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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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ThomCat · 28/06/2007 15:20

I'm so not having a go - but wow, 25 hours a week for £65. If I had a spare roon I'd so get me one of those!

FluffyMummy123 · 28/06/2007 15:20

Message withdrawn

NineUnlikelyTales · 28/06/2007 15:20

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

louii · 28/06/2007 15:19

What actually is a heath? We dont have them in Scotland.

elliott · 28/06/2007 15:18

actually i'd probably expect my 4 year old to walk too....or more likely take their bike.

expatinscotland · 28/06/2007 15:18

Considering London's rising murder rate, yeah, I'd be concerned for my safety, too, tbh.

HuwEdwards · 28/06/2007 15:17

Perfectly reasonable.

bookwormmum · 28/06/2007 15:17

I can think of at least one Heath in London Expat - there may be quite a few for all I know. As an aside, is it safe to walk across with children in the late afternoon/early evenings? She may be concerned about her safety rather getting blisters. However I do doubt it.

expatinscotland · 28/06/2007 15:17

How about getting her some Heelies?

elliott · 28/06/2007 15:17

I don't think its unreasonable at all - we're talking WALKING, not hard labour down a coal mine! But I agree it will put some people off (it amazes me, but some people seem to object to walking anywhere!), so needs to be upfront in the advert. I actually think its a positive thing in terms of fitness and activity. But then we walk everywhere

Mumpbump · 28/06/2007 15:16

Sorry - allowance is weekly, not daily!

KerryMum · 28/06/2007 15:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Mumpbump · 28/06/2007 15:15

An au-pair gets a room and all their food, plus an allowance of between £55 to £65 a day. So Blueshoes is paying at the upper end of the range. We don't live in London, but I worked out that the value of what our au pair got, including allowance, was about £150 a week for 25 hours work. That's the equivalent of £6 per hour and no tax...

BibiThree · 28/06/2007 15:15

Not half her wages!

BibiThree · 28/06/2007 15:15

witchandchips , it's there and back to take her dd and there and back to fetch = 4 trips.

I don't see the problem with the walk myself (and I'm a lzy git) - maybe compromise, offer her a bus pass but say you'll take half the cost off her wages?

expatinscotland · 28/06/2007 15:15

4x/day.

Pushing a 4-year-old in a buggy, though?

I'm going to save some of these threads and show them to any daughter of mine who tells me she wants to be an au pair.

pyjamaqueen · 28/06/2007 15:14

She sounds like trouble. It's not unreasonable to walk 25mins to school. You have to stick to your guns, or look for someone else.

expatinscotland · 28/06/2007 15:13

A heath? In London?

Original poster
blueshoes · 28/06/2007 15:12

Thanks everyone. I want to take all your views in. Just that I now have to pick my ds up from his nursery (15 minute) walkx2! Hope I survive it.

OP posts:
fifilou · 28/06/2007 15:12

hold up ladies, give blueshoes a break! Shes employing an aupair here, not a nanny!

i think shes not being unreasonable at all!

65 a week,POCKET MONEY not full time employment weage! shes doing school runs and moaning about them!

RnBee · 28/06/2007 15:11

try a girl from Norway or Sweden. Excellent English and usually quite active (in my experience)

eleusis · 28/06/2007 15:10

I would tell her to take a hike (though she might as for a ride). Sounds like a sign of things to come.

Especially since the bus is hardly saving her anything in walking distance.

lizziemun · 28/06/2007 15:10

I have only just stop walking dd to preschool as i am 31weeks pg it just to much for me.

But from sept last year i would walk her their, comeback then go and get her - her school is 30 mins (just over a mile) away the last bit up a very step hill and i am a lot older then your aupair and have beed driving everywhere for years .

I just think a lot of younger people are so used to beening driven everywhere when they want they have forgatton why they have legs.

Original poster
blueshoes · 28/06/2007 15:09

Brangelina, that is how you got your name?

Mumpbump, sorry, I must have missed it. I mentioned the school run in the job spec but the 25 minutes walk in my correspondence pre-offer. I have to admit, she does not seem to read a lot of my emails (again, could be language issues). Well it has sunk in.

I was naive to think it would not be a problem for a young girl. Sheesh. Will mention it in bold if I have to re-advertise.

Laboheme, she is not entitled to any discounts. So a bus pass would effectively mean a fullprice travelcard or an Oyster card which I have to top up (it is £1 each way). And I explained to her it takes longer to take a bus and she will still have to walk 20 min. The cost of a bus would add £20 per week to her a£65 allowance. Not a kings ransom, but heck we are scratching in the dirt as well.

OP posts:
louii · 28/06/2007 15:09

A 2 hour walk a day, pushing a 4 year old in a buggy 5 days a week?

For 65 quid a week??

Wouldn't want to be your Au-Pair!

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