Is an au pair our best option?

For those hours, i dont think you need a live in nanny.

A nanny will always look clean up after the child , make sure the house is tidy before leaving (from the childs mess, playroom, kitchen etc)

Just be very upfront in your add and at interview stage, what you expect, emptying dishwasher, hoovering up, etc, most wont mind if that's all you need

They arent long hours you need and if you have a live in nanny, you have to set ground rules, because you could end up with her sitting with you every evening / eating meals, always in the kitchen etc.
You will be sharing your house with another adult. Again if you dont want to have her around and you would prefer her to stay out of your way, you must state this clearly in your ad and in the bedroom, you will have to provide a tv, and a sofa really....

Potentially a nanny share could work.
It works out cheaper.

Either way, if the nanny is Ofsted registered, you can get tax free childcare vouchers from your employer
The nanny will have to have liability insurance, a criminal record's check and a first aid certificate which all takes time

Have a look at agencies online or childcare.co.uk

If you do think you might go ahead with them, as a family new to the programme, you might find this article helpful?

medium.com/@ojulie353/thinking-about-hiring-an-au-pair-a2fe46572ab5?source=friends_link&sk=ee1c287bbbacb8beb7265a240bbecfcd

I would agree with most of the comments on age group, generally, au pairs are not qualified and as such young children may not be quite as safe in their care as you'd hope. That said, there are some au pairs you could speak to and see if they have the necessary qualifications but do know that au pairs will want to have their own life and maybe take English classes etc. Some older more qualified au pairs are called 'granny' au pairs - perhaps this could be something to think about?

Given the hours you've mentioned, a nursery or childminder almost certainly wont work - they dont work as late as you want (and probably wont start early enough). They are closed weekends (disclaimer - a worked based nursery may opperatecthese hours uf there us one available, and lots of people work these late hours)
Au pairs aren't really suitable for the age of your child.
So, you need a nanny. And maybe a cleaner.
Good luck with the move.

How many hours will you need childcare for?

My son goes to nursery 9am - 4pm with an Au pair providing wrap around care. She works 20-25 hours per week. I've been using au pairs since my son turned 9 months - mainly to wake the kids up, feed them, school run, collect and bath them after nursery. If the hours you need are limited and you get an older au pair you may be ok.

Au pairs are for school aged kids, they take them to school and collect them. At 18 months you will need a nanny/housekeeper. Expect to pay £25k pa for a younger person, rising to double that for super experienced qualified person. You may need a separate cleaning company but I know people who have their nanny clean during naps

Our nannies have always done the child's laundry, changed bedding and tidied toys, but not general housekeeping. They will do day to day tasks that fall during working hours like emptying the dishwasher or changing a bin if it needs doing. But I wouldn't expect dusting or vacuuming, only cleaning up dropped food from toddler meals.

Is it unreasonable to expect a nanny working less than full-time to do light housework? Emptying and loading dishwasher and vacuuming before clocking off?

In general, a nanny will clean up after the kids (put away toys, sweep up food, wash up cooking for kids) but not otherwise clean or tidy. The rule of thumb here is that they are a childcare professional rather than an all-purpose domestic, and people do not usually ask them to do general cleaning unless it's to make up their hours & while they don't have the DC.

As a nanny, I've always mucked in with everyday household tasks - emptying bins, loading dishwashers emptying the dryer etc, I don't mind doing this as long as the parents also muck in equally and don't always leave these jobs for the nanny. I've worked for some families where parents will ignore overflowing bins and I've come into work on Mondays to find the sink full of dishes from the weekend - that isn't acceptable.
Part of a nannies role is to do nursery duties - this includes things like children's laundry and bedding, tidying and vacuuming childrens rooms, tidying up communal areas where the children have made a mess, leaving the kitchen clean and tidy at the end of the day, with the dishwasher loaded, worktops wiped down and floor swept. I manage this whilst I've got children in my care, I wouldn't want to do a separate day of housekeeping.

I think your hours add up to around 30? So yes, in your contract you could say an hour or so of light cleaning per working day. Lots of nannies with only do what’s pertinent to the child though... so, clean the child’s room, playroom, tidy toys, child’s meals (not yours), child’s clothes (not yours) etc etc. But these things can be negotiated.

The nanny will likely want full time hours-some will be happy to clean others not to make up the hours. However, it may be cheaper to get a cleaner as the nanny would want a nanny salary to clean whereas a cleaner may be a couple of £ an hour cheaper.

www.nannytax.co.uk/what-we-do/membership-benefits/nanny-salary-index-2018-19

About £350 per week I think. You might have to factor in NI / pension etc.

Have a look at some nanny agencies online in the area of Scotland you’re intending to move to. If you have space, a live in nanny works out cheaper but factor in tax and their NI contributions. The agency will have all the details.
Do likewise with a cleaning company. They’ll be dearer than employing your own cleaner directly but likely more reliable as will cover any sickness etc. Some companies have a team of cleaners (say 3 or 4) who come in one day and thoroughly clean in 2 or 3 hours - so 6-12 hours total... some also do ironing. I’d recommend you have them the day prior to your days off so you can enjoy a peaceful clean home!
Au pairs are fabulous for when the children are much older especially during the long summer holidays when you’re working and certainly worth considering when your child is 8 or so.

Nursery can be very inflexible if your working pattern changes.

Live in nanny and a cleaner.

Not sure where shoulders came from!!!

I would choose a full time nanny for an 18 month old, then look at adding a few sessions at nursery or preschool as they get older. Nanny housekeepers are available but rare and usually want to work with families with older kids. Cleaning and childcare (to professional standards) are different shoulders and someone who has trained in childcare might not be that great at cleaning (or want to), likewise, some who is efficient at cleaning to a high standard might not be that good with kids. They are two separate roles.

Live in will be cheaper than live out (in my experience approx 2/3rds of the total employer cost of live out / but then you do need to factor in extra food and bills etc for another adult in the house).

You can have longer days with a live in (eg 7-7) and also two nights a week babysitting. Just need to set out expectations upfront and consult some agencies re fair pay.

Sadly a half day isn't half the price at nursery and it might be hard to get the flexibility you want with them, they tend to prefer fixed bookings.

Maybe you need a live in nanny?

Missed the unsocial hours bit!
I'd 100% go for live in nanny

You wouldn’t need nanny and nursery-you’d need a nanny as nursery won’t give you the long hours you need. Plus a cleaner.

What you need is a full time Nanny and a cleaning company, not an au pair. For long and unsociable hours with an 18 month old you want a professional who knows what they’re doing with children. Sounds like live in might be an option for you? An au pair does a few hours a week with older children, before school or some pick ups, babysitting, its a cultural exchange not a professional job