How to hire a sitter

How to hire a sitter, step by step

Here's a step-by-step sitter hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a sitter job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new sitter
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a sitter do?

Post a sitter job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your sitter job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a sitter for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a sitter to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a sitter that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of sitters.

   Type of Sitter	Description	Hourly rate
   Sitter	Personal care aides help clients with self-care and everyday tasks. They also provide social supports and assistance that enable clients to participate in their communities.	$9-18
   Nanny	Nannies are family employees who are primarily responsible for taking care of children in the family's house. They are usually tapped to take care of the kids while the parents are at work or away on vacation... Show more	$12-29
   Home Health Aid	Home health aides provide care and assistance to patients who have chronic illnesses, injuries, disabilities, or age-related challenges inside the patient's home. They monitor the patient's condition and help them in any activity they may need assistance in... Show more	$9-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Kids
   • CPR
   • Patient Safety
   • Home Health
   • PET
   • Companionship
   • Vital Signs
   • Meal Prep
   • Allergies
   • Child Care
   • Direct Patient Care
   • Continuous Observation
   • Patient Behavior

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Run groceries or medical errands for patients.
   • Complete light housekeeping duties, such as dishes, folding laundry, buying groceries.
   • Help out with regular ADL's as well such as bathing, ambulating, eating, dressing, and exercise.
   • Assist with ADL's; bathing needs, food prep, exercise, drive and assist with appointments, light housekeeping
   • Provide colostomy care and administer medication for pain management in accordance with current physician recommendations.
   • Help nursing with flushing of catheters with certain residents.

   More sitter duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your sitter job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A sitter salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a sitter in Indiana may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level sitter usually earns less than a senior-level sitter. Additionally, a sitter with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average sitter salary

   $13.81hourly

   $28,724 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level sitter salary

   $20,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 11, 2025

   Average sitter salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$32,414	$16
   2	Washington	$31,913	$15
   3	Maryland	$29,684	$14
   4	Rhode Island	$29,473	$14
   5	New York	$29,423	$14
   6	California	$29,292	$14
   7	Minnesota	$27,667	$13
   8	Illinois	$27,052	$13
   9	Colorado	$25,078	$12
   10	Missouri	$24,695	$12
   11	Alabama	$24,368	$12
   12	Nevada	$23,606	$11
   13	Georgia	$23,468	$11
   14	Tennessee	$23,268	$11
   15	Florida	$23,005	$11
   16	North Carolina	$22,915	$11
   17	Texas	$22,839	$11
   18	Arizona	$21,710	$10
   19	Indiana	$21,433	$10
   20	South Carolina	$20,843	$10

   Average sitter salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Southcoast Health	$36,675	$17.63	7
   2	Children's of Alabama	$33,491	$16.10
   3	CARE	$33,327	$16.02	13
   4	Prime Healthcare	$32,617	$15.68	11
   5	Self Regional Healthcare	$31,836	$15.31	3
   6	MAS Medical Staffing	$31,703	$15.24	26
   7	Baptist Health Care	$31,626	$15.20	1
   8	Mercy Corps	$31,587	$15.19	1
   9	Mission Regional Medical Center	$31,557	$15.17	17
   10	Sittercity	$31,470	$15.13
   11	Rochester Regional Health	$31,416	$15.10	4
   12	Northwell Health	$31,364	$15.08
   13	HealthTrust	$31,326	$15.06
   14	LifePoint Health	$31,199	$15.00	30
   15	Southern Illinois Healthcare	$31,069	$14.94
   16	Dean Health Plan	$30,971	$14.89
   17	Essentia Health	$30,920	$14.87	9
   18	West Tennessee Healthcare	$30,845	$14.83
   19	Children's Hospital of Philadelphia	$30,830	$14.82	12
   20	Express Employment Indy South	$30,659	$14.74

4. Writing a sitter job description

   A good sitter job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a sitter job description:

   Sitter job description example

   Inspection Sitter / Permit Runner (30-40hrs/week) – ORBIT ENTERY & POWER

   Job Overview:

   Orbit Energy & Power has an immediate need for an Inspection Sitter/Permit Runner. We are looking for someone to help meet inspectors at our clients home to represent our company as well as delivering permits to the job site. In this position you can learn the solar business and grow into the limitless opportunities available here at Orbit Energy & Power.

   Job Duties:

   • Drive to assigned client and meet inspector while he/she completes the inspection process
   • Bring back all paperwork from the inspector to the office
   • Driving to various locations to pick up permits and legal documents for our permitting team.
   • Effectively manage your schedule to complete several time sensitive tasks on a daily basis.
   • Organize routes, drop plans on site, occasionally place labels if needed.
   • Communicate with Orbit Team on a daily basis.
   • Work closely with permitting coordinator and permitting department.

   Requirements:

   • Valid driver's license and reliable transportation
   • Excellent communication skills
   • Construction related background is a plus
   • Effective time management skills
   • Seeking a responsible driver to deliver legal documents for our solar company.
   • Punctuality, Reliability and good communication skills are a must
   • Must be trustworthy, accountable and follows directions well.

   Benefits:

   • Fun laid back office environment
   • Mileage reimbursement
   • Limitless growth opportunities

   If you are interested in this great opportunity and are reliable, have a flexible schedule and a good driving record, please apply today!

   Our Pledge:

   "Our team exists for the purpose of making our world a more environmentally friendly planet through every single renewable energy project that we deploy." Our core values of Honesty and Integrity will be demonstrated every single day in our dealings with our clients, vendors, and co-workers. With forward-thinking leadership, we continually strive to maximize growth opportunities and profitability for the mutual benefit of our Employees, Industry Partners, and Investors. We lead by example in our never-ending pursuit of developing and building the most innovative and profitable renewable energy solutions to benefit our customers, our communities, and our world.

   About us:

   Our Team has been involved in the commercial general and electrical construction industry throughout the US for more than 30+ years with more than 19+ years being directly involved in the Solar & Renewable Energy fields helping to both structure deals as well as Design/ Build some of the largest and highest profile projects here in the States i.e. the first ever worldwide installs for such companies as DuPont Nemours, Johnson & Johnson and MERCK Pharmaceutical. We were involved in the original contract negotiations and build-out of such projects as The Eagles Stadium (Lincoln Financial Field), The Atlantic City Convention Center, The Liberty Science Center, GOYA Foods, Fed-Ex facilities located on the Newark-Liberty International Airport property, The Liberty Science Center Museum, DelDot, Baltimore-Washington International Airport, CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia), The New Barnes Foundation Museum in Philadelphia, Urban Outfitters in Gap, PA just to name a few.

   Orbit Energy and Power is an equal opportunity employer.

   Powered by JazzHR

   1FnDSrJkvH

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right sitter for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with sitters they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit sitters who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your sitter job on Zippia to find and recruit sitter candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting sitters requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new sitter

   Once you have selected a candidate for the sitter position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new sitter. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a sitter?