These tips on getting babysitting jobs can work for any type of service. Whether you are a babysitter, tutor, do yard-work, or any other job, there are many ways that you can make real money with your service.
What Are The Benefits?
Working for yourself has many perks. You get to make your own hours. Also, you get to keep all of your money, since in most cases, you would be the only “employee”, and most of the time you don’t have to buy anything for your services. You don’t have some of it going to your employer, employees, or to social security. You get to keep all of your money.
Maybe you feel like you aren’t ready or don’t have time for a job? That is the beauty of working for yourself. You get to choose how many hours you work and what days you work, so if you are busy, while it may not look good, you can just simply turn the job down. Also, with some forms of work, especially late-night babysitting when the kid is asleep, you have a lot of downtime when you can do your school work.
What Can I Do?
There are plenty of things you can offer your services in, it just depends on what you are interested in, what you are comfortable doing, and what you are good at. The most common things are babysitting, tutoring, house-sitting, and yard-work.
How Do I Get Started?
First thing you have to do is decide what you are going to do, and how much you are going to charge for it. Look at how much other people charge so you can get an idea for how much to charge. Make sure to be reasonable. Then, you get the word out, and start working.
How Do I Get The Word Out?
Your next step is to advertise. While word of mouth is great, in our age of social media, it is easy to find ways to get jobs. There are websites like Rover and Care.Com that you can use, and many communities have Facebook pages or Nextdoor where you can post advertisements to.
A personal favorite is an app and website called Nextdoor. It is safe because when a resident goes to sign up for the website, the website does not give access until they have verified the resident’s address by sending a postcard with a code they have to input. No one can pose as a resident in your neighborhood. People constantly post, asking for teenagers to do yard work or needing a tutor.
Another great place to put an advertisement is on billboards. Most pools and community centers have a billboard that you can ask to put an advertisement on.
Always make sure to be safe when dealing with someone you don’t know well. Make sure to send a parent or guardian the address, name, and phone number of where you are going, and keep in contact with your parent during the night.
What Should I Include In My Advertisements?
There are many things that you have to put in your advertisements. Here are a few
- Your name
- Age (Optional, but it may help your credibility)
- What services you offer
- Some way to contact you (email or phone number)
- How much you charge
- What you may need from them (yard equipment, textbooks, and more)
- Some of your experience (Optional)
- Babysitting: Ages you babysit
- Tutoring: Subjects/Classes you can tutor
- Anything that may be necessary for your specific services
Will I Really Make Money With This?
With these advertising techniques, any teen can make money with this. With babysitting alone, you can easily get 2-3 jobs a week, each averaging around $40 per job, depending on the hours and your rate. With only two $40 jobs a week, you make over $300 a month. The small jobs really do add up. With perseverance and time, you can make even more.
