You’re moving ahead in your career plan to be a caregiver for a child with special needs. Now that you have identified the kind of job you want, you need to figure out how much to charge. How should you go about setting fees?
It’s important to know that your fee will depend on various considerations:
- Area of the country in which you live: The cost of care can vary significantly by area of the country — it’s usually higher in and around big cities, and less expensive in rural areas. Different cities can have different rates too. The cost of a Seattle Special Needs Caregiver may be different than the cost of a Minneapolis Special Needs Caregiver.
- Specific job requirements: If the individual’s special needs are particularly demanding, then your rate of pay can be higher.
- Level of skill and experience required for the position: Will your job require nursing skills or training in a certain therapy? Does the employer want someone with years of experience? If so, and if you have the requisite skills and experience, you should be paid more.
- Whether or not benefits come with the job: The specific fee you charge should be lower if the job comes with attractive benefits.
- Hours you will work: If you will work overnight, you can sometimes charge more than if you worked in the day. On the other hand, if you will be working at night, but the person you care for will be sleeping, then you may actually be paid less.
To gauge how much to charge, look at Special Needs caregiving jobs in your ZIP code and surrounding areas on Care.com. You can see how much is being offered for the kind of care you want to provide and for someone with your level of skill, and you can also view what other caregivers are charging in your area.
Once you have clarified the type of job you want, and the fee you will charge, you can start preparing for an interview.
