Hiring a Sitter

Hiring a sitter is not as difficult or daunting a task as you might imagine. Now that you've found someone and have her contact information, you need to contact her and find out if she's available. If she's not, ask her if there's someone that she knows and recommends. She has probably worked with several other workers and knows of their experience and quality of work.

If the person you contacted is available, let her know what days and times you will need her and for how long. This will let her and you know if there is going to be a conflict with your schedule. If not, schedule a face-to-face meeting in your home.

The face-to-face meeting and interview is very important. It gives both of you a perspective with which each of you will be working. You get to meet each other and see if you can work with each other. There are some that will not work in certain elder care jobs because of the demanding nature of the people they'll be working for. In some instances, the environment in which they'll be working may be such that they'll not be comfortable. There are some employers who do not like the worker because of their personality; they are smokers, or some other reason that became evident during the interview.

Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Sitter

When hiring a sitter, you will want to be prepared for the interview ahead of time with a list of questions to ask the her. This is not an interrogation. It is a job interview and you are the employer.

During the interview, you will want to ask the following questions:

1. Do you have a resume or home health care work history with names and phone numbers?

2. Do you have home health care references with phone numbers?

3. Do you have a time limit on your availability?

4. Have you ever been fired by a home health care employer? Why?

5. Why do you work in elder care?

6. Did you ever quit working for someone and Why?

7. What do you require in wages?

You may have other questions that you want to ask. Try to get a feel for the applicant's personality and character. It is so much better when you have someone working for you whose company you enjoy.

What To Pay The Sitter

The wages required will vary depending on several factors:

1. The work involved.
During the interview, she will learn what it is you want her to do. She may require higher wages if the care she will be required to perform is very intense. She may determine what her wages will be on the fly and give you a figure based on what she feels her work is worth.

2. The experience of the worker.
Some workers with many years experience and excellent references may value their worth more and expect a higher wage. You will probably get your money's worth in time saved because of her expediency and you will probably be very satisfied with the results of her work.

3. Geographical location.
Some parts of the country will demand higher wages. California for example is a higher paying market than say, the Deep South. Metropolitan areas will demand higher wages than rural areas. If you live in a remote area requiring the worker to drive long distances to get to you, she may want to charge you mileage or higher wages.

This is usually all negotiable. Be prepared to negotiate but please don't think of negotiation as permission to try to take unfair advantage of the worker. She deserves a decent wage. You deserve good service. Try to make it a win-win proposition.

If you want to explore other caregiver option, leave the Hiring a Sitter page and return to the Home page.