Can 13-year-olds babysit? Certainly! It’s never too early to learn the value of work and earning money. There are many available babysitting jobs for 13-year-olds out there that you should know.
If you (or your child) have just entered the teen years, you might be eager to find a job and earn a little money. Becoming a professional babysitter can be an exciting opportunity for youngsters who are looking for job opportunities appropriate for their age.
You will find this article helpful if you seek guidance on becoming a childcare provider. Read on as we offer helpful information on how you can become a babysitter and where you can find childcare jobs as a 13-year-old.
10 Best Babysitting Apps and Links
There are various babysitting platforms and apps where you can find good childcare jobs.
However, some have a minimum age requirement, and as a 13-year-old, you may still need to qualify to get a job through those sites or apps. For instance, Care.com, an Austin, Texas-based firm, has closed all accounts of registered individuals under 18.
Do not despair, as multiple sites offer lucrative opportunities even to 13-year-olds. Continue reading to learn about 8 apps and links you can use if you are considering becoming a babysitter.
1. Juggle
The first service on our list is Juggle, a US-based firm with a diverse service portfolio, including child care, pet sitting, party arrangement assistance, housekeeping services, etc.
Whether you are a teenager, a college student, or a graduate, you can apply for babysitting jobs at Juggle to earn anywhere between $11 and $15 hourly. 20% of the earnings go to Juggle as a commission.
You can register via your email or Facebook ID. The company also offers frequent virtual training and referral bonuses to members.
2. Bambino Sitters
Bambino Sitters is an excellent babysitting app for 13-year-old individuals. It functions through a virtual community of parents and babysitters. The app connects potential clients to service providers in their area and gives the parents a chance to assess the babysitter applying for the job.
If you want to join Bambino Sitters as a babysitter, you must present a recommendation from parents, relatives, or acquaintances to whom you’ve previously provided babysitting services. A background check is not mandatory. Once you register at the site, you will be allotted one of the following 4 categories:
- Junior sitters (ages 13-15)
- Standard sitters (ages 15-18)
- Advanced sitters (age 18+)
- Exclusive sitters (older individuals with background verification)
Once registered, you can apply for babysitting opportunities with details such as the number of children required, date, time, location, etc.
Just as the parents can evaluate you, you also have the opportunity to review the potential clients.
3. Babysits.org
Babysits.org is a free global childcare/babysitting community where people from various countries in Europe, Asia, and the Americas can sign up to find babysitters in their respective areas. You must be at least 13 years old to be a registered babysitter with Babysits.
Applicants can negotiate work rates with parents looking for a babysitter, and parents can provide reviews after using the services. The platform uses a system that awards badges to babysitters based on their service quality and trustworthiness. The system also enables you to improve your visibility on the platform.
4. Helpr
Helpr is a US-based backup care platform with an easy-to-use app where users can find and hire care providers for backup, primary, and adult care. The company offers services in many major cities across the US and assists private clients, and facilitates employers in seeking backup care. So, if you are looking for babysitting jobs, the site offers an easy way to register and apply.
While a minimum age limit is not specified to join as a babysitter at Helpr, you must have at least 2 years of professional babysitting/childcare experience.
Here are a few more requirements to join Helpr:
- A CPR certification
- Criminal and background verification
- At least 3 references from where you have provided childcare services.
If you fulfill the criteria and provide all the required documents, you can be hired without going through a lengthy interview process.
5. Sitter.com
Sitter.com is a huge service-based platform offering services. It is based mainly in the US and Canada and caters to more than 3 million individuals. Aside from finding a babysitter job, you can also apply for housekeeping, pet care, or nanny services.
The site offers client reviews that guide parents when choosing a sitter for their kids. Similarly, as a service provider, you can negotiate your rate with the parents.
6. SitterCity
SitterCity is a popular US-based sitter jobs platform. It features numerous babysitting gigs and similar jobs, such as pet sitters, special needs, senior care, house sitting, etc.
Since the site mainly works as a job board, if you want to apply for a particular job, you may have to search for the job on your own after scrolling through the job listings. You can also negotiate and settle a rate with potential clients.
7. Seeking Sitters
At Seeking Sitters, applicants undergo a strict application process, ensuring their qualifications to babysit young children. Uniforms are also required to be worn during babysitting hours. You cannot use cell phones during working hours.
With a mission of building “a trusted community of childcare experts,” the platform’s specific objective is to assist busy parents with on-demand and convenient childcare.
8. Babysittersnow
A babysitting site with a difference. There are no membership fees and no commissions on payments, and Babysitternow offers award-winning customer support.
9. Urban Sitter
Another reputable nanny app, Urban Sitter operates in the US. The company lets you set your rate per hour with 100% of your earnings.
10. Sittr
Sittr is Australia’s #1 babysitter and nanny app, where pre-screened, trusted babysitters and nannies are available on demand. Parents pay upon booking, and the babysitter’s earnings are deposited into her bank account at the end of each job.
Other Babysitting Platforms That May Hire 13-Year-Olds
Here are some other job boards for babysitting job posts for 13 year olds:
- Jooble. This employment platform often has babysitting jobs for teenagers.
- Indeed. Check Indeed’s listing for available jobs for babysitters.
- Snagajob. Teenagers can get babysitting jobs through this app.
- Facebook. You can use this popular app as a search engine to find babysitting jobs near you.
- Craigslist. This online marketplace can also be a source of babysitting opportunities.
Can You Be a Babysitter at 13 Years Old?
Turning 13 is a major milestone. As you step into your teen years, you inch closer to adulthood. If you have been wondering about reducing your dependence on your parents for money and earning a little on the side, you may want to get a part-time job as a babysitter.
You may have been practicing for this job for quite some time without realizing it. If you have cared for your younger siblings or someone in your family or neighborhood has been asking you to babysit their kids, you are ready to take on the job formally and earn a little in the process.
Age Requirement
Most places have no legal minimum age requirement to become a babysitter. Many babysitters start between the ages of 11 to 13. In the US, 13-year-olds can take on babysitting jobs easily, except for Illinois, where the minimum age to stay home alone or care for children is 14.
It all depends on how much responsibility you are willing to assume and if your parents consider you capable of doing the job.
Am I Ready to Be a Babysitter?
To help you assess if you are ready to start working at 13 and if babysitting is the right job for you, here are a few questions you can reflect on and help you decide accordingly:
- Do your parents consider you old and responsible enough to take a job caring for children?
- Are you old and dependable enough to look after younger kids and work as a babysitter?
- Do you know how to handle a situation without adult supervision or in the absence of adults?
- Can you follow guidelines and respect the parents’ wishes in terms of catering to their child in a certain way?
- Do you love kids and can cater to their demands, different personalities, and routines without being distressed by any unexpected events?
If these questions are yes, you may start looking for a babysitting job.
Let’s look at the required qualifications and what will be expected of you at the job.
Expectations From a Babysitter
As a teen babysitter, you must ensure that the kids stay safe. You will also be required to keep the kids engaged, play with them, tidy up after them, and help with homework or extracurricular activities like doing arts and crafts to keep them busy. You may need to do meal preparation or clear up once they are done, along with some other light housework.
If it is the children’s bedtime, you may have to bathe, dress, and ensure they are tucked in bed. While these may be part of your agreement with the parents as a babysitter, they may offer more compensation if you do a little extra.
The more responsibility you agree on, the more your hourly rate should increase.
While you do not need a formal qualification to get a babysitting job, taking an American Red Cross training course will be in your favor as parents will feel more confident handing their child over to someone with formal training. Having CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) and first aid training is an added boon to your profile and may help you get a higher hourly rate.
Babysitting Hours and Income
You may have little babysitting experience if you are starting out. Consequently, your pay rate will be less than the more experienced ones. Despite that, you will be able to earn decent money and get a good hourly rate.
If you are wondering how much you can make, the rate varies according to location. On average, babysitters earn $17 to $18 per hour for 1 child. The rate may increase depending on your qualifications or experience. Moreover, if you perform occasional chores or additional work or do a good job, the parents may tip you extra money to reward you for your efforts.
If you are wondering how to begin job hunting, you can ask one of your parents to help you or do it independently. Most teens begin by looking for jobs in their neighborhoods. Once they start doing a good job, word gets around, and they start getting more work.
However, you can rely on something other than your neighborhood grapevine to land babysitting gigs. There are various digital platforms where you can find babysitting jobs in your vicinity. You will find options that match your profile even if you do not have any experience.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Babysitting Jobs for 13-Year-Olds
What Is the Best Babysitting App for 13-Year-Olds?
There are various apps where you can find a babysitting job for 13-year-olds, such as Helpr, Bambino Sitters, Babysits.org, Sitter.com, Sitter City, and Juggle.
What Is the Youngest Age to Work as a Babysitter?
There is no minimum legal age to start working as a babysitter. Many start between the ages of 11 to 14 years.
The Red Cross also offers a babysitter training course for 11-year-olds, and you can consider enrolling in the course and starting after if you are ready.
How Many Hours Can a 13-Year-Old Work?
13-year-olds can work around their school schedule. They can work 2-3 hours after school if it’s a school week.
Similarly, they can work 5 to 6 hours daily on weekends and if school is off.
How Do I Market Myself as a Babysitter?
You can leverage word of mouth or references if you plan to offer services in your neighboring areas. You can also create a customized social media profile and ask clients to post feedback for you. Get ads printed in the local paper or distribute flyers and spread the word to neighboring community groups.
You can also join babysitting service websites and create a profile to connect to potential clients.
Conclusion – Babysitting Jobs for 13-Year-Olds
With the options mentioned above, you can choose the most suitable babysitting app based on your location, schedule, and preference.
A babysitting job at 13 is a good start to set youngsters off on the path of responsibility and self-reliance. It can also help instill work ethics and accumulate job experience that will surely come in handy in the future.
Good luck with your first steps toward financial independence!
Check out these related articles about part-time jobs and online gigs for teenagers:
- 35 Best Jobs For Teens [Online, Part-Time]
- 25 Best Places That Hire At 16 Right Now (Well-Paid & Part-Time)
Founder of Spark Nomad, Radical FIRE, Journalist
- Expertise: Personal finance and travel content
- Education: Bachelor of Economics at Radboud University, Master in Finance at Radboud University, Minor in Economics at Chapman University.
- Over 200 articles, essays, and short stories published across the web.
Experience: Marjolein Dilven is a journalist and founder of Spark Nomad, a travel platform, and Radical FIRE, a personal finance platform. Marjolein has a finance and economics background with a master’s in Finance. She has quit her job to travel the world, documenting her travels on Spark Nomad to help people plan their travels. Marjolein Dilven has written for publications like MSN, Associated Press, CNBC, Town News syndicate, and more.