Q & A

Our Sitters are fantastic with children and can transfer their talents to the younger generation. Our Sitters are 16+, speak at least two languages, interviewed and seen by us and checked.

One of our security measures is transparency. We believe in openness and communication. Both families and sitters can be reviewed by each other. Our goal is to create a safe environment for everyone. Topsitters is always entitled to deny families or sitters access to the web application.

Si, Ja, Yes! We find it very important and crucial so both the Sitter and the Parents know what is expected from them. Before every booking the parents and sitters clearly agree what their expectations are. Times, location, activities and particularities. Topsittersplatform offers the means to communicate with each other before every booking. (internal chat function) When making new bookings for the first time, we recommend that you set aside time (at least 15 minutes to an hour) and meet in advance.

Damage resulting from a sitting session is at the family or the sitters own responsibility and account. We highly recommend for both the Sitter and the Family to take out a liability insurance.

Unfortunately this will not be the case. In application of the Regeling Dienstverlening aan Huis (Regulation on provision of service at ones home), both Parents and Sitters must be private individuals. Topsitter does not account for VAT on the babysitting service, which falls under the Regeling Dienstverlening aan Huis. In this case, parents also don’t pay VAT on the babysitting service. Topsitters does pay VAT on the Membership fee and administration cost. The latter is included in the displayed hourly rate.

 

Our sitters have full control over their own hourly rates. Many sitters give tutoring, training and/or are professionals. Other sitters are talented and know how to prepare their bookings well in advance. We consciously choose higher rates in combination with quality.

As a sitter, your earnings are not taxed up to a certain amount. However, you do have to report your earnings to the tax authorities via ‘opbrengsten uit overig werk’ (income from other work). Follow this link for more information.  

The simple answer to this is because it’s the fairest way of charging families for the service provided and protect our webapplication for families who don’t want to use our services.
Some families use Sitters’ service every week, others may only call on us 4 or 5 times a year. The membership covers the fixed cost of attracting and interviewing to provide a reliable service. And booking fees cover the variable cost of scheduling a topsitter for you when required.

Yes, there are limits as to what we consider safe. Under usual circumstances if there are more than 2 children under three years old or more than 4 children in total a second topsitter is required.

We speak every topsitter personally, check social and references. Moreover, the sitters build references by booking through Topsitters by families. We have an open platform complemented by image and text so that we offer as much authenticity as possible. For a booking it is possible to ask questions to the sitters via the web application. In many cases it is also advisable to arrange a first half hour together.

We have to ensure that sitters are willing to give up their time to look after your children. And this is on of our way’s to protect our sitters. In our experience the combination of the hourly rate and the minimum booking of 3 hours provides the balance required to ensure our sitters are prepared to attend your bookings.

If you are very nervous about leaving your child for the first time we suggest that on your first sitting you arrange for the babysitter to arrive 30 minutes before you leave. You can then introduce her to your family and be in a position to see how well she relates to your children. Our sitters have been carefully selected. For example not everyone is suitable for caring for newborns. Because they are professional sportsmen, instead of (allround) sitter. Our care is tailor-made. They are selected on the basis of skills and expertise. They have chosen to work with children because they enjoy it. – you’ll find they are quick to put you and your family at ease.

Yes, we have specifically asked our sitters whether they can offer this. However, we always expect clear coordination about the expectations.