Frequently asked questions for parents. What is Babysitters4u? Babysitters4u is simply the easiest way for parents to find babysitters or nannies and for babysitters or nannies to find work. We introduce you to your potential babysitters and let you decide who you want. If you wish you can also place an offer of work on the web site which can be viewed by all our registered carers. What are the membership options and how much will it cost me? Membership is easy, it's free! All you have to do is join and you can use the site for as long and as often as you like. If you don't log in for 90 days your membership will be deleted in order to keep the database current. So all you need to do is log in at least once every 90 days. If you don't and your membership is deleted and you wish to use babysitters4u again, simply rejoin for free! Will I get value for money? Of course, it's free! You will have access to New Zealand's No 1 online Babysitter Directory 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Just by joining you can access the directory as many times as you like as well as placing as many work offers as many times as you like. There are no placement fees, agency fees, booking fees or advertising costs, EVER! Why do I need it? As working parents of 3 children ourselves we are all to familiar with the difficulties of finding child care to cover the wide range of hours we work and those rare special occasions when we head out for time on our own! Scanning notice boards and classified ads produces little result and word of mouth often fails, as a good babysitter is like gold that no one wants to risk losing. You can search for babysitters on our web site from the comfort of your own home, or if you wish you can place a job offer which babysitters registered on the site can read and contact you. How does it work? First you need to register. Then all you need to do is make sure you are logged in and search for childcarers in your area. The search results will show a list of childcarers in your area with a brief description of them . If you want to see more click on the thumbnail and their full profile will appear with full details on each babysitter such as age, experience, whether or not they have a first aid certificate, drivers license, own car, what pay they expect and references.When you find what you need simply contact them via our website.You also have the option of placing a work offer on the site at any time which childcarers  can read and apply for. Our help section will be accessible, offering tips on interviewing and selecting a babysitter, how much is reasonable to pay, what instructions to give your babysitter and links to other useful parenting sites. I couldn't find any babysitters in my area, what should I do? You can place a work offer detailing your requirements, which will stay for 30 days. We have new babysitters registering every week who will be searching for jobs and will see your offer. You can search on a regular basis to check for new babysitters. There is no limit to the number of searches you can perform or work offers you can place. Can I look for a Nanny as well as a Babysitter? Yes. A nanny is usually a professional child carer who tends to work regular hours and often has professional qualifications and training. A babysitter also provides childcare, but usually is a student or works in another profession. There is really no clear cut definition. The babysitters profile will indicate the type of work they are looking for, from evening babysitting through to live in positions. You can look for a babysitter or nanny (or both) in your search! What is in a babysitters' profile? First the babysitter will tell you about themselves in their own words, and then details of their qualifications, experience, skills, hourly rates, drivers' license, first aid qualifications, police checks and references are shown. It's all at your fingertips, giving you far more in depth information and the ability to readily compare one babysitter with another. Can I find someone in my area? The list of carers are sorted by region and then area, so the first group of carers shown on the list are in your area, then the rest of the carers in your region are shown. Different carers are prepared to travel different distances depending on a variety of factors including the nature of the work, the pay and whether or not there is suitable transport available. Don't limit your search initially, the perfect carer may be just outside your immediate area. How are the profiles sorted within each area? Within each area the carers are sorted according to the most recently updated. So the first carers on the list are the most up to date and available within your suburb. What hours of work are the babysitters available for? All babysitters display their availability clearly on their profile. Carers are prompted to update their profile regularly, but often schedules change quickly. By sending out a number of requests you will find carers for the required days and hours. Do you screen your carers? As an introduction service we don't screen carers. We do give you everything you need to help make the right choice. The carers detailed profiles show which carers have police checks and references available. We recommend that you interview any carer before offering them work. We also provide you with tips on interviewing babysitters to help you choose the right carer. What about references and recommendations? When you talk to your potential carer ask them to bring their references and/or referees phone numbers. You can talk to other parents to ask all the questions you like and confirm your choice. How much should I pay the babysitter? Babysitters display their individual rates on the site, including $Neg indicating they are happy to discuss pay rate with you. You pay the sitter directly. Expect to pay between $8/hr (few responsibilities) to $15-20/hr (for experienced nannies during the day). Rates vary according to sitters' experience, the duties required and your location. The hourly rates are kept reasonable because you are not paying overheads to an agency. You are also free to negotiate the rates with the individuals, particularly for day time vs. night time care. What quality control measures do you have in place? All of the babysitter profiles are checked by our staff before being accepted and entered into the database. Any discrepancies or concerns are followed up by Babysitters4u Ltd staff. Parents can send feedback to Babysitters4u Ltd on any issue including carers they have used. Any negative Parent Feedback is checked and acted upon immediately. We can in our discretion remove a babysitter from our database at Feedback is sought from a random sample of site members every 3 months, to ensure that quality standards are maintained. Babysitters who are inactive for 10 weeks are removed from the site, so we ensure the list of Babysitters4u Ltd carers is as current as possible. What don't all carers respond to my emails? Ideally every carer will reply to your emails, however for a variety of reasons this doesn't always happen. We do ask all our carers to reply to every email they receive from Babysitters4u. I can't remember my password, what do I do? If you have forgotten your password, just click the "forgot your password" link located under the log in box. Babysitters4u will email your password to you immediately. When can I start? As soon as you are registered and have your password you can log on and search for babysitters or post a work offer.