Whether you’re a teenager or an adult, babysitting can be a great source of income for you. You may be wondering how you can find babysitting jobs in your area if you love kids. With the right networking and knowledge about how to advertise your babysitting services, you’ll be getting gigs in no time!
How to Get Babysitting Jobs
In order to get a job as a babysitter, you first need to learn how to do it – this means becoming CPR certified, knowing your state’s legal babysitting age, volunteering or babysitting for friends or family members, and building a resume.
Once you’ve gained some informal experience, you’re likely looking for regular work. The first thing you need to do is market yourself. The good news is that it’s a lot easier for you than it was for your parents. It is easy to reach potential clients through the internet. Here’s how you can get started!
Build Your Online Profile
If your social media page is sending off the wrong signals, it can limit your workload even as it gives you easy access to potential jobs. Think about what a parent might see as a negative factor on your Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter pages.
As a student, you should portray yourself as an excellent worker and someone who cares about others. Prior to applying anywhere, check out these platforms to ensure you look good.
It may also be a good idea to update your actual profile. Social media is one of the first places parents will look to find out more about you, so these pages are an easy way to advertise your skills. Fill in the “Bio,” “Work,” “Education,” and Hobbies” sections. Be sure to include your certifications, volunteer work with kids and animals, and extracurricular activities.
Prep Job Documents
The majority of babysitting marketing is done online these days, but it’s still important to have physical job documents as well. If someone contacts you for more information, keep your resume, references page, and any letters of recommendation handy. Alternatively, you can order business cards online or at places like Office Depot.
Give someone one of your cards when you meet someone who is looking for babysitting help so that they can get in touch with you easily.
The following things should be kept in mind when formatting these documents:
- Get your business off the ground with a fun and memorable name and a headshot or logo image.
- Your full name and best contact information should be included.
- Remember to include a title, such as “Babysitter” or “Childcare Professional.”
- Provide a list of your certifications (CPR, First Aid, Babysitter Training, etc.).
It is also possible to use free programs like Canva to format flyers for advertising your services! You can simply customize a free babysitting flyer template if you aren’t confident in your computer skills.
Place flyers in local stores, on community bulletin boards, or in mailboxes around town. Your flyer may be sent home with students by your local elementary schools and preschools.
Quick Tip
Consider including the phrase “XXX years experience” if your experience spans over two years. This can give parents peace of mind.
Join Mom Groups
Facebook is a great place to find babysitting jobs and advertise your babysitting services. Add yourself to local mom groups and then post your services on their pages. Look for moms who have posted that they need assistance.
As time goes by, your post will drop further and further down the feed, so make sure to post regularly. Briefly describe your experience, certifications, availability, and rates. Tag anyone who could serve as a good reference in the group!
Register on Babysitting Apps & Websites
Nowadays, childcare is a major occupation, so there are apps and websites dedicated to helping people find caregivers. Find out who is looking for help nearby by creating a professional profile.
- Sittercity – Create a profile to showcase your skills, apply for jobs, and communicate with families. A free membership option is available, but the featured sitter option requires a paid subscription.
- This free social media-based app lets you communicate with parents and receive job requests. You need one recommendation to begin using Bambino.
- Using Bubble, you can set your own prices and choose the jobs you want. With Bubble, babysitters can create free profiles and find occasional or regular babysitting jobs.
- Care.com is one of the most popular sites for sitters. For caregivers, the Basic Profile is free, but to apply for jobs listed on the site, you must pay for membership.
- To help families find you and you find new clients, Sitter.com also offers a free Basic Profile option and several paid member options.
Check Online Job Boards
Additionally, job sites such as Indeed or Snagajob are great places to look for work. You can also find childcare businesses looking for workers through these sites. Post your childcare services or check if someone has posted a childcare need in your area.
Reach Out to Family and Friends
You’re more likely to find a babysitting job if you spread the word about your availability. People often know someone who needs a sitter even if they’re not looking for one. You can tap into your professional network even if you’re a teenager.
- Let your relatives tell their friends about your services.
- Your parents and older siblings can promote your babysitting business where they work.
- Inform teachers and school staff members that you are looking for babysitting jobs.
- Let the parents of your friends whose children are younger (or your friend does not enjoy babysitting) know that you are interested in babysitting.
Quick Tip
You should give each of these individuals a handful of your business cards. This is an easy way to ensure that they get your information if they meet someone in need.
Volunteer at a Childcare Center
Volunteering is an excellent way to meet parents who already know and trust you. It is common for home daycare centers, large childcare centers, and after-school programs to use volunteers to keep costs low and programming high. Whenever possible, schedule in-person meetings with directors at these facilities and bring your resume with you.
Visit a Community Center
Children’s programs are available at many community centers. Bring your flyers and ask if you can make a quick announcement of your services. You should also be creative and show parents how you will offer them the best deal.
After your announcement, run a promotion and offer to keep kids occupied for the rest of the class or bring printable activities and crayons. Consider volunteering in the center’s courses that highlight your hobbies or skills.
Check With Local Colleges
During the summer, many parents return to school and need someone to watch their children during the day. Post your flyers on the bulletin boards in the main building on campus or on the school’s bulletin boards.
It is common for colleges to have an employment department where students can look for job openings or services.
Go Where the Parents Are
Check with fitness centers, grocery stores, and in-person mom groups to see if you can post a flyer or partner with them to provide childcare services to parents in need. Start by thinking about places where parents might struggle to keep their children entertained.
Add Your Name to a Local Babysitting List
Schools and other non-profit organizations sometimes keep a list of certified babysitters. Ensure that your name is on that list so that parents can find you. If no one in your area keeps a list like this, ask them if you can help them.
Improve Your Chances to Get a Teen Babysitting Job
Do you ever find that you get an interview with a parent, but you don’t get the job? It is important for parents to know that you will protect their children when you are caring for them. Consider ways to demonstrate your maturity, responsibility, and child care skills that will make parents feel confident that you are the right candidate.
Get Certified
Get certified in First Aid/CPR by taking a class. Also, you can take a babysitter course to receive specialized training for caring for children of all ages. Additionally, you should take as many classes as you can in school and online in areas such as child development. Make sure to keep copies of your certifications on hand when speaking with potential clients.
Make a Fun Babysitter’s Kit
In addition to showing your professional side to parents, you need to engage kids on a fun level as well. If the kids don’t want you babysitting, the parents might not as well. Take things like the following into your babysitter’s kit for interviews and jobs:
- Playlists of games to try
- Coloring pages and word puzzles that you can print
- Supplies for arts and crafts
- Kids can try out busy bags
- What are your favorite kids’ movies?
- Board games that are kid-friendly
- Kids’ science experiments that are simple to do
- Together, read these great children’s books
Use Original Marketing Techniques
Don’t just hang flyers or tell people that you babysit; find unique ways to promote your business.
- Make a meme about your babysitting services and share it with your friends.
- Publish an article in the local newspaper or magazine about yourself.
- At your local farmer’s market, set up a kids’ table and share your information.
Make Yourself Memorable With Fun Babysitting Slogans
Most people have at least one slogan that they can recall from memory. You can keep parents’ attention by coming up with a catchphrase for your business cards and flyers. It can be fun to come up with catchy slogans by rhyming and punning.
- Do you need a rest? Get in touch with the best!
- Do you want to hit a home run this Saturday night? You can pitch a no-hitter by hiring this babysitter!
- Are you running out of steam? It’s time to call in the dream team!
- There are a lot of places to sit
- Are you ready for a Ruff Ruff Rescue? Patrol will continue!
- Sitters who are better today. Tomorrow’s parents will be better.
- Play while you take a mental health break!
- When do you need a break from your neighborhood? Who are you going to call? I love this babysitter!
Send Thank-You Notes
It’s easy to find jobs, harder to do a great job, and harder still to leave a lasting impression. After every first babysitting job, send a thank you note to your clients. Your family will love you even more if you let them know how much you enjoy working with them.
Put Safety First
It’s always a good idea to be cautious when meeting new parents, especially if you don’t know them through a relative, friend, or neighbor. You should always bring along a trusted adult when meeting new clients and never give out more than your name and phone number.
You should tell someone right away if you feel uncomfortable with a situation or by what your parents have said to you. It can be fun to babysit, but you need to protect yourself and put your safety first.