Mum slammed over 'unreasonable' list of demands in ad for new babysitter

People are flooding to social media in shock over a parent's list of requirements for a babysitter.

Being a babysitter already has its challenges and dealing with a disobedient child - or heaven forbid, more than one - is no easy feat.

You have to try to play the part of the cool babysitter who doesn't mind relaxing the rules slightly and letting the kid go to bed half-an-hour or so later, while also maintaining enough authority so when they sneak out of their room, you can get them back in before their parents return and sack you on the spot.

And one mum isn't making it any easier, having uploaded a babysitter job callout to Facebook, receiving a flurry of comments from other users in disbelief over just how specific and strict her requirements for a sitter are.

The post - uploaded by someone called Tammy to a Facebook group - advertises for a babysitter for her four children 'aged two, three, five and seven' starting 'ASAP'.

The babysitter would be needed from 'noon to 6:00pm Monday to Friday' and would also need to be up for the 'occasional weekend'.

That all sounds fairly manageable, so why have social media users got their knickers in a twist?

Pexels/ Kampus Production

Well, that's not the only set of requirements Tammy needs from a babysitter.

The suitable candidate to look after her four kids 'must be a great cook and avid cleaner' as well as be over 25 years old with a 'minimum education' level of a Master's Degree.

They're not allowed to have any social media accounts - "I don't need my kids seeing that," the mum writes.

And they can't drink, smoke, vape or have tattoos or piercings either.

Facebook

If that wasn't too much to put you off already, you'll also have to be able to show a whopping 'five professional references' if you apply for the role. Oh, and a 'background check and drug test will be conducted'. Oof.

I know what you're thinking. "This job must be seriously well paid if you have to bring that much to the role." Well...

Pexels/ cottonbro studio

Despite her lengthy list of demands for her four children's future babysitter, Tammy's job ad concludes it will pay the successful applicant $200 (£164) a week.

And using the hours listed at the top of the ad, that works out at $6 (£4.90) an hour.

Oh, and you must have your own transportation to get to and from while also running 'all [Tammy's] errands' for her.

Not much to ask, eh?

People have flooded to an image of the ad shared by the Mail Online in complete bewilderment.

One Facebook user said: "I can’t wait to use my masters degree to babysit four kids for $200 a week!!!! Said no one ever."

"I think she she missed a Zero, or two, on the pay rate..." Another added.

A third commented: "Personally she doesn't meet quarter of the requirements."

And a fourth resolved: "I’m gonna give her the benefit of the doubt… her husband told her she needed to go back to work, and she said she would as soon as she found a decent babysitter. So she ran this ridiculous ad in hopes to never actually find a babysitter."

Topics: Parenting, Money, Beauty, US News, Social media

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.