Become a babysitter: test-drive the job before you start

A typical day

• 4:15 pm: you reach the school gate a quarter of an hour early, ID in your pocket.
• 4:30 pm: Leo, 6, and his sister Ines, 9, come out; the teacher checks your name on the list.
• 5 pm: snack at the table, then homework in a quiet corner of the kitchen.
• 6 pm: board games in the living room, phone tucked away in your bag.
• 7 pm: bath for the youngest, water checked, towel and pyjamas ready before the tap goes on.
• 7:45 pm: dinner prepared by the parents, allergies checked, then a story and bedtime.
• 8:40 pm: the parents are back; you sum up the evening in two minutes and note the hours for their pay declaration.

How to become a babysitter

In France, no qualification is required to babysit: you can start at 16 with your parents' written consent. The parents who hire you are private employers and must declare you, through the Urssaf CESU scheme or through Pajemploi if they receive the family allowance office's childcare allowance. The care takes place in their home, so unlike a registered childminder, who works from her own home, you need no local authority approval. The 7-hour PSC first aid course is the most useful first step. To make it a career, French routes include the CAP for early-years care (AEPE) or the sector certificate for childminders and home childcare. In English-speaking countries, rules and first aid courses differ, so check locally. The G-Learn trial helps you decide whether you like the job: its certificate is not a qualification.

Pay

In France, a babysitter's gross hourly pay can never be below the minimum wage, €12.31 gross per hour from 1 June 2026 (DREETS, June 2026). Above that, the rate is agreed with the parents depending on experience, number of children and city. Night-time responsible presence, when the children are asleep, is paid at two thirds of an hour of work.

The hard parts

• Constant vigilance for hours on end: a home accident happens in seconds, and that evening you are the responsible adult.
• Split hours, after school, in the evening and at weekends, which rarely add up to full-time work and make income uneven from one month to the next.
• Handling tantrums, tears and never-ending bedtimes, with the nervous fatigue that comes with them, while applying the rules of a family that is not yours.

Sources: DREETS Pays de la Loire — Pay and allowances, private employers (June 2026) · Fontenay-sous-Bois — Babysitters' guide 2025 · CIDJ — Jobs and the law at 14, 16 or 18 · Caf — Reform of the CMG childcare allowance