Whether it’s your first time or your fifth, finding a new sitter always involves taking a chance. It’s no surprise for a family to go straight for the highest rated babysitters. We see a 5-star record and think, “Perfect! Higher review, lower risk”. Well, not necessarily. The reality is that reviews can’t always reveal the best fit for your family. Every family has unique wants and needs, so we can’t guarantee that the sitter everyone seems to love is also a great match for you. In fact, the best match could be a sitter with zero family reviews. Does that sound crazy? Believe it or not, it actually makes perfect sense. CareFinder approves many new, highly qualified sitters every month, meaning your best match could have just joined! While these new sitters lack family reviews, we are confident that they deserve your attention and consideration. Keep reading to learn our four key reasons why!

Flexible Availability

Let’s start simple: the advantage of an open schedule. Some families can be quite flexible with their job dates, but not everyone can accommodate a long-time sitter with a full schedule. When sitters first join the CareFinder community, they have the most of their availability to offer. Usually, they haven’t committed to a regular family yet, meaning more opportunity and flexibility for both one time and regular jobs.

Whether they’re a student working around their classes, a professional enjoying babysitting on the side, or anything in between, our sitters are intentionally making time to support your families. If you’re having trouble finding someone consistently available, a new sitter may be just what you need!

Eager to Succeed

CareFinder babysitters work as freelancers, meaning they work independently to secure their sittings, build relationships with families, and maintain regular work. Consistent work with families is an excellent way for sitters to build their presence and reputation on the platform (not to mention ideal for their working schedules!). In order to build that foundation, new babysitters are eager to prove their skill and readiness to work in the CareFinder community.

How does that help you, exactly? Well, it means they’re ready to impress! Impressing families helps sitters get those first stellar reviews, which in turn attracts more job offers. So whether it’s highlighting their communication, punctuality, adaptability, cultural knowledge, or beyond, new babysitters are ready for their time to shine!

Affordable

Since our new babysitters are eager to get their first jobs and build their reputations, they are more open to negotiating lower sitting fees. New sitters don’t have a 5-star record to immediately attract families. Instead, their affordability (in addition to their great background experience, personality, and so on) can be a major selling point. If you are looking for a regular sitter, this can make a huge difference for your budget.

Consider this scenario: You’re looking for a sitter to come twice a week for 3 hours each sitting. First, you find a 5-star sitter who has worked with CareFinder for several months, charging ¥2,500 per hour. Then (following our timely advice to consider new babysitters), you find a newly registered sitter with no family reviews, but equivalent experience and a friendly personality. They are charging ¥1,500 per hour. With the first babysitter, you’ll be paying ¥60,000 per month. However, with the second babysitter, you’ll be paying only ¥36,000 per month. It is very possible to find a highly qualified new sitter, who will also save you ¥24,000 per month in sitting fees. That’s a win for the babysitter, a win for you, and a win for your wallet.

New =/= Not Experienced

It can be uncomfortable to look beyond the reviews, right? After all, you want someone others’ can vouch for. We understand that trust is key when it comes to choosing a babysitter, so, let us offer some reassurance. In the CareFinder community, no reviews does not mean no experience. All of our sitters are thoroughly vetted (including a face-to-face interview) and manually approved before they are officially registered on our platform.

We are fortunate to host a vibrant, diverse group of caregivers, and fantastic new sitters join every month. Our new sitters are eager to share their experience and interests with your family, give them a shot and maybe you’ll be their first 5-star family review!

At the end of the day, you don’t want just anyone caring for your children. Trust us, we don’t either. CareFinder is about more than just matching families and sitters, we are about building community. We do our best to bring you top notch caregivers from around the world, so be sure to take time and get to know them. Each sitter is so much more than their reviews: read their profiles, watch their introductory videos, even greet them with a message! No hiring decision needs to be made right away. Our newest babysitters are eager to find their first families, and now you know just why you should consider them!