Babysitter most expensive part of night out
Published On 4 December 2006
New research suggests that paying the babysitter is now the most costly part of a night out and is one cost you cannot slap on a credit card. A study by MINT financial services has found that the average hourly pay for a babysitter is £4.74; making a four-hour stretch looking after little Jimmy come to £18.96.
This figure is more than a couple usually spends on heading down the pub, at £16.75, a trip to the cinema (£15.00), or going to a dinner party (£17.46).
The research also reveals that a third of parents believe that numbers of available babysitters is down on ten years ago, which may explain why babysitter wages are far higher than the average under 18 pay packet of £3.60 an hour.
MINT's managing director, Jerry Toher, remarked: "The extent of the babysitter shortage means that some parents are devising clever solutions to recruit sitters such as sharing a sitter, or teaming up with other parents to form a 'babysitter bank'.
"Parents want to ensure their children are in reliable hands at all costs but this does not have to mean the much deserved nights out by themselves have to be forfeited," he added.
Many parents believe that increased schoolwork requirements have prevented many would-be babysitters from helping out.
