Baby sitter please, Espoo.

[mikkolover]

Hi everyone, maybe I posted this before, but I can't remember.. sorry.

We are looking for a reliable, responsible Finnish and or English speaking babysitter for evenings-nites out once in a while. We have 3 kids,a 2.5 year old ( who will be asleep when you arrive ) and 5 month old twins, who may or may not be asleep, but will be sweet and adorable.

The going rate at MLL is 8,20 an hour and transportation to and from the house. We will not be able to offer as much, but can negotiate the salary. Also, you will have to find your own way here. There is a bus stop outside our door, with buses that run all hours, so we know that is absolutely no problem.

We want someone who doesn't make excuses, truly likes kids and isn't in it just for the fast cash, or chances to hang out with friends, as we won't allow your friends over and will know if they are here.

Sound harsh.. nah.. I've been babysitting since I was 13 and I know what 13 year old girls are like

PM me if you are interested!
regina

[jazzori]

Soo... what salary are you offering exactly? If everyone else gets 8,20 an hour caring for one child, what are you offering for someone to look after three babies at once?

Good point.
I'm sure the OP is a nice person, but in this case the demands are high, caring for three babies is a huge responsibility/effort and the pay seems to be low.

[mikkolover]

Actually MLL charges 8,20 per hour for the care, including 3 children.. or 5 children not PER child. My demands are hardly high. Our 2.5 year old is asleep and sleeps a solid 11 hrs, no work there. The twins are the easiest babies and also sleep much of the evening from about 21:00 onwards. In reality there may be ONE bottle to give each baby, and MAYBE change one diaper. IF that is too much work for anyone then I certainly wouldn't want that person in my house.

I'm not asking for someone to feed, bathe, play with, dress, take to the park, chase around and read books too. 90% of the time, the sitter will be watching tv or texting friends. As far as not allowing friends over.. that's just common sense!

[Rosamunda]

... as we won't allow your friends over and will know if they are here.

CCTV???

I think it's good to make the rules clear right from the start.
Having employed numerous "kids" to work for us at the kiosk I have learnt from experience that you have to make the limits crystal clear. ie: Never assume they will ask questions if there is something they don't understand and don't expect too much "initiative" to be taken (eg call me before you run out of cones/coffee filtres/bin liners). Anyway, either we were "lucky" this year or we are getting better at the recruitment lark since we had a really nice and very reliable girl working for us and she is guaranteed a job next summer if she wants it. Unfortunately her mental arithmetic was cr@p but I think she improved by the end of the season!

Which bit of Espoo are you in, roughly? And what's the minimum age?

[Amandine.K]

You offer very little I feel. I have used babysitters for my children and have done the occasional babysitting. The rate is usually at least 8€ with you driving the babysitter back. If there is under 1 involved, the rate can go up to 10€ per hour at least. Taking care of babies is a huge responsibility...

[mikkolover]

I live in Lippajärvi. I have asked the going rate of all our neighbors and they pay 6-7 eur. As stated above, i never mentioned a price, funny how everyone assumes i am 'paying so little' . We don't exactly have cctv, but something similar.. webcams and phones work quite nicely. We don't want anyone under 18 with the twins being so small.. that being said, at 15 i was watching 3 boys, 2,6, and 9 and managed, but all kids are different. I suppose we will find the right person who can read and know the standard going rates in this area ( as the people here posted seem to be quite defensive.. its not that I asked any of YOU personally to watch my kids for free.. geeze!

We don't have a car so quite simply the bus is there and easy to take anywhere. I can walk someone to the bus stop just behind my house if that helps.. dont want to seem like such a hard ass! haha!

[Amandine.K]

I'm not defensive either... It's your call at the end of the day. I was just mentionning to you that the babysitter we often use (and that I know gets a lot of babysitting hours!) charges 10€ per hour and you have to drive her back in Eastern Helsinki. Now she has professional qualifications and I trust her completely. I know I wouldn't trust a young kid even if my twins are 7 and my little boy is 2... Each to their own I guess...

[jazzori]

as the people here posted seem to be quite defensive.. its not that I asked any of YOU personally to watch my kids for free..

That's true, you haven't asked that. But I am sure that many of us have been in one of those roles or even in both (employer and employee/babysitter), so it might be that the 'personal'-bit favours many opinions here. However, the only one that really seems defensive here is you, I'd say.

Of course, people make the assumption you're paying so little. Since you said yourself you can't/are not willing to pay 8,20.-, doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that the pay would be bellow that nr. And that is a little.
Can you guarantee your kids stay asleep throughout the night? No. A bad dream or a tummy ache and from the serene night with babies sleeping one can skip to a screaming chaos with a baby in each hand and running out of hands for the third one.

When you post an ad on some public forum, you should expect all sorts of opinions bounced at you and many not pleasant. This is one of those times for you, I guess.

If I would be in your shoes, I'd set my priorities straight. If you can't really afford to pay decent money, there's always a person doing that for free. And that's you.

6.- , 7.- euros? Maybe for a teen from the neighbourhood..

[mikkolover]

I really love the implication that I do not care enough for my kids to hire 'proper' help. That's just classic, thank you. I don't need to justify myself or my kids, but living in Eastern Helsinki.. hm.. nice place for kids there.. I'm just saying..

Should my son wake in the night I would be in a taxi immediately to come home. No questions asked. That's the kind of parent I am. Of course things happen and you can't predict how the twins will be, and sure I am used to ith etc.. you make great points.. but low blows 'ladies' and moms by implying that because I am looking for someone responsible that doesn't charge an arm and a leg that I am not going to find someone suitable. Our previous sitter was 17 and charged 6 eur per hour and took wonderful care of our kids on the odd nite a year we went out. So it IS possible!

[jazzori]

I really love the implication that I do not care enough for my kids to hire 'proper' help.

I, at least, never had that in mind. Was thinking of the sitter..

[Amandine.K]

You are the one being defensive here. Of course it is possible, but hard to find. I wish you good luck anyway. As a mother of 3 I do understand the need for a night out once in a while and the worry to find somebody suitable and trustworthy.