this must be another LA thing.

i've been submitting myself for babysitting jobs, and keep getting asked if i'm licensed and insured. for babysitting? i understand the need for daycare facilities, but babysitting?

thats like asking the 15 yr old who watches your kids while you and your hubby go out to dinner and a movie is licensed and insured.

huh?

anyone know how to go about getting licensed and insured for BABYSITTING?

quote:

Originally posted by jactressk:
this must be another LA thing.

i've been submitting myself for babysitting jobs, and keep getting asked if i'm licensed and insured. for babysitting? i understand the need for daycare facilities, but babysitting?

thats like asking the 15 yr old who watches your kids while you and your hubby go out to dinner and a movie is licensed and insured.

huh?

anyone know how to go about getting licensed and insured for BABYSITTING?

Wow, that sounds quite odd! Hopefully, someone here will know more about it - I don't, unfortunately!

But, if you go on interviews, and the families bring that up, why don't you say "I'm new to LA, but I'd be glad to look into that. In the meantime, would you like to call my references?" Maybe if you give them a list of references, and they also like you at the interview, they'll dispense with some of the other formalities.

I can't imagine HOW a babysitter gets insured - unless they work through an agency, but that's different - the agency would pay for their employees to be "insured." If you're a private individual seeking babysitting work - ?????

i know, thats what i've been telling people. agencies are licensed and insured because they're an agency, a registered business.

but asking your every day babysitter if she is? can you imagine the 14 yr old down the street getting licensed and insured? hehe

Hehe! Yeah, that would be pretty weird

Other than that, how is LA working out for you so far? Do you like it - and how is your new apartment/sublet? hope all is going well

Here are a few sites where you can sign up for free (they recommend that you pay $9.99 for a background check but you don't have to) if you are thinking of babysitting/ care provider type jobs. You just need good references and some kind of experience babysitting or tutoring.

When I was like 8 years old I took a babysitting course that was a block away from my grade school and at the end we were certified. It was like a babysitter's club thing. Lol. I guess you can take a course but it probably won't get you anywhere. Check out the websites below.

www.sittercity.com
www.babysitters4hire.com
www.collegenannies.com (for anyone in college)

i'm a babysitter in LA. there's nothing about a license or insurance. and i've never signed up for any of those babysitting sites. save your money. you just have to be good, and you will get work by word of mouth. craigslist is enough. at least, that's what happened to me. i posted an ad on craigslist offering my services, and i got a few clients that way. but then, the referrals got me many more clients. lots of folks have kids, and a lot of them are in the entertainment industry and work late hours! they will tell their friends who will tell their friends and so on. so it's the perfect schedule for an actor.

YOu can find good babysitters by logging on to www.care.com

quote:

Originally posted by jactressk:
this must be another LA thing.

i've been submitting myself for babysitting jobs, and keep getting asked if i'm licensed and insured. for babysitting? i understand the need for daycare facilities, but babysitting?

thats like asking the 15 yr old who watches your kids while you and your hubby go out to dinner and a movie is licensed and insured.

huh?

anyone know how to go about getting licensed and insured for BABYSITTING?

licensed and insured for BABYSITTING? Whare do you fint this? Please send a link...Thanks...

My question would be
:who is issuing the licenses?
:who is issuing the insurance policy, and what does it cover?

the kids of these houses will be in therapy for many years to come

I have kids and I imagine they must be thinking of sitters through agencies, which must be insured and licensed. Word of mouth is big in babysitting, so I think the advice about craigslist and such is good. If you do write an add for craigslist, make sure it is very specific in your experience, part of town you'll work in, salary expectations (or a range at least), etc. Some of those ads are great! Others not so much! Good luck!

OH and by the way being CPR CERTIFIED is also important, perhaps did they mean that and said "licensed" instead? You can get certified through the red cross, etc. in an afternoon, it costs like $30 or so.

oh, gotham... thanks for spamming our boards.

actually, back to all... i advertise myself as an event babysitter. so i work weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, etc. usually, i'll babysit a few kids back at the hotel room, but i also offer to be on site, if preferred.

so my main contacts are event planners. and they are used to their vendors being licensed and insured, which is probably why they asked me if i was. but i wouldn't have a clue who to do that through. they typically hire sitters from companies who farm out sitters, but these places have so many rules and have high hourly rates (i know of companies in NYC who charge a $25 service fee just for using them, then charge $18-30 an hour, with a 4 hr minimum...etc)

i just want to be affordable and easy.

i was told of a company in which i could keep my information on file, background check and fingerprints, but it's a $150 membership. i can see doing this if you are a teacher, for daycare worker, or are a full time nanny, but not a part time babysitter.

quote:

Originally posted by americangirl:
actually, back to all... i advertise myself as an event babysitter. so i work weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, etc. usually, i'll babysit a few kids back at the hotel room, but i also offer to be on site, if preferred.

so my main contacts are event planners. and they are used to their vendors being licensed and insured, which is probably why they asked me if i was. but i wouldn't have a clue who to do that through.

Hi AmericanGirl,

I just sent you a pm as I'd love to get your rates & contact info since I coordinate weddings. As for getting licensed & insured, some vendors who offer this service register a business with the city {e.g. "Sylvia's Event Sitters"} which allows them to open a business account so that the business can be paid, rather than them individually. This makes your clients feel like you're not just some random lady watching their kids, but rather a professional company who the city has actually checked out {even though that's not always exactly the case}. Once you're registered you can then get business insurance from almost any insurance provider.