UrbanSitter survey, in 2022, the average pay for babysitting was $20.57 for one kid and $23.00 for two kids.
Related: How Do I Get into Construction Without ExperienceOther forums report slightly different but still decently high averages. For example, according to Sittercity, the national average per hour was $18.50 in 2022.
- Virtually No Age Restriction; Different states have different laws regarding the legal age for babysitters. But mostly, you can babysit from the age of 12 onwards. Most babysitters report they started at the age of 13-14.
- You Get Extra Perks; People are kind when you take good care of their children. Most families offer tips, arrange meals and provide convince for babysitters.
- Get Paid, Cash in Hand; Another advantage for babysitters is they mostly get paid in cash immediately after their duty ends. So, you won’t have to wait a week or a month to receive the earned money.
- A Great Learning Opportunity; Besides the immediate financial perks, babysitting allows you to learn many hard and soft skills.
These skills, combined with financial gains, are a strong confidence booster and will help you excel in the future.
- You Can Do It Part-time; The best thing about babysitting is you can start your career part-time. While full-time Nannies are paid higher, you can babysit only a few hours daily if your schedule doesn’t allow full-time work.
In fact, babysitters have different job options depending upon the requirements of different families, as described next;
What Type Of Job Is Babysitting?
The main types of babysitting jobs are;
Occasional Babysitting;
Many families need a sitter on an irregular basis. For example, when an unplanned event comes up, or their work routine makes it hard to take care of children.
This type of babysitting job is suitable for part-time babysitters as it gives them the flexibility to manage their studies and other responsibilities alongside working as a babysitter.
Permanent Babysitting;
In contrast to on-call or occasional babysitting, permanent babysitters attend to kids for the same time for weeks or months.
This type suits full-time babysitters or those who can devote regular hours consistently for several days.
After-School Babysitting;
These sitters take care of kids after school until their parents return from work.
Many parent work 9-5 jobs and can’t manage to pick up their children from school. So, they take the help of after-school babysitters.
This babysitting job requires commitment for the same time but only a few hours.
Evening Babysitting;
Sometimes, after-school babysitters also work as evening babysitters. So, they are also responsible for cooking and serving dinner to the kids. Plus, they help the kids with their homework activities.
Night time Babysitting;
Night time babysitters look after children during the night. This type of babysitter is usually hired by working parents having infants. Newborn babies have a very random sleeping routine which also disturbs parents’ sleep.
That’s why these parents need a sitter to take care of their baby during the night so they can have enough sleep.
Weekday Babysitting;
This is a type of permanent babysitting, but the difference is these sitters don’t work on weekends. Different families need babysitters during the day or night. So, you can opt for a babysitting job according to your schedule.
Weekend Babysitting;
These sitters have opposite work timings than weekday sitters. These keep the kids engaged on weekends. Students can easily opt for this job without cutting time from their regular study schedule.
Party Babysitting or Wedding Babysitting;
Party babysitters engage kids during parties and events.
Happy, smiling and playing kids make weddings and parties a lot of fun. But it’s disturbing and sometimes annoying when they get irritated and throw tantrums.
So, many parents hire babysitters to play with and handle their children at parties. It is also a type of occasional babysitting.
Summer Babysitting;
These people sit for babies only during the summer months. It’s the time when most kids are on vacation, but parents can’t look after them due to work or other activities.
On the other side, many students do summer babysitting during their summer break.
Babysitting Job Description
Convinced babysitting is a job worth putting effort into, but you don’t know what tasks you would need to do as an in-home babysitter.
Well, the responsibilities vary for every client, but most babysitters are required to do the following tasks;
- Observe, look after, and supervise kids.
- Prepare meals and feed the kids. This includes everything from preparing infant feeder bottles to feeding them and cooking healthy, children-friendly snacks to ensuring the kid has taken his meal.
- Keep Kids playing and working areas clean. Also, sitters are responsible for making sure the children play safely with toys.
- Help kids do their homework.
- Play with children and arrange fun activities (crafts, music, storytelling, etc.) for them.
- Change diapers or help the older kids use the toilet. Also, Bath and dress up the children.
- Sometimes, sitters also pick up and drop off the kids at school.
- Provide first aid to kids when necessary.
- Take appropriate measures in an emergency like a fire or a physical accident.
- Take care of children’s emotional and mental well-being and help them if you see any issues.
Considering these tasks, it’s evident that not anyone can be a babysitter because childcare involves responsibility and following skills are a must;
Related: How to find Job for college Graduates with No Experience7 Key Skills You Need For Babysitting;
- Excellent listening and communication skills
- Compassion and creative problem solving
- Understanding of children’s behavior and psychology
- Being able to potty train kids or change the diapers
- Know how to prepare simple snacks and clean the space and toys
- First Aid and CPR Skills
- Handling Tricky Situations like a medical emergency (fire, choking, and wounds), kids’ fights and tantrums, or when a stranger comes to the door.
How Do I Prepare For Babysitting?
Preparing yourself for sitting and learning key childcare skills increases your chances of getting a babysitter job with no experience.
And if you’re thinking about how I can gain the necessary skills, try the following methods;
Start As A Mother’s Helper
Parents often hire helpers to handle their toddlers or infants when they are busy with younger children or are working around the house.
They don’t leave the baby alone with the helper and are present nearby for supervision. However, most of the time helper takes care of the baby and keeps her engaged.
Supervised sitting or Mother’s Help is a great way to enhance your childcare skills. As this Quora discussion from January and many others suggest, helping parents handle their kids when they are present nearby improves your skills, and you also gain relevant experience to mention in your resume.
Get Certified In First Aid And Childcare
Safety is often the first concern for families when leaving their kids alone with a babysitter. That’s why people with First Aid, CPR, and childcare certificates are more likely to get hired by parents.
Courses like Redcross Babysitter Training or Child Care courses teach you basic childcare, first aid methods, and how to handle children of different age groups, according to children’s psychology.
Volunteer To Get Experience And References
You can start your babysitting career as a volunteer to get experience. Here are a few suggestions on how to do that;
- Helping your friends, cousins, or neighbors is the easiest way to add experience to your babysitting resume and polishes your childcare skills.
Plus, it is likely to bring you some real clients through references.
- If you are a good player, you can also join the kids’ sports club as a volunteer coach. On one side, coaching will improve your interpersonal communication, and on the other, it will teach you how to handle many kids simultaneously and resolve conflicts.
- Besides that, you can volunteer at a daycare center or kindergarten to get started with your babysitting career.
How To Find A Babysitting Job As A Beginner?
Network Actively And Market Yourself
When starting out, you must make people know you as a babysitter.
Inform your friend and family that you are available for babysitting tasks. Ask them to give you a referral client when someone approaches them for a suggestion.
Also, join the community groups, become active there, engage with parents, give childcare tips, and market yourself.
Register With Job Sites And Apps
Job sites can be a good way to find babysitting jobs near you. Register with different platforms to apply for sitting jobs. Some famous job sites include;
- Sittercity.com
- Kidsit.com
- Urbansitters.com
- Care.com
- Indeed.com
Job ads on these websites usually include complete information about hourly wages, requirements, and responsibilities.
Besides job sites, many apps also connect babysitters with parents. Sign up for apps like Bubble Childcare, Sitter Pro, and Bambino Sitters, and keep applying for jobs. The most popular apps are;
- Bubble Childcare
- Sitter Pro
- Bambino Sitters
- Sitly
- Helpr
Advertising On Social Media
Social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are popular and effective means to promote yourself as a nanny or babysitter.
Posting content like babysitting tips, learning hacks, and kids-friendly recipes will increase your chances of getting hired. That’s because such content gives you the reputation of being a knowledgeable and expert babysitter.
Writing A Babysitter Resume (5 Tips When You Have No Experience)
- Highlight Childcare Certificates
If you have done First Aid or Children psychology courses, you are already at an advantage when looking for babysitting jobs.
Related: Cover letter for a job with no Experience in that FieldSo, mention these certificates on the resume and add descriptions of the skills you have learned in the course to further increase your chances of getting the job.
- Add Volunteering Experiences
You may have cared for your nieces and nephews, younger cousins, or neighbors’ kids. Don’t forget to make that experience a part of your resume.
Besides babysitting, volunteering in other kids-related activities gives you first-hand experience with children. You may have worked as a coach for a sports team or an instructor for a kids’ art project)
So, don’t exclude the “experience” section from your resume; instead, mention these activities.
- Mention Your Teamwork Abilities
Babysitting is all about leading a kid or kids group to perform some activities, keep them engaged and help them have fun. So, teamwork abilities are a must for this job.
That’s why your past experiences in teams like your school’s music group, soccer team, or science project; all make your babysitting resume stronger.
- Describe Any Before-hand Experience With Kids
When you have no dedicated babysitting experience, you can include any experience you have with kids.
Even if you have younger siblings, you can mention how you help them play and study.
If you have any kids’ tutoring experience, add that too.
You can also mention a library program you have attended, which also included a kids’ group.
Similarly, you can add experience with kids from the local sports club, art projects, or carnival programs.
- Add Relevant Skills And Hobbies
Your hobbies can also in proving your abilities as a good babysitter.
For example, adding painting or drawing to the skills section and mentioning your high-school art project shows the parents that you can keep their child busy with healthy, creative activities.
Similarly, adding reading as a hobby shows that you will happily read stories to the kids, and guitar-playing or singing proves that you can help the kids have fun musically.
FAQs
Where to Get Babysitting Certifications?
Different healthcare and sitter organizations offer babysitting courses like child care or first aid training. You can enroll in Red Cross, Safe Sitter, or Babysitting Certification Institute courses.
American Heart Association is also a good platform to learn CPR and first aid.
What Certifications Should I Get for Babysitting?
Following certifications would help you build a strong babysitting resume even with no job experience;
- First Aid and Babysitting training by Red Cross
- Heartsaver CPR AED Training by American Heart Association
- Intro to Safe Babysitting by Safe Sitter
At a higher level, you can also opt for Red Cross Advanced Child Care Training and Babysitter’s Training Instructor Bridge.
Can Babysitting be Used as a Valid Job Reference when Applying for Future Employment Opportunities?
Certainly! You can include your babysitting experience as a valuable job reference on your resume when pursuing new employment opportunities.
Does Training Count as Work Experience?
Training is not work experience, but it shows your expertise. That is why trained babysitters have higher chances of getting hired even without a real job experience.
Can Both Males and Females Work as Babysitters?
The job of babysitting does not have a gender restriction. Both males and females can babysit if they have the required childcare and safety skills.
Final Thoughts – Is It Possible To Find A Babysitter Job With No Experience
Although it’s hard to get babysitting work when you don’t have any experience handling infants and toddlers. However, you can easily start as a mother’s helper, gaining childcare skills, experience, and references.
Certification in childcare, first aid, and emergency skills like CPR sets you apart from the competition. Besides that, volunteering at nursery schools and daycare centers is a good way to gain experience and babysitting skills.
To get a babysitting job with no experience, you can try different options like job sites, babysitting apps, mothers’ groups on social media, and referrals from friends and family.
