Babysitting Angel in the spotlight: Iris!

April 12, 2022

To Iris, a babysitting job is the perfect job: every day is super fun with the children while she simultaneously gains relevant experience for her future. After school, full days, weekends, different ages... Iris is a real jack-of-all-trades. Keep reading!

"Hi! My name is Iris, I am 23 years old, and I live in Amsterdam. I'm originally from Naarden, where I used to babysit a lot and also gave field hockey training and provided homework assistance. I have been babysitting via Charly Cares in Amsterdam for about 2,5 years now."

“A babysitting job fits perfectly with my study program”

“I moved to Amsterdam and was looking for a fun part-time job. I heard from friends and fellow students that they were babysitting via Charly Cares. I study Pedagogy, so a part-time job as a babysitter seemed like a great fit. It also fits well with my studies when it comes to flexibility: I can choose how and when I work. For example, last year I did an internship, so I had a lot less time to babysit. I'm currently working on my graduation research project and am therefore more flexible when it comes to babysitting. I currently babysit about 4 times a week.”

What do your babysitting services usually look like?

“I enjoy babysitting for fixed families the most, because you already know the children. When I had just moved to Amsterdam, I used Jobboard to look for fun requests. It's great that demand is so large at Charly Cares, because it allowed me to build a network of great families with whom I have a great relationship."

"Every babysitting service is different. I have been babysitting for one family for about 1,5 years, and that's mostly after school. For other families, I babysit full days, because they have younger children, for example. Occasionally I will also babysit during the weekend. I really enjoy the variety! The children are also of all different ages, which makes it even more diverse. With younger children, you can play games all day, while you can have great talks with the kids who are a little older.”

“It doesn't really feel like work”

“I have liked babysitting since I was young. It's great to do things with the children. And, the best part: not only will they have a great day, but I will too! It really doesn't feel like work. One of my best babysitting memories is when I babysat for a family for a couple of consecutive days during the holidays. One of those days, we went to the Johan Cruyff Arena for a tour. Super original!"

"I also love taking the kids to Artis, that's a great trip both for them and for me. I really enjoy taking the children outside in general, for example to the Vondelpark or the playground. In the summer, we'll get ice cream, that's always a success!”

Do you want to keep working with children in the future?

“Yes! I have made so many great memories while babysitting, and in addition I gain relevant experience for my field. I'm planning to keep studying after I finish Pedagogy, probably Orthopedagogy at the university. If I want a job in the future, it's amazing that I can download a proof of my experience through GigCV."

"It's also great that I can change my hourly rate myself in the app. For example, if it's been my birthday or when I notice that I have gained more experience, I slightly raise it. I will also play around with it sometimes when I notice I'm getting fewer or more requests: I'll slightly raise or lower it depending on the situation.”