Alternative income stream: sitting
Sorry to burst some bubbles out there, but sitting on your posterior is not an alternative income stream or the subject of this post (although if you’ve found a way to make money doing nothing, email me!).
By sitting, of course I mean jobs in babysitting, pet sitting and house sitting, which are a few of the ways I’m looking at making additional income for my trip to Africa in 2010.
I’ll admit, at first I had a mental block about babysitting because I did this as a teenager and I always felt giving up a Friday or Saturday night with my friends wasn’t worth the $6 an hour that was the going rate back then.
These days, though, the pay is much closer to $10 per hour for one child, and since my Saturday nights generally consist of sitting at home watching movies or writing blog entries anyway -I told you I was more Charlotte than Carrie in my FAQ, so don’t act all surprised – I figure I might as well get paid for it. After the kid goes to sleep, of course!
I also really love spending time with children now whereas back in my teens, I would take good care of them but they were always simply a means to make money for my next trip to the mall.
Prep Work
Before you go out there haphazard and try to hug on lots of kids (people get arrested for that these days), get prepared by doing the following:
1. Figure your worth – Do a little research online or ask friends with kids what the going rate is for babysitting these days. If the last time you babysat you wore a side ponytail and scrunch socks, chances are prices have gone up. Also, realize parents put a premium on certifications such as CPR or first aid so if you want o increase your worth, consider looking into such classes at the local community center.
2. Ink an introduction – At first and until you build up return customers, most of your contact will be through email and the Internet. Write a generic paragraph or two that explains your qualifications and interest in babysitting so that all you have to do is personalize the first sentence before cutting and pasting the rest into an email.
3. Round-up references – We’re talking about people’s kids (and pets and houses) here, so most parents will ask for references before they readily hand over Junior or Spot. Ideally, these are other babysitting or pet-sitting contacts, but as an alternative you can list people who can vouch for your character and your love for kids/dogs (um, and houses too I guess).
Be sure to ask references for permission first and to alert them that they might be contacted. “I’m sorry, who are you calling about?” is not the answer someone want to hear when they call for a reference.
Finding Jobs
Once you’ve put together the above information, you’re ready to go out and look for jobs. Some of the best resources I’ve found so far:
Sittercity makes it easy for parents to post jobs and babysitters to apply with a quick email. The site allows you to apply for a background check ($9.99), which significantly ups your response potential and will likely be more than paid for after your first job.
In my first month, I made about $150 babysitting twice for a family that found me through this website…of course now I’m going through a dry spell but I’m hopeful things will pick up with Valentine’s Day around the corner.
Of note, Sittercity also has sites where you can search for house-sitting and pet-sitting jobs although these seem to be posted less frequently.
Craigslist is another great resource for listings of babysitting, house-sitting and pet-sitting gigs. If you’re feeling especially proactive, you can post a listing yourself, touting your qualifications and mentioning that you’re available for these types of jobs.
Something else I did that resulted in some success was to send out an email to neighbors in the area via our home owners association’s Yahoo email group. One of the benefits is you already have a head up over other sitters in the city since you’re living in the neighborhood and presumed to be normal.
Also, many HOA’s have a newsletter that sometimes has free or low-cost advertising space for members to advertise their services.
Lastly, consider some good old-fashioned advertising. You don’t have to be a graphic designer to effectively advertise. A simple sheet of paper in a bright color (although still light enough to read) with your qualifications and other pertinent information at the top and tear off pieces with your name and phone number on the bottom should suffice.
After you’ve designed your piece, print up 10-15 copies and hang them at local coffee shops, ice cream stores, pizza parlors, doctor’s offices and any other places with a community bulletin board and a large clientele of families.
With Sittercity, Craiglist, advertising and any avenue that’s not from a trusted source, always remember to be cautious. Tell someone the address where you’re going and if possible, Google their name and try to talk to the contact by phone beforehand to see if you get a creepy feeling. Extra money is great, but getting killed for it kinda cancels out the benefits if you know what I mean…
Follow-up
Once you’ve secured a few repeat jobs, consider asking your “clients” if they’ll act as a reference in the future. The best references are other people familiar with your services who live in the area, so having these at your fingertips will be a valuable resource for securing future work.