When Sitter/Nanny Lives Too Far
On Sittercity, you’ve no doubt seen that we list other members’ distance from you when you’re logged in and looking at their profiles. Several parents we know prefer sitters who are closer to them, which is completely understandable. What we want to know is if you also share this preference and if a sitter’s distance has ever stopped you from contacting her.
Sitters in smaller, rural area often look outside of their immediate surroundings for job opportunities. But is it harder for them to land those jobs because of the distance?
Maybe.
Parents’ concerns about a sitter who lives farther away shouldn’t be downplayed. These parents worry that a sitter might not have a vehicle that’s reliable enough to withstand the daily wear-and-tear. They worry that the sitter might get stuck in traffic and therefore make Mom & Dad late for important meetings. They might want the option of calling the sitter to cover for them in a last-minute jam. They worry about paying the extra transportation costs to reimburse the sitter for her travel.
It can certainly be a little tougher — at first — to have a sitter who lives farther away. But, as we’ve always said around here, if you do find that PERFECT match who just happens to live 25 miles out, it’s worth considering.
Sitters, if you find yourself in a situation where you think you’d be absolutely perfect for a job, but you’re worried your distance might cause parents to dismiss your resume, you should address their potential concerns right off the bat in your email.
Some things you can mention:
- You have a safe, reliable vehicle
- You take your vehicle in for tune ups every X-amount of months
- You always, always arrive to a job on time, if not 10 minutes early
- You have references who can verify this information
- You’re open to a trial period in which you are not reimbursed for gas
- You’re a perfect fit for the family based on X, Y and Z
Remember, don’t force a match if the family is simply not interested. There are plenty of wonderful families using Sittercity and you want to find the one that is welcoming and open to you as their caregiver!
September 27th, 2008 at 1:19 am
I am usually a date-night or night-out babysitter for 20-30 families in my area and I have decided my best mode of transportation is by bus!
Taking the bus helps the environment and I save money on gas. I usually allow an extra 15-30 minutes before a job depending on the distance and if it’s during rush hour. Sometimes a family does live too far away and sometimes a job goes later than when the buses run. On the occasion that this does happen I offer families a transportation discount of $3 off the final price to give me a ride home. This is cheaper than calling a taxi, paying for the car loan, insurance, and in my area the bus has it’s own lane making it faster than regular traffic during rush hour!
For those parents worried about safety, I also keep enough cash in my First Aid kit to pay for a taxi in case of an emergency to get to the hospital.
I highly recommend you try taking to your sitter about alternative transportation in your area. Perhaps you might find that if she/he does live too far away or does not have a reliable car that alternative transportation could be a solution!
September 28th, 2008 at 2:45 am
If I see that a potential job is farther than 15 miles I won’t even take the time to look at the position. With the economy and price of gas now it’s not worth it to waste my time and another persons time. I’m sure that I’ve missed out on some great families but distance is definitely a huge concern, car or no car.
September 29th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Whether I’m looking for teaching position, retail position, or nanny position, my potential employer should only be concerned with my personality and qualifications. If you feel I’d be a great fit for your family, and my references were as good as I claimed…
Put it this way, I Nanny applies for a position she thinks will work for her.
September 29th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I have been a Professional Nanny for over 10 years. Most of that time has been spent with only one family. I have been searching for that #3 perfect fit since Spring. I interviewed with a really great family at beginning of September. They were 40 mins away from home. I really thought this was the one for me. They ended up hiring someone who was closer to them. I think that is an issue that needs to be discussed with my glowing references. Having spent 10 years with only 2 families they would of been able to answer that concern directly. In the end I felt it was kind of a bogus answer. Sorry.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
If I were live in, that would be one thing, but as I drive to all my jobs I never even look at anything farther than 14-15 miles away and the position has to sound pretty good for me to look at it beyond 10 miles away. I’m not just in this for the money, but I know that a long commute and the price of gas could leave me frazzled, and as I am not really going to try to negotiate mileage, I need to work close.
September 30th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Being a mature nanny for over fifteen years I never really looked at the mileage, but with gas prices going through the roof, I am like most nannies, I try and keep my mileage down to know more than 15 miles, unless the family is willing to compensate me for gasoline. Ideally, ten miles and under would be great but then you are limiting yourself to losing possible great opportunities, it makes it very difficult to find the perfect match. I have worked for a family for 5+ years and I need to find a full time position, but their doesn’t seem to be any available.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I agree with Lynn123
I never really look at the mileage either but if I do have to travel 30-35 miles I expect to be paid more or be compensated for my gas, because if you like the family and the family likes you and it all meshes well than it should be worth it for me to travel and for the family to pay what is expected. and yes you are limited to finding a family and a good match, it seems half of the familys i have been intrested in and seem like a perfect match for me are 45-50 miles away and that just can’t work for me or the family.It’s hard to find a family that has the right hours, pay rate, and that is not to far from me but if they pay me good I will travel if they do not have a problem with it.Im looking for full-time also Good Luck to all the nannies!!
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I find it a problem because I typically prefer to leave my child at my sitter’s house, rather than the sitter coming to my house. I don’t have a job that pays very much, and it’s literally 5 minutes from my house. If I could find a sitter that lives as close to me as possible, that’s the best thing imaginable. With my last sitter, I had to travel about 15 miles in the opposite direction from my work and my husband’s work, so it ended up being a waste of gas. Then she ended up flaking out on me with no notice.
October 2nd, 2008 at 9:51 pm
I do drive great distances to my regular families through the agency I am with and I always have. We get a four hour minimum regardless, which is helpful. Although due to the state of things, many of us sitters have begun to turn down four hour assignments and do not feel it is worth our while to drive 30-40 miles one way. I have a couple of my regulars that pay me so well above and beyond the stated rate that I try and work them in regardless. I however, live 50 miles north of Atlanta and have found over the years that just through my agency alone, most of their clients are in the Atlanta and surrounding areas, so if I wanted to continue providing nanny services, I would have to make the drive and glad that I did and am pleased at the clientele I have picked up. The problem I am having now is that after discovering both SitterCity and Care.com, the jobs that pop up close to where I am are only offering the most absurd rates. I am not sure if there are a lot of single moms working lower paying jobs out this way therefore they are offering anywhere from 5-7 per hour for a 40-50 hour week or a set salary of 100-110 per week for 12 hour days and hold on for this one, that is caring for a newborn/newborns which basically comes out to less than a dollar an hour. So yes, I will drive and continue to drive for the best position that comes my way until my little city and surrounding area begin offering a rate that an actual human could survive on. I am also extremely confused by the positions popping up asking for help from 3:30 to 4:15 every afternoon (these are all examples) or from 3-5 p.m. afterschool care. Unless you reside in the same subdivision as these folks, who in the world can afford to drive even 10 miles there and back home and feel as though they have made anything. Very mindboggling.
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I usually do not ask to be reimbursed for gas if I’m babysitting for 4 hours or more. If it’s under that, and the family lives 20+ miles away, I ask to be reimbursed. Unfortunately, the times that I’ve done that, the families have used me once and then found someone else. I think it’s the rudest thing ever. If you’re going to do that, tell the potential sitter so that she’s not left out on a limb! I have cleared my schedule more than once for things like this, and then get dumped.
I think that it’s very fair to reimburse your sitter for gas if she lives more than 15 or 20 miles away.
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:50 pm
I feel that if a job is more then 10 miles away from my job, then I won’t apply to it. I’m sure that I have not been able to have the chance to work with some great families. I feel that with the price of gas nowadays and the economy being so bad that it’s not worth it. I feel that a lot of people and families are paying a lower rate of pay and if you live more then 15-20 miles away from the house and don’t get reimbursed for gas, then it’s not worth it. I prefer to have a family that is within 10 miles from my house, which I know cannot be very easy sometimes. I have traveled 15 miles to one of my jobs in the past, and I received a great rate of pay and also got reimbursed for my gas expenses. I think that is reasonable and fair to reimburse sitters that are traveling more then 15 miles one way to your house, because for a round trip that is 30 miles or more and for most cars that is a full tank of gas for most trips and it gets expensive. I think that if sitters are treated well, paid well, and reimbursed for gas expenses if they live more then 15 miles away from the parents house, then they will want to stay with the family and work with them for a long time to come.
October 4th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
I perfectly agree with Susanlamb and all the issues she raised. Some the times are really absurd. i will never drive even more than 5miles to work only 45mins- less than the hourly rate. Plus, i realized that families on sittercity don’t really offer full time positions. Also i agree with lotsakids with her feelings of being dumped after everything. My present family whom i found right here on sittercity just did a similar thing to me. She hired me to work 35 hrs. Everything is going very well for both us except just last week she suddenly informed me that she has decided to hire a live-in so she’ll give me 3weeks to look for another position. At the end of just one week, she told me that i should stop coming cos she’s found a live-in nanny. I felt very hurt and disappointed but i leave her to… no need for that. So i really feel that hurt too. When you’re very nice with families they tend to take advantage of you. So nannies be careful!!!
October 5th, 2008 at 9:09 am
I think that if a family really loves having you they should help compensate for transportation. I take the T and almost all of the families I work for put an extra 4 dollars in for my transportation, or pay me a little extra per hour, and on really late nights some have even paid for a cab for me to get home because they were worried I might miss the T. In the case of driving, the same is usually done. Most families will pay me an extra 1/2 hour or hour depending on how far I drove. As a general rule I wont drive more than 10 miles to a job, unless its a family I worked for in the past when I lived a little bit further away. I know we love the kids and families, but the point is in fact to make money and if it costs me an hours worth of pay to get to you and home again, thats a problem for me. I love the families I work for, and we have a great relationship because we are open and honest with eachother, and care about eachothers well being.
October 5th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Debra ..Iam 51 yr old grandmother who is out of work..i have care for a 4yr old who had a stoke and now has had a full recovery and in school for 4years,also i have taken care of a 12 yr old girl for 4 yrs, iam a chiristian woman who loves faimly stucture and family love , iam from southeast ,texas , i live in dearborn heights now . i have the expeience you are looking for , to take care and love you precious lillte one .iam avavible for whatever shif , and even last min events, so please read my profile and give me a call ,looking forward to hear from you .thank you Debra Arline
October 5th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
I do not drive any distance. I care for children in my home. If the parent does not want to leave the child in my home then that is one less client for me. I try to contact those that are 10 miles away from my home. Sometimes their drive to work is passing through my area.
October 6th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
I realize gas prices are hard on everyone, and that parents generally would PREFER to not pay extra when they don’t need to.
Yet I believe it comes down to quality over convenience. Are you willing to sacrifice 15 extra dollars to secure the babysitter you feel GREAT about hiring for your children? Or do you prefer to save a bit of money and chance it on the sketchy neighborhood, undereducated teenager who will not complain on pay? Ultimately, it is up to the parent. If the parent cannot afford to pay entirely for gas recompensation, then partial compensation per mile is appreciated as well. Generally, it tells the sitter he/she is appreciated and valued and understands the sacrifice in time and money the sitter is giving to be able to care for his/her child/ren. Make your choices wisely, employers, knowing you should care who is caring for your child. Sitters, think out each job you take on and get a good gauge on how you feel with the parents too. Do you trust them? Do they seem trustworthy and appreciative…good people. Sitters, you need to be wise as well on who you take a job from. Never make your choice only based on money. Your very livelihood is being given, and you deserve human rights and certain rights toward your happiness in these jobs as well. Be strong! I wish you all the best and happy child-caring.
BilingualRedHead