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Original poster

Is my aupair being cheeky? Says it is hard for her to walk 25 min each way for school run.

294 replies

blueshoes · 28/06/2007 14:13

My first aupair (French) is starting in Aug. But I am already having doubts.

An important part of the aupair's duties is to do my dd's school run. The school is a 25 min walk away, with dd age 4 in a buggy. Now the aupair emails to says that a 25x4 walk every day is hard for her to do.

She was asking about taking a bus and having a bus pass.

I emailed her to explain that a bus would take longer (35 min+), she would still have to walk 20 mins each way (because the school is not near the bus stop), and the roads are congested in the mornings. Plus it will cost us £20 a week in bus fare. She does not seem to have taken that in (language problem?).

Is she angling for us to provide her with a bus pass or contribute to her travel costs? Or does she have a point about such a long walk? I personally have done it (old-ish and weak as I am, lol) and don't see why a young strapping 20 year old cannot.

We are paying her £65 a week allowance - which I feel is slightly above market for what is IMO quite an easy job(London).

Do any of you who are aupair employers pay/subsidise transport costs on top of allowance? Should I ditch her before she starts, as being lame?

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gess · 28/06/2007 15:33

I was paid a lot less for farm work in NZ by the way. Long full days, hard work (building fences etc), freezing, snow. Walking in London would be a doddle.

fillyjonk · 28/06/2007 15:32

(in edinburgh)

god it was vile

it was an all-you-can-eat place but a bit upmarket, so businessmen which is 400x worse

the worst bit was cleaning up the sick.

gess · 28/06/2007 15:32

If we didn't have ds1 I would walk ds2 to school (20 mins each way). It wouldn't occur to me to use the car- too much hassle.

fillyjonk · 28/06/2007 15:31

no but IS she expected to do other stuff?

am assuming she does 10 hours walking, 10 hours something else

plus she gets room and board and english lessons and pocket money. when i've worked abroad i haven't had that.

I don't think its a bad deal so long as you have a reasonable employer

and waitressing is SHITE. the WORST place i ever waitressed was a mongolian restaurant at the foot of leith walk, btw.

bozza · 28/06/2007 15:30

But what else is she actually expected to do?

I agreee that being paid to get your exercise sounds fairly reasonable to me.

LucyJu · 28/06/2007 15:30

My god, some of you are lazy oilks!

My dd was walking to and from nursery at the age of 3 (just). 20 mins each way.

There are children in her school now who walk 2 miles each way to and from school - some of these children are only in reception.

If your au pair is not going to be happy, maybe you need to find someone else. But I personally don't think it is an unreasonable amount of walking.

gess · 28/06/2007 15:30

I made crap money waitressing, but we had to share tips, and it was in Yorkshire

Dinosaur · 28/06/2007 15:29

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

ThomCat · 28/06/2007 15:29

I suppose if it got me out of washing up, cleaning, ironing, making beds etc, actually yeah I'd walk it, I might make it take 45 mins each way actually and eat the biscuits I'd stolen from the cupboard on the way.

southeastastra · 28/06/2007 15:29

or heelies

expatinscotland · 28/06/2007 15:29

I made TONS of money waitressing.

It depends on the restaurant, the maitre d', the food and how good a waitress you are.

gess · 28/06/2007 15:28

Buy her some crocs

southeastastra · 28/06/2007 15:27

doing the same journey in london 4 times a day would really get to me.

expatinscotland · 28/06/2007 15:26

That's 10 hours of walking.

Almost half of all her hours.

On top of all the other stuff she'll be expected to do . . .

elliott · 28/06/2007 15:26

Personally, I'd rather be walking than almost anything else that an au pair might reasonably be asked to do - cleaning, washing, ironing, even entertaining kids inside. I think it is easy money too.

And don't forget, it is £65 on top of free rent and food - I expect that tops waitressing rates.

gess · 28/06/2007 15:24

Has anyone read Sons and Lovers? The main character walked miles- had me gasping. It was about 3 hours each way to work, then about 90 minutes to visit his gf. Did make me realise how much times have changed...... No wonder we're all lardy now (include myself).

fillyjonk · 28/06/2007 15:24

um

my understanding of au pair work is a little sketchy but they do reasonable housholdy/childcare work for you in exchange for board, pocket money and english lessons, yes?

This seems quite reasonable. If she wasn't doing this, she'd be doing something else.

i don't think 2 hours of walking, included, i assume, in the total hours she is expected to work, is unreasonable. actually i think is pretty easy work.

ThomCat · 28/06/2007 15:23

I'm trying to work out where I'd put 'her'!
The only spare room I have is the playhouse at the bottom of the garden!

expatinscotland · 28/06/2007 15:23

everywhere, that is.

expatinscotland · 28/06/2007 15:22

, bozza.

My 4-year-old has dypraxia and tires very easily, but she walks everyone now, too.

She has to, the 18-month-old is in the buggy now.

gess · 28/06/2007 15:22

I'd quite happily do it (In fact pay me £65 quid a week and I will do it!). I'm amazed at the number who wouldn't (but then I prefer walking to public transport/driving). Agree with RnB- get an active type.

RnBee · 28/06/2007 15:22

PMSL @ Elliot and coal mines

KerryMum · 28/06/2007 15:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

expatinscotland · 28/06/2007 15:21

'If she was working as a waitress she'd walk a lot further than that every day.'

And probably earning a lot more, too.

bozza · 28/06/2007 15:20

After considering the original post I have reconsidered and while I still have no problems with the 25min walk, the 4yo in a buggy is a bit much. I think you should be working on building up your DD's stamina first off.

expat I was an au pair - but I went to Dallas so I just drove from one air-conditioned venue to another.

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