How much do au pairs earn these days?

Nannyjo, I've found that the title to a thread often makes a significant difference to the way the thread then pans out. And sometimes it is nice to be able to argue from different perspectives using our anonymous personas. I really wouldn't let any of it get to you!

Though I didn't think that nanny's were trained to look after older children.

i want more babies!! DH not so keen. i will go back but not sure when yet. i'm in swindon so the london agency probably won't cober here. it's scarey though there are hardly any jobs left now cos of AP's.

So far (touch wood) i'm finding motherhood a doddle but i'm only 11months into it so i shouldn't talk too soon!

My problem is now that i love doing things when i want and how i want that to go back to nnanying is gonna be mega tough now.

But i will stick to my guns and tell anyone who asks that us nannies work hard and do a very good important job that loads of people couldn't do if they tried!!

Thanks collision for your words of support.

one thing i don't get is that on this thread people are saying that au-pairs should't be paid as much as nannies cos they aren't trained, qualified, experienced etc and are to look after older aged children but i clearly remember a thread before where i was really upset cos i was argueing that as a nanny for what i did i deserved a wage greater than that of an au-pair and people came down on me like a ton of bricks saying i was no better than an AP and i shouldn't earn anymore!!

I won't mention any names and don't want to rack over old groung again but just wanted to get this off my chest

And as for au pairshours, doesn't it really depend on how old the kids are etc. Cooking tea and being in the house with 9yos and over is a very different kettle of fish from looking after littlies. It's not as if you have to entretain them, thought I guess you might need to try and reinforce homework.

But even so, how is it getting so dirty?

big house, ladymuck.

Bloody hell pph, what do your crowd get up to that requires so much cleaning?! I always assumed that the chickens etc were kept outside of the house? Or are you ultra-trendy and don't belive in nappies at all so your cleaner is trailing around after your youngest?

But if you say that the room and board is worth well in excess of £100 a week, this would give my au pair a weekly wage of more like £200. For 35 hours a week, this equates to £5.70 per hour, well in excess of the minimum wage for a 19 year old.

The national guidelines for au pair's work conditions, tasks and pocket money are pretty clear. I don't see what is immoral about paying something less that 2-3x these, as you suggest.

The fact is, that girls are queueing up to come here as au pairs. I don't think my family is particularly attractive to au pairs, but for my latest offering, I've had over 100 applications! I say on my ad what the money is, so this is obviously acceptable to these girls.

I am paying as much as I can honestly afford, so the alternative would be for me not to have an au pair at all (I'm a SAHM, so I don't need an au pair), so who would benefit from that? Certainly not the au pair who can't find a placement.

I find that people who whinge about other people's au pairs simply don't have the room in their house to have one

Hmmmmm,now I think about the hours,am inclined to agree pph. It is a lot of work isn't it?

I think working 15 hrs a week for pocket money and free board with time to do courses and go out and about etc is one thing.
Working 35-40hrs and more a week is a full time job. Anyone who pays £100 or less for that is kidding themselves that they are paying fairly for time.

Wish they had au pairs in NZ. Would solve all my nursery problems for ds - we have loads of room and I work from home.

Sounds fair enough Ameriscott,I must say,especially when you consider how many foreign students are being fleeced by paying huge amounts just for the dubious honour of living with a British family to experience British culture in some cases!

The whole idea of an au-pair as someone else said is that it is recognised as a cultural exchange arrangement. They come and live with you as part of the family, you help them with their english and in exchange for food and lodgings you give them pocket money. Goldenoldie is right, if they were to try and rent somewhere and pay for their food they would discover they are being "paid" far more just not in cash.

Nannyjo in my experience an au-pair is NOTHING like a nanny. More often than not they have no experience of children, (or cleaning for that matter) other than younger members of their family whom they may have babysat for . They are supposed to be "an extra pair of hands" and not intended, as Ameriscot says, to be used as nanny's for very young children. Obviously different au-pairs have different capabilities and if you have a really good one who looks after very young children and does have childcare experience then yes perhaps you should pay them more. That said the usual arrangement is that a large majority of them are young people who have just finished college are leaving home for the first time and want to come to learn English for a year before they go on to further studies and live in with an English family. The arrangement works very well for a lot of the time. It is not all about money and it is NOTHING to do with a nanny's salary or the cleaners salary for that matter.

I never pay more than £50 - £55 and we are in central London.

Nannyjo - the cost of bed and board is substantial. We know as we sometimes rent a room too. The free room/rent/electric/gas/telephone/internet and so on cost us another £140 a week and the free food/snacks on top easily costs another £60 a week.

So in total the cost of an au-pair for 25 hours a week is £250!

Obviously it does, Nnnayjo - if some people "just couldn't " and others are "perfectly content"

?????????????????

Nannies mostly look after babies and pre-schooler; au pairs mainly look after school-age children and the housework. There's no reason for them to be on the same pay curve.

brave doesn't come into it when your kids are involved IMO

Some people are just braver than others, Nannyjo

it doesn't cost that much for some food and to make up a bed and they are doing a slightly more important job, i just don't think i could do that and be comfortable to leave the house happy that my au-pair is happy so she can do a good job.

but you do your live in nanny...