Where to find A Child Care Job
You can find child care jobs by looking at Nanny job websites and general recruitment websites. There are also some national babysitting agencies who will accept applications from experienced childcarers - such as Sitters and Safehands Babysitters.
To work in child care, parents and babysitting agencies will expect you to have formal childcare training, First Aid training, a criminal records check (CRB Check in the UK), plus lots of references from families for whom you have babysat.
Over the past few months some new websites have appeared which allow babysitters to advertise to parents.
More estbalished childcare recruitment websites I have found useful for childcare jobs are:
Gumtree
NannyJob
Find A sitter
Gumtree has separate job listings for different parts of the country. There is a section for parents and agencies to list Nanny/Babysitter jobs. Babysitters can list themselves in the Jobs Wanted section.
FindASitter lists babysitters so parents can find you. You need to register on the FindASitter website, which is free. Find A Sitter charges parents to access your contact details. Their website is especially designed to enable parents of children with special needs to find babysitters with experience of caring for disabled children.
Local Babysitting Job Adverts
Local advertising I have also found to work well, such as putting a postcard sized advert in the local newsagents, small supermarket, and even fish and chip shop. As a babysitter you can advertise your services, and you will also find babysitter needed adverts placed by local families. If you are looking to babysit in your local area, then looking at local job vacancies is a natural place to start your job hunt.
New Years Eve Babysitting Jobs
Many babysitters are looking to work on New Years Eve. Over recent years I have found that demand for 31st December has not been that great. This may be due to what we are now calling the credit crunch though it may have more to do with the high cost of going out on New Years Eve. Clubs and pubs seem to me to increase their charges for food and drinks, plus they may charge to enter their venue. Taxis also cost more. There are many factors which could be preventing parents from going out on New Years Eve and added together they make the cost very high. Babysitters also tend to want double pay for that evening. As a babysitter, are you charging your usual fee, or do you want more money to work on New Years eve? Think about it... if you are charging more money, then that makes the cost of going out for the parents that much higher, thus many parents are choosing not to go out, but to entertain family and friends at home instead.