Is this okay for an Au Pair?

@thegirlwithaprince
mon to wed 8 to 9 and 3 to 5 is 9hrs
thur and fri 10 till 2 is 8hrs
not sure where you are getting 14 from

But it is also the positioning of those hrs prevents college type attendance really, on top of that one nights babysitting and things rack up. I suppose it depends what else you are including in there e.g. travel, phone, car, food etc. Its not a race to the bottom in terms of how much she is paid etc. As to using babysitters there is no commitment there and you could easily be let down at the last minute - but you also assume that the babysitter has that level of availability week in week out. If you are in that sort of long term sitting agreement they really become an employee not a sitter especially as the times of the work are so specific

@CorianderLord Not for an au pair.

If she's over 20 £6 is below minimum wage per hour

Your friend needs a childminder.

Babysitters around here charge £8 per hour roughly and dont require food or accomodation.

If it’s a regular thing, then it isn’t a babysitter but a part-time nanny. As the employer, you’re responsible for a contract, pension, national insurance etc and you do need to pay at least the minimum wage so £8 p/h wouldn’t be legal in most cases.

So that’s very different to having an au pair stay and get pocket money.

@TheGirlWithAPrince

Plus i like it when people say Au pairs should be like big sisters but i wouldnt make my other child take my children to school or make them dinners like others do

I do - well mostly holidays clubs, etc - It's the main reason I am keen for my eldest to pass her driving test!

I think your friend needs to read up on this a lot more if she doesn't have experience of au pairs. In my experience, they work best when they fit into your family like a much older sister or a cousin or something.

£85 is okay - just - if the family are also paying for the English lessons and a travelcard.

That all sounds okay (I suspect your post trended and you got a lot of ransoms posting who don’t have much au pair knowledge).

The main issue at the moment is finding anyone..,there are very few au pairs on au pair world at the moment who are willing to come to the U.K due to a combination of brexit and Covid.

She should put her ad on for £85/week on au pair world. Big up the fact it’s only 14 hours and also that’s she’s happy for them to get a second job.

To those talking about NMW. This isn't relevant. The au pair is receiving all board and lodging as part of her payment so the weekly £80 is basically just spending money!

I was an au pair ten years ago.

I think the scenario you are describing sounds perfectly fair for the standard payment of around £80 per week. That's assuming that the mum will pay for English lessons as well as the travel card.

It is important that the job doesn't subtly keep expanding once the au pair arrives. I was thoroughly overworked. I loved the kids otherwise I would have walked out.

Taken from au pair.com

An Au Pair has different responsibilities according to the Host Family needs. The main task is taking care of the children and playing with them. As a temporary family member the Au Pair is also expected to participate in light housework, for example, folding the children's clothes and cleaning the table.
www.aupair.com › p-duties
Au Pair responsibilities and duties: what should Au Pair do?

I think there might be a site that sets it all out but I can't link.

That's too little money for too much work as an au pair. You can spot families taking you for a walk a mile away. I was paid more than that to pick up an 8+10 year old from the local school and look after them until 6pm every night. I didn't even have to do their dinner. I often did though because I was part of the family and liked helping. No other cleaning duties etc. This was in 2010 and I was paid €100 per week. Come on, be nice.

No, that's not what aupairs should be doing.

They are a big sister and meant to be part of the family, and definitely not in sole charge of two very young children.

My children are still in touch with their aupairs we had when they were little. We paid £100 a week plus a phone sim. Their job was to help me out and improve their english, plus a couple of nights a week babysitting if needed.

I'd not have been comfortable asking a 18/20 year old to get two toddlers ready for nursery on their own. You'd need about 8 arms for that 😆 If Mum is available until 8, then you shift the timetable earlier so they are doing things together, mum and aupair. Aupair is just an extra, not the care giver on a regular basis.

Too many hours for an au pair. The Mon to Wednesday routine would be ok but childcare during the rest of the week is too much. School age children is ok for an au pair but two toddlers is taking the piss somewhat.
The payment suggestion sounds very low. I paid £80 a week 25 years ago to our au pair.

That is not what Au Pairs are supposed to be doing....

I think £75 - £85 is too low. Your children are very young.

The au pair would be doing 23 hours a week,
minding two toddlers for £3.26 an hour

Tbh I think your friend should think about what 'au pair ' actually means.