When it comes to technology, in recent years with the invention of things like Uber, Airbnb and SkyScanner, our lives have gotten a whole lot easier. And we are pleased to tell you that the clever cookies over at Sittr are bringing the futuristic advances into the space of child minders, too.
If you’ve ever struggled to find a babysitter or nanny last minute, or are a little bit nervous about finding the right carer for your children who you’ll love, then you need this app in your life.
Mamas, say hello to Sittr – the handy app that does all the hard yards for you when it comes to finding babysitters. Think ID checks, First Aid verifications, Working With Children Checks, references and more.
Sittr was founded by husband-and-wife team James and Samantha McKinnonin in Australia in 2015 and has just launched in New Zealand, too.
The team behind Sittr.
With over 1,500 approved carers across the two countries (including major cities and regional areas), Samantha says Sittr offers a great opportunity for parents looking for quality babysitters and nannies. It’s also fab for everyone from uni students and travellers through to single mums and grandparents who want to make some extra money on the side.
“Similar to Uber and Airbnb, Sittr is an on-demand platform that alerts carers to babysitting opportunities in real-time and enables them to work flexibly at the hours of their choosing,” says Samantha.
“If you’re great with kids, you’ll do really well on Sittr, as parents regularly assign jobs to carers with good ratings and reviews. But the feedback system goes both ways. Carers can give reviews to the parents, too, which provides an extra level of safety and security.
“Some of our ‘Super Carers’ are often booked out months in advance, and can earn upwards of $500 per week”.
While all carers are aged 18 years and over, carers are typically in the age range of 25 to 55 and have many years of experience.
“Many of our carers work (or are studying) in the fields of teaching, nursing, childcare, occupational therapy, paramedics, boarding house staff, speech pathology and of course, mothers who hold the above credentials,” says Samantha.
What we absolutely love about the Sittr app is that parents can view verified reviews from other parents. And there are no fake reviews on Sittr, as all reviews are linked to a completed booking.
So how does it work? Well, it’s pretty simple. First of all, there are no booking or subscription fees. You simply sign up and pay $27 per hour for your carer.
Parents can book directly with a carer or post a job ad in which carers have the ability to apply. Last-minute jobs can be filled in less than 10 minutes, even on a Saturday night. Hello last-minute date night!
// 10 key features of Sittr you’ll love
- Identity Verification. This is an ID check via a Drivers License or Passport to ensure that the carer is who they say they are.
- Verification of a Senior First Aid certificate that includes management of Asthma & Anaphylaxis. This is the top-level of First Aid training and is commonly used for Childcare workers, Nurses, Lifesavers, Swimming instructors, First Response workers and so on.
- Verification of Working with Children Check status. A Working With Children Check (BlueCard in Qld) is a requirement for people who work or volunteer in child-related work. It involves a national criminal history check and a review of findings of workplace misconduct cases. This check is continually monitored by the Government and is automatically revoked if a crime is committed. Sittr continuously checks WWCC status and removes carers if the check is revoked or expires.
- Parents can also view verified reviews from other parents. There are no fake reviews on Sittr, all reviews are linked to a completed booking.
- Sittr have developed a unique liability insurance policy that covers carers when they work on jobs through Sittr, providing additional peace of mind for parents and carers alike.
- Parents and carers have access to secure, real-time chat and phone calls within the app. This allows parents and carers to communicate with each other in a safe environment where they don’t need to give out their personal contact details.
- Sittr also supports recurring jobs that repeat automatically on a weekly or fortnightly schedule, which is great for before/after school care and part-time and full-time nannies as once the job and recurring arrangement is confirmed, bookings and payments are automated. Recurring jobs are also completely flexible with individual shifts able to be cancelled or modified as required.
- All bookings on Sittr are cashless so there is no need to stop at the ATM on the way home or have awkward conversations about rates or how much you owe at the end of the booking. Sittr charges 48 hours in advance and holds the funds on behalf of the carer. At the end of the job the funds are released and any additional time is charged and passed onto the carer. Parents can receive a full refund if cancelling more than 24 hours in advance. If cancelling less than 24 hours in advance, a 50% cancellation fee is applied to help compensate the carer.
- The average rating of Sittr carers is 4.95 out of 5 from over 1,400 verified parent reviews.
- Over 90% of parents that use Sittr for the first time, say they are “Highly Likely” to use Sittr again.
The Sittr app is available at www.sittr.com and for download in the iTunes Store and Google Play (Android).
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