You may prefer to look for your own sitter yourself. This may make you feel like you are in better control of your options. You will also be cutting the cost of fees that sitter agencies and services charge. The advantages of performing your own search may be tempting. There are however, some disadvantages that you should be aware of.
- Time - It can take a lot of time for you to find an ideal sitter. This may be well and good if you want to be extra sure that you have the right person. Then again, this may not work out well for you if you want a sitter at the soonest possible time. Waiting for the right one to come along may mean that you would have to postpone whatever you need to do to take care of the kids.
- Ad Response - Good prospects for your baby sitter wanted ad do not come all the time. This is especially true if your ad is only restricted to one area. You may only be advertising in your neighborhood or immediate locality. This may therefore significantly restrict your options.
- The Hassle - Looking for a sitter on your own means doing everything on your own. This includes checking references and performing background checks. This may be a tedious task on your part. It is especially so if you are not very familiar with the certifications and documents that you would need a sitter to get to prove her clean background. Even if you do manage to perform a good background check, there is still the task of carefully assessing sitter skills and capabilities.
- Limited Option - Looking on your own will limit you to just one hired sitter. This may be to your disadvantage. You may need only one sitter but there is no guarantee that your sitter will always be around. Even the best sitters may have to take some time off for important personal and family matters. That would leave you with no replacement sitter.
Sitter Services
Employing the help of an online service is a much-preferred option by most parents. Now you don't need to manually look for a good sitter. Online services can do that for you. Sitter services list potential sitters in your area. You get to have your pick on ideal candidates. If you pay a higher membership fee, you will also be given access to important sitter information such as character background.
Most online services can offer you several choices of sitters that match. They do not however, take away your right to choose and decide. After picking a few prospects from the list in your area, you are given the opportunity to interview your prospects.
If you have a good online service, chances are, you wouldn't need a baby sitter wanted ad. Everything you need to find a good sitter is at your finger tips.