What kind of liberties do you have while you’re “On the job”?
Are you allowed to eat from their fridge, or would you have to bring your own food/order food with your own money?
How much time out of those 8 hour shifts do you have to spend actually with the baby?
I’ve never babysat anyone, but I’ve had babysitters. What would typically happen is I’d go off and play with legos, or play video games, or watch TV on my own, while s/he would do homework, chat on the phone with a boyfriend [and this is the age before cellphones], watch TV, etc. Checking up on me once an hour or so.
I know that babies need more attention than 5–8 year olds (periods that I recall having babysitters), but it’s not like you’re sitting there watching the kid every second of those 8 hours without having anything fun to do for yourself, is it?
I’d expect at least minimum wage if you did have to spend all/most of the time with the baby. But if you just had to check up on the kid for a few minutes every half-hour, I’d say you folks are crazy to expect minimum wage.