Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

Original poster

Sacked the AP, atmosphere in house.

181 replies

BoffinMum · 24/04/2014 13:06

Just that, really.
Bit stressed.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Original poster
BoffinMum · 25/04/2014 18:05

DH suggested they were jars of oil, but given that I am a bloody P/T cookery writer/broadcaster there is no lack of top quality olive oil etc in my kitchen. Why would you keep oil in your bedroom?!

Maybe it is involved some sort of sexual practice I am too naive to know about.

Bonsoir, I appear to have found an agency who supply nou nous to people in England. I am quite excited about this development and I am having fantasies of my children eating up their Roquefort whilst wearing immaculately pressed white linen shirts.

OP posts:
Original poster
BoffinMum · 25/04/2014 18:02

I know. I am worried about that.

OP posts:
LaurieFairyCake · 25/04/2014 17:44

Were they urine jars?

Yuk.

But where the smeg is the HAMSTER???

Original poster
BoffinMum · 25/04/2014 17:43

Looking on the bright side, I have not found a wank sock (yet), Although I can't comment on the cups

OP posts:
Original poster
BoffinMum · 25/04/2014 17:39

You will have noticed the long interregnum between my previous post and this one. Here is a progress report.

  1. The agency have been kept fully abreast of developments at all times and copied into all communications. However they have now gone rather quiet. I don't blame them. I am using a new agency. The AP before this one arrived with hand luggage only (didn't augur well) and completely stopped doing any work after one week of effort, expecting to live at mine for free in return for, well, nothing. This guy was supposed to be her replacement.
  1. No sign of the hamster. I did wonder if he had just acquired stuff second hand but there is a cage with a wee corner territorially marked, open food packets, open treat packets, open straw packet and open bedding packet. I am not sure what to make of this. No smell of hamster and we did not hear the wheel going around at any point. Probably one for the MN Unsolved Mystery thread.
  1. I have done a lot of steam cleaning in there. I feel like the one of Wrens during WW2 facing things nobody else would face after a night of bombing Grin
  1. AuntFidget, that is almost not funny GrinGrinGrin
  1. Bonsoir, I agree, I clearly need a Nou Nou. NOW. Please put one on Eurostar for me. I will make it up to you.
  1. Art, Graycoat charge ridiculous agency fees and have not sent me much worth considering in the past. But thank you for the suggestion. Frankly a proper nanny would be a bit bored in this job f/t. It really is a classic AP job.
  1. After she had finished gasping in shock, my mother also raised the point about having a cleaner involved in domestic anti-hamster espionage and I think I may consider that in future.
  1. We found more. Brace yourselves. We found two mysterious jars with yellow fluid in (!) and drawers and drawers full of hoarded cereal boxes, empty packets, rinsed out milk cartons, plastic water bottles and other recycling-related items. Middle son pronounced 'Blimey, this room is worse than DS1's!' before carefully carrying the mystery fluids down to the bin outside. It's like an episode of Life of Grime.

To those people who are aghast at my childcare sagas, bear in mind I only post disasters on here, or salacious details. I have a lot of positive childcare experience as well such as LovelyNanny and many LovelyAPs and Lovely After School Club and LovelyNursery. But clearly that would make a rather boring posting life, just gushing about the good stuff Wink

OP posts:
TheWomanTheyCallJayne · 25/04/2014 16:39

I would keep the cage for now, you may find it's resident. I'm sure your youngest would love one Grin

Hope you find someone decent

zipzap · 25/04/2014 14:01

another one who is wondering where the hamster is - my bet is that he has let him loose to do damage to the house.

And Shock at the state he left the room - I reckon he's not only hacked off about how completely unfair you were as an employer for not paying him for every moment he was living under your roof but he now realises that his cushy number has come to a premature end and he's been sent home with his tail between his legs and that's going to be embarrassing to explain away, especially as you didn't give him all that money he needed for being asleep Grin

SantanaLopez · 25/04/2014 12:11

Oh goodness, is the hamster still in the cage?!

CheeryName · 25/04/2014 12:03

Oh good riddance to the twat.

We had a terrible foreign student who left on similar but worse bad terms. And also did the thing of being rude to the woman when the man of the house wasn't there. It was more offensive than if he had been rude to me all the time tbh!

His bedroom was riddled with dirty cotton buds when he left. [I have only just noticed we don't have a vomit face]

GreenMonth · 25/04/2014 11:57

I have to admit that I sniggered at the hamster. Grin I hope doesn't chew through your electrics. Our cleaner changes the bed linen in our au pair's room, which is handy as she would tell me of anything irregular like wank tissues or a hamster.

VivaLeBeaver · 25/04/2014 11:52

Blimey, hope he's not let the hamster out and its now got the run of your house.

GreenMonth · 25/04/2014 11:46

So, were my two immensely successful, laid-back, helpful, male, graduate, Spanish au pairs an anomaly then Bonsoir? I've got a third starting in June so I hope not.

Artandco · 25/04/2014 11:15

It sounds like you new a proper nanny, ideally live out. Look at greycoat nannies, they are very professional. And a cleaner. All seperate, all go home when not working

Bonsoir · 25/04/2014 10:59

Oh Boffin I'm sorry to laugh but you were hugely ambitious to think that a Latin male graduate would take well to minor domestic employment in a Northern European household!

Madcatgirl · 25/04/2014 10:55

Are you sure it was not a Siberian hamster?

(Sorry about your crap ap).

Gobbolinothewitchscat · 25/04/2014 10:54

Where's the hamster? Has it got on the flight home too or is it still in situ?!

Ali - yes. I hear you!

msrisotto · 25/04/2014 10:53

Wow. Was he associated with an agency? I'd give them feedback if so.

AuntFidgetWonkhamStrongNajork · 25/04/2014 10:51

WHERE IS THE HAMSTER? And is that related to the wank tissues?

Good luck next time.

Lottiedoubtie · 25/04/2014 10:44

Oh that is so grim, and tells us very clearly where the fault was.

Envy
Alibabaandthe40nappies · 25/04/2014 10:43

I read threads like this and my plans to go back to work retreat further into the future Grin

Boff you do seem to have awful bad luck with your childcare, hope you can find someone fun and reasonably sane for a couple of months.

Johnogroats · 25/04/2014 10:38

You poor thing. So glad he's gone. Where did you get him? Can you provide feedback?

I'd get the room industrially cleaned.

NurseyWursey · 25/04/2014 10:35

Eurgh what an absolute fool. Sorry bof :(

NomDeClavier · 25/04/2014 10:31

Shock I'm assuming you didn't know about the hamster?

Life is no longer sunny, tis windy and rainy, and I have an additional sprog.

At least if the temp is crazy you know it's only 6 weeks, and for the first 2 they usually make an effort.

Original poster
BoffinMum · 25/04/2014 10:21

Well, he has flounced out in a very petulant, dramatic manner.
In his former room I found:

cups, bowls and plates with food on them
rubbish
cider poured all over the mattress
wank tissues
all the presents we ever gave him ripped up and despoiled

and

hamster cage, bedding, straw, food and so on.

Hmm
OP posts:
Original poster
BoffinMum · 25/04/2014 09:53

Ah, NomdeClavier, tis yourself. How is the offspring and life in sunny climes?

I am very tempted by a temp nanny, although as we well know, they can be equally bonkers.

I will admit to ringing the agency at The Place We Don't Mention amongst others. This could work out brilliantly (which it did once) or provide fodder for any number of future threads. ShockGrin

Only something like 10 more years of childcare to go!! Shock

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread