I used to be more of a career nanny, now I have a roster of occasional clients, all of whom I’ve met through my network of friends who also work with kids. I enjoy babysitting but because these jobs are usually sporadic and short, I’ve always interviewed over FaceTime or simply had the parent hang around so they can get some WFH work done while I do my first shift. Someone I was referred to who lives pretty far away from me asked me to tour their house and meet their kid over the weekend for a three hour job later in the week and I said I would typically charge a fee (one hour of my rate) for that to cover the drive / time and I prefer FaceTime meet and greets for short jobs where I’ve been personally referred. He basically refused saying he hoped the amount of money I would make over time would compensate for the original interview. I told him the truth— that for a long term job with set hours I don’t mind a free interview, but a long-ish drive and in person meeting for a two to three hour one time job with no guaranteed hours is something I’d want some compensation for.
Am I crazy for asking this? Even people who have found me online are often fine with a zoom interview / references followed by an in person meeting on the day of the sit for short or occasional jobs.