Does anyone know of an aupair agency that deals with non EU aupairs?
Or indeed aupairs that are reliable and dont cost a fortune?
I am considering a live-in aupair to help once I go back to work in June 09. Wanted to look into it early!
Thanks

I don't believe that someone from Turkey qualifies to work in the UK under Tier5. Therefore they may not be any agencies who could help with that.

I used an agency in York called Ebor Nannies when I was looking for my AP. They sent me some cvs of Turkish APs but none of them were suitable.

I don't think any APs cost a fortune, there's a fairly standard level of payment. Whether they're reliable or not is harder to predict!

Why do you want a non-EU/Turkish AP?

I thought that Turkish APs/non EU APs were less likely to come to UK and want to b**ger off if a better offer of work came along?! I am not dead certain about this theory.

I will have a look at Ebor Nannies.

Did you have success with your AP?

Yes, ours is great - she's from Hungary.
Our theory was that if you get someone from a nice warm country she will leave when she realises how dreary the English weather is Actually several of the Turkish ones we looked at seemed v nice but came from big families in the city and we just couldn't imagine them not being horribly lonely in our family (quiet village, us out at work all the time). It may be different for you.

Isn't Hungary in the EU and visa exempt? Could be wrong... but that's what I thought.

Actually, they may well come here to get married! Happened to us but I don't blame her, she was a lovely au pair and stayed for two years. She only married for the papers.

Thanks for the Tier5 link, but what does it all mean (in plain english pls?)

Glad to hear that your Hungarian AP was a success.

Am going to register with Ebor Nannies to get further information. Roughly how much do APs cost per weeK? And how much did you pay for the agency fee?

I have a turksih aupair and there are no visa problems at all at the moment. The visa is tied to the family that they are working for and they have to register that they are here with the police.

The advantages of Turkish girls are that they are tied to you and therefore will not go and work for another family / starbucks. They tend to be well educated, often graduates and need to learn english to get a better job. My aupair is 24 and the difference between her and my previous 18 year old polish girl is huge, she actually has some common sense and I feel reasonably confident that she would be able to deal with an emergency. THe downside is that they often have poor english.

I will be honest and say that I had some concerns about her mostly due to language problems but I have realised that it takes 2/3 months to really get a feel for an auapir and in the last few weeks she has come into her own and I really really like her and appreicate that she is an adult and would choose her over an eastern european girl any day

Yes Nannynick - Hungary is EU.
I didn't have any theories about recruiting from outside EU. I did make sure I found someone older though - mine is 27 and like DannyB I don't have any worries about emergencies - she is very sensible and has lots of real experience with children, not just a bit of babysitting.

The visa rules all change next week so Turkey is more or less out now (as are many non EU countries which are not part of Commonwealth) - unless you want to jump through several large hoops (not leas tof which I think is the need to sponsor them tothe tune of £1,600 which they need to have posession of before they arrive....)

FWIW I had problems with a Turkish girl who I went through all the sponsorship hoops with - she lied about being able to drive and then did a midnight flit (well, an 8pm one really, she came in and announced that she never planned on living in the shitty countryside and had found a job in London, then flounced straight out of the front door).... but I think I probably had an extreme experience (she also flirted quite hilariously with my husband).

I have also had a depressing Finnish girl, a truly fab Swedish girl, and an OK but no great shakes French girl. And I am now on a Spanish bloke who turns out to be harder-working and more cheerful than any of the girls (but it is early days so far)