DePaul students have found a high paying job that doesn’t require four years of college and an intensive interview process. Being a nanny has become a popular job with exceptional pay and flexibility.

The usual server or sales associate job many DePaul students have has been put on hold because of the many Chicago families seeking caretakers. Student’s ability to pick class times is an easy way to accommodate a family willing to pay $10- $25 per hour.

DePaul students have scored this essential job by going through a simple process of applying to nanny or babysitting agencies online. The students post a profile with a description of themselves and their resumes. After the profile is made public, families can pick their nanny or students can apply to families who have a description of what they would like and the rest is history. DePaul also has great resources to help students join in on the nanny trend.

“I found my family through DePaul experience … the family had posted an ad on there and I replied with a resume and references, it was all really easy and straight forward actually,” said DePaul sophomore Corie Tiencken.

“I found it on Care.com,” DePaul sophomore Lauren Awtry, 19 said.

“Through Sittercity, it’s a website kind of like Facebook, where you can set up a profile of yourself, upload a resume and then connect with families near you,” DePaul sophomore, Madeleine Moorman, said.

Starting your day early or ending your night extremely late is what students have to commit to when becoming a nanny. Although the pay may be quite more than what an average college student is making, the hours don’t come cheap.

“Every week is different. The mom is a pediatrician and will work 24-hour shifts at a time so her schedule is always a bit chaotic. They usually let me know what times and days I should come every Sunday before the week starts…It can be annoying at times because I’ll have to get up at 5:30 a.m. some mornings to get to their house by 6:45 a.m. but in the long run, it’s worth it,” Awtry said.

“When the school year came around I became a tutor as well as a babysitter and so now I nanny for one family from Friday morning until Monday morning,” said DePaul sophomore Tanzie Cook.

Students have also gone the easier route and choose to babysit multiple families. When they need extra cash on the weekends or a student has some free time in the week, college students can make a profile on Care.com and Sittercitty to find families who are looking for a temporary babysitter. This is different from being a nanny because it doesn’t require a set commitment.

“I’ve been babysitting for years but once I moved to Chicago, I needed new contacts. I went to various websites looking for a babysitting business and I found Care.com that will set me up with multiple families a week who pay $15 to 20 an hour,” said DePaul freshman Leslee Vessel. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures the minimum wage as of Jan. 1, 2015, in Illinois was $8.25 an hour. With college nannies making double the profit it seems like putting a college degree on hold would be common, however, this is not the case for DePaul students.

“The kids have grown so accustom to me that it will be hard when I eventually have to leave,” Awtry said. “I’m guessing that is going to be when I graduate college.”

“Indefinitely, honestly. It’s great money and really great hours to keep up with school so I would like to keep going as long as they need me,” Tiencken said.