Parent and Babysitter FAQs

For Parents

What is Find A Babysitter?

Find A Babysitter is Australia's most trusted online childcare job site, helping you find the best nannies, after-school carers and babysitters.

Find A Babysitter is not an agency. We are the market-leading babysitter and nanny site, giving parents access to thousands of wonderful babysitters and nannies. You interview and select the perfect carer for your family.

With Find A Babysitter you'll have the confidence and calm that comes with having the ideal carer for your children. So you can manage the busy juggling act of children, school, work, social and family life.

You get freedom, choice, flexibility and affordability.

Freedom to connect with babysitters directly, as there's no middle-man controlling the process.

Choice to select the best babysitter for your family from a wide range of trusted carers.

Flexibility to arrange the hours that you need - day, before or after-school or evenings.

Affordability to pay the sitter directly, without costly agency fees.

So whether its time to return to work, time to get help with your family, or time to get a moment for yourself, Find A Babysitter can help you.

One simple membership gives you a Job Posting and access to all the babysitters or nannies you need.

No recurring fees, just a one-time membership. At the end of your membership it will not auto-renew.

Why Find A Babysitter?

• Quality - As parents ourselves we genuinely care about quality and helping you get the best carers for your family.
• Trusted - For over 17 years Find A Babysitter has helped thousands of parents find wonderful babysitters and nannies.
• Experienced - We bring our expert knowledge, skills and experience to ensure the site works well and delivers results.
• Award-winning - Find A Babysitter is a National Telstra Business Award winner and is passionate about what we do.
• Customer service - You get timely, friendly and responsive customer service from us, every time.

How does it work?

As a member you can

1. Post a job: to draw suitable applicants to you.
2. Search & send emails: to FAB carers who meet your criteria.
3. Interview & select: the perfect carer for your family.

Who are the babysitters and nannies?

Find A Babysitter has a fabulous range of quality babysitters and nannies available. From experienced career nannies who have worked for many families, carers who have worked in childcare centres, to the 'girl-next-door' who has babysat for years. Many of them are university students who enjoy working with children. So, you are sure to find a great babysitter or nanny your family will love.

How does the "Job Posting" feature work?

Every membership includes a Job Posting. The Job Posting is published online immediately. It is also sent out to all matched carers in your area in 'job alerts' in the evenings. As the market-leader Find A Babysitter ensures that your job is very well promoted. Babysitters and nannies will apply to you through our secure message system.

Your Job Posting will be online at Find A Babysitter until the 'Applications Close' date that you set. If you do not get enough interest in your role, we recommend revising the details of your advertisement. This might include the hourly rate or the details of the job. You can login and update your Job Posting any time, to ensure you make the most of it.

Applicants must be members of Find A Babysitter, so this will make sure that the carers applying have come through our system. This ensures that your personal contact details are kept secure, until you choose to swap details personally.

How many messages should I send & how long will it take?

To get the best results we recommend that you begin with 1) the Job Posting and then 2) send messages to carers on the site as an adjunct to the Job Posting.

The Job Posting is essential to attract applicants for daytime nannies, after school care and other unique roles (i.e., unusual hours).

When sending messages we suggest that you send approximately 10 messages. You may need to send fewer messages for a babysitter, but more messages for a nanny or after-school carer. Expect up to 50% replies.

Importantly, please allow at least 1-2 weeks for results.

What will the babysitters' profiles show me?

You will see the babysitter's first name, photo, education, experience, skills, hourly rates, driver licence, covid19 vaccination status, first aid qualifications and whether she has a Working With Children Check (WWCC), police check and references to show you. You will also see a personal description she has written, helping you get to know her.

Do your babysitters or nannies have other educational or cultural skills?

Our babysitters and nannies have listed a range of wonderful skills and interests on their profiles. Many speak languages (French, German, Spanish), play music (guitar, piano), play sport, dance or create art. So you can choose a carer to bring specific skills to your children and family!

Can I find nannies, babysitters or after-school carers?

Yes, you can find a range of different carers on Find A Babysitter. This includes nannies and babysitters for day time, after school and evening roles. A nanny is generally an experienced person who provides childcare for a living and may have some professional qualification and training. A babysitter usually provides occasional evening or weekend care, and may also study or work in another profession. After-school carers are in high demand and are often university students who have the flexibility to work shorter shifts.

Can I find someone who lives nearby?

Yes, the list of carers are sorted geographically, so the first group of carers shown on the list are all in your suburb, then the next group is in the next suburb and so on. The carers have all chosen how far they are willing to travel from home. Carers will only be displayed in your search if they have chosen to work in your area.

How do I identify the most updated profiles?

Every carer profile has a line stating "Updated day /month / year" so you can choose to contact the most up-to-date carers. Your search is also sorted according to the most recently updated. So the first carers on the list are the most up-to-date and available within your suburb.

Can I find a "House Keeper" at Find A Babysitter?

We don't specialise in this niche, but you are welcome to post a job to advertise your role. The majority of the carers at Find A Babysitter are willing to do some light housework or house-keeping duties as part of their job. This usually covers duties related to children including light cleaning (wiping over kitchen benches), children's meal preparation and dishes, children's washing and running errands. We have an icon on every carer profile showing whether they are willing to do light housework. If you are seeking a professional domestic house-keeper who runs a house for a living, you are most welcome to post a job on our site. We cannot guarantee results, but you can post a job to promote it and see.

How is this site different to an agency, or sites that process payments?

Find A Babysitter gives you a job posting to promote your job, introducing you to the carers directly. You control the process and pay the babysitter directly. Because we are not an agency, we do not screen carers or make bookings. Nor do we charge you any placement fees (often thousands of dollars through agencies), overheads, commissions, cancellations or other fees. We also don't process payroll on our platform, so this means we are not taking a clip of every single transaction. This saves you money , by cutting out the middleman. Please read our Terms of Use for more information.

Will my babysitter have a police check?

If a carer has a current Police Check, they tick a box to indicate this in their profile. Due to privacy laws we do not view or store a copy of a member's Police Check. Parents are encouraged to ask babysitters to provide a copy of their Police Checks and undertake their own verification of paperwork.

What is the Working With Children Check?

If a babysitter or nanny has a "Working With Children Check" (WWCC), they will tick this box in their profile online. Find A Babysitter does not view or store copies of this due to privacy laws. Parents are encouraged to ask babysitters to provide their WWCC details and to undertake their own verification of paperwork.

For further information in your state please see:

NSW

VIC

QLD Blue Card

WA

Does Find A Babysitter screen babysitters and nannies?

We are an introduction and job posting service only, so we do not do pre-employment screenings or interviews. Parents should conduct interviews and reference checks before employing a babysitter or nanny. Find A Babysitter provides you with information on our site to help you make the right choice. Babysitter profiles show details about experience, education, first aid qualifications, driver licence, Working With Children's Checks and whether references are available. Parents should ask the babysitter to bring these documents to your interview to view first-hand and confirm these details.

What quality control is conducted by your site?

Find A Babysitter does not undertake verification of the accuracy, ongoing currency or quality of information provided by babysitters and nannies in their profile. Parents are encouraged to undertake verification and vetting of babysitters and the information that they show in their profiles including by requesting copies of first aid certificates, driver licences, WWCC checks and Police Checks.

Parents can use the ratings system to provide feedback about babysitters. If a parent raises any discrepancies or concerns regarding the information in a babysitter's or a nanny's profile, this is followed up by Find A Babysitter staff immediately.

Babysitters who are inactive for a number of weeks are removed from the site, so we ensure the list of babysitters and nannies is as current and accurate as possible.

How much should I pay my babysitter or nanny?

You are free to negotiate rates with your nanny or babysitter, keeping the market-demand and industry rates in mind.

The babysitters and nannies on the site note their minimum hourly rates on their profiles. You can also state the rates you are offering on your Job Posting.

As a general guideline most babysitters charge $25-35/hr. This will vary based on the specific role, the day or hours and the babysitters age and experience.

Roles that are in high-demand and short-supply (e.g, after-school care) may have a higher hourly rate.

How do I pay my babysitter?

You pay your babysitter or nanny directly. We do not charge placement fees, booking fees, process payroll or take a commission, so you save money.

How do I leave feedback about sitters?

We have designed a ratings system to allow the Find A Babysitter community to share feedback with each other. Parents can post a rating and write a comment about babysitters they have used.

We welcome your feedback because this helps us and other parents to assess the carers at Find A Babysitter. Babysitters are able to read and reply to ratings. Parents are also able to remove a rating.

What can I do if a carer doesn't respond to my email or turn up to an interview?

We do our very best to set expectations to ensure babysitters are responsive and reliable. Many carers do follow through appropriately. Unfortunately, however, there are a very small percentage of carers who do not. The best feedback is to post a rating online to share feedback.

Are my personal details kept confidential?

Yes. Your messages are sent through the Find A Babysitter site, so your personal email or phone number is not shown. Once you make contact with the babysitters or nannies, you may choose to exchange details. When you use the Job Posting feature, your job is listed with your first name and suburb only.

When carers reply to me, where are the emails sent? Do I need to check my Find A Babysitter account or not?

Emails will always be sent to your personal inbox for your convenience. So you only need to check your personal email account. There will also be copies of messages stored on your dashboard in your account on Find A Babysitter, if the message has been sent through our system.

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For Babysitters and Nannies

What is Find A Babysitter?

It is an online introduction site for babysitters, nannies and parents. An easy way for you to meet parents and find jobs that suit you. You can search for jobs that are posted on our site. Parents can also send emails to you through the site. Parents interview, select and pay you directly, there is no agency.

Is it free to register?

Yes! It is free for babysitters and nannies to register.

Once I have registered, how do I get work?

There are two ways to get work.

1) Job Postings: You can search our job postings and apply to the parents.

2) Emails: Parents will email you to offer work.

What requirements are there for this type of work?

Most parents are looking for sitters who have experience, are trustworthy, loving, caring and responsible.

We strongly recommend that you get a police check, a Working With Children Check and make references and documentation available for the parents.

We also ask that you check your email and update your profile to ensure you get the right requests to match your availability.

How often should I log in to the site and update?

We recommend that you login every week or two to keep your availability updated. The more often you log in the more likely you are to get work, as the babysitters who have logged in most recently are listed first.

How do I set my hourly rate?

You set your own rates, based on your qualifications, age, skills and experience. Rates may also vary according to the duties required and the location of the job. During the day expect to earn between $25/hr (few responsibilities) to over $30/hr (or more for experienced nannies).

Conduct a trial search of carers on the site to see a range of the 'going rates' in your suburb.

How do I get paid?

The parents pay you directly, based on the hourly rate that you and the parents agree to. Payroll is not managed by us. This ensures you get to keep your full hourly rate, there's no middleman taking a cut.

What sort of work is available?

We have new parents joining every day with different needs. There is a very high demand for part-time nannies and after-school carers, so please consider this. There is steady demand for casual babysitters. We also have some parents looking for full-time nannies.

I am only free certain days or nights. How do I organise these hours?

It is easy. Just update your profile to show the days or hours you are available to work. When your days or times change, just log in and change your availability.

How can I change the details on my profile?

Just log onto the site using your email and password. This will open your account page where you can edit your availability.

My profile is 'hidden' - what does this mean?

Your profile can be hidden or visible.

If your profile is visible it means it is live on the site for parents to see and email you.

If your status is 'hidden' it means that your profile will not be seen by parents on the site, even though you are a member of Find A Babysitter. You may like to be 'hidden' when you are on holidays or if you don't want any more work. Simply click the hidden check box on your profile page.

When you are ready to find work again, you simply tick the 'visible' box again at the bottom of your profile page.

Are my personal details kept confidential?

Your personal details (surname, address, phone, email) are never shown on the site. All emails are sent through the site so your personal email address and mobile number is not given out. Once you reply to the parents, you may choose to give your details. Until then, all communication goes through the Find A Babysitter site.

How do I get a Police check?

You can apply for a Police Check by applying to the police force in your state. Or you can request a National Police Check through several organisations who do this on your behalf. For example Australia Post:

https://auspost.com.au/police-checks

How do I get a Working With Children Check?

Every state has its own Working With Children Check system. You can apply for a WWCC in your state here:

NSW

VIC

QLD Blue Card

WA

What is the difference between a babysitter and a nanny?

A nanny is an experienced person who provides childcare for a living, day and night. A nanny often has some professional qualification and training.

A babysitter mostly does after-school, evening or weekend work and may study or work in another profession.

What is house-keeping?

Housekeeping covers a range of light duties for running a household. This may include light cleaning, child-related cooking and running errands. Some parents ask for carers who are willing and able to do housekeeping - so we have added this as an option to your profile. You can say 'yes' or 'no' to this question. It is completely up to you - we do not set any rules, we allow you to decide what works best.

Is this site an agency?

No. We do not set any rules about your hours or expect you to pay us booking fees. We are just an introduction site - an easy way for you to meet families and find work. Please read our terms and conditions for more information.

Do I need to have a car?

Not necessarily. The beauty of babysitting is that you can select work in your local community - you decide how far you are willing and able to travel for work.

How many families can I work for?

As many as you like! Often babysitters or nannies have 3 or 4 families on their list. We don't set any rules - it is up to you to choose the families you wish to work for.

What if I think a job listing is suspicious?

If you have spotted a suspicious job that perhaps contains inappropriate content or something else that doesn't seem quite right, we encourage you to let us know. Please email with the details at hello@findababysitter.com.au

How do the 'parent ratings' work? How can I get positive ratings?

Parents may write a brief comment about your work and give you a rating. Great ratings are achieved by carers who are responsive, reliable and excellent babysitters! Ratings and stars will be shown on your profile to promote you!