To get an aupair or not, that is the question!!! What is it really like having an aupair?

We have had many au pairs over the years and they work pretty much identically to dannyb's. We have been paying for English lessons recently, but to me they seem cheap at £50 for a whole term (10 weeks), 1 x 2 and a half hour lesson/week. I figure that it's in our interest for them to speak & understand English better.

to me it also sounds like as one of the typical aupair jobs

Dannyb
Do you mind saying which agency.

I think your aupair job is very classic, danny.

I have had 2 au pairs and employed both of them through an agency. My au pair works 25 hours a week, 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon although this will change a little after the summer. She does a combination of childcare (giving children breakfast, playing with and looking after them for a couple of hours at a time) and cleaning. She gives the house a good dust and hoover twice a week and this includes cleaning the bathrooms. She also does the childrens washing and changes their beds once a week. I do our washing and making and changing beds. She does most of the ironing but I tend to share it with her.

I have run this past the agents I use and they are all in agreement that this is fine for an aupair. I do not ask her to clean out cupboards, clean silver or do major spring cleaning, I either do this myself or get my old cleaner to come in for a one off clean.

As my husband works very long hours she does not eat with us but I do cook for her most evenings and she heats it up at lunchtime or else makes herself some pasta or eggs.

She babysits 2 nights a week and is out all other nights as she has made lots of friends in the area. We gave her an oyster card with £10 on it, a PAYG mobile with £20 and she has a TV, freeview and DVD player in her room which is ideal as she watches seriously crap TV. She is also welcome to use our broadband and laptop in her free time.

No template.

It is just a list of duties and expectations.

squeaky - did you devise your own agreement or can you but a template? Any advice? Thanks

We do that, via email, during the negotiation stage before they arrive.

Another question for those already with AP's - do you agree anything in writing at te begining of the AP's stay, or is it more informal than that?

it would certainly be less than once a month if it was left to me to do.

I'm surprised that your house needs more than 8 hours of cleaning a week. Our house is large and it survives on that. It's quite clean too!

We could not possibly survive on hoovering and cleaning only twice a week!

I think the house could take a full clean 3x a day! (it doesn't get it though).

no hoovering? wow

She comes twice a week and does four hours a day. She does lots of stuff. The AP is expected to do normal tidying but no hoovering/cleaning with sprays and polishes etc

We have a cleaner who comes once a week to do the 'heavy' stuff (which I call changing sheets, cleaning bathrooms, washing floors & hoovering and dusting throughout)

The AP is expected to do 8 hours of her 25 each week doing the lighter stuff , which involves a daily wipe round the kitchen, tidying stuff up during the week and helping with 'light ironing' (stuff like duvet covers and our work clothes all go away to be pressed, the kids clothes are done by the nanny, so it is just the leftover stuff that she is expected to do). I think for many AP's the 8 hours might be more like 12 (half their hours). It all depends on what the AP and family are happiest with.

c) if they were to be treated as a tourist and therefore used europian health insurance card from their country (while continuing paying health insurance in their home country), the travel insurance would cover more costs then the card. but i think they always get treated as uk residents.

eventhough eligible for nhs treatment, the aupair might to want to get travel insurance in their home country for
a) beeing transported home in case of illness/death
b/ because they might need a proof that they were insured abroad to their health insurance company at home when they discontinue health insurance at home

Does your cleaner come every day, QC?

Does your cleaner come every day, QC?

Our AP does not do any cleaning as we have a cleaning lady. I think whoever posted about Au-pairs from the EU and just registering at the doctors is right. Healthcare insurance only really becomes an issue for AP's from non-EU countries. The issue of paying for language courses is a bit surprising though because our local college has started charging for EU residents now - where previously they didn't.

Sorry to hijack marshmellow -

for those who already have an au pair, do you have a cleaner as well? How much cleaning is your au pair required to do?

Mine is German squiffy, have had a good Finn too.

The only issue with GP is short term/summer aps - mine will only see them if I/they fill in a TR form (temp resident) but this form only lasts a certain amount of days, so I have one here to be filled in in case of need. Will not register them as the cost in man hours etc to do so for 8 weeks stay is not worth it.

Our EU AP's have always been able to enrol with local GP and not had to pay. Would be a surprise if this has changed?

why do you need health insurance ( see previous post) for an au pair if she is from EU?