Beware of accepting a job you really don't want.  Every time you babysit, you need to be mentally and physically ready to take the responsibility for the lives of children.  Babysitting too much can rob you of your own social life, your free time, and your "down-time" when you just relax. 

You need to take care of yourself in order to take care of children.  You will be doing everyone a favor by saying "no" to babysitting overload.  Parents may pressure you, but a firm refusal, along with a comment about liking the children and asking them to call you again, is the safest and wisest course of action.

Your relatives (younger brothers and sisters and cousins) will probably be the first children you babysit for. If family is not a source of babysitting jobs, these tips may be helpful:

• Ask your parents to suggest your name to their friends or people they work with.
• Tell your teachers and other adults who work at your school that you babysit.
• Volunteer to babysit in the nursery at your church. When parents pick up their children, they have the opportunity to see how you interact with their child. Showing how much you like children is the best way to get a parent's attention and a babysitting job.
• Ask your friends or an older brother or sister to give your name as a substitute when they are not available.  (Remember, you still need to check references.)
• Design a flier about yourself and pass it out to people you know.  Include:
  • Your name
  • Telephone number
  • Hours you are available to babysit
  • Your hourly rate
  • Some of the things you learned in your Safe Sitter® class
  • You may want to offer 1 hour of free babysitting.

Deliver your fliers in person. That way, the adult has a chance to talk with you and ask questions. If their children are there, be sure to smile and speak to them. DO NOT put your flier in a public place or on the Internet.

What to charge is an important decision so you can be fair to yourself and to the family wanting to hire you.  Here are 3 steps to set your babysitting rates:

Step 1 - Find out what other babysitters are charging and what parents are used to paying.  Find out the normal rate and what they pay for extras, such as more than 2 children and special dates, like New Year's Eve.  Ask yourself, "Am I able?" and "Will I be safe?"  A higher rate doesn't change your ability or make an unsafe situation safe.

Step 2 - Determine a rate based on whether you have completed a babysitting class, like Safe Sitter®, your experience babysitting, and your age.  If you are new to babysitting, you need to charge at the lower end of average in your area.

Step 3 - Go over your rate with your parent.