To remind you that you cannot use your au pair for childcare all day every day

[NoIDontWatchLoveIsland]

Its modern slavery unless you plan to pay them minimum wage for the hours.

I know several people doing this with children under 5 - using au pair for 10 hours a day all day. When they are only paid £80 a week.

I know people are struggling but its doesnt make it ok to abuse another person - please pay your au pairs appropriately if you are asking them to do full time.

Most families can't magic up a spare 4k a year!

Most families are paying a lot more than 4k a year for childcare until the child is in school. After-school and breakfast club probably runs at nearly £80 a week of you use it 5 days.

Sorry that was to DayBath

@2magpies1pigeon

And only a very small number of youth mobility visas are issued each year, and obviously many of these people won't be interested in au pairing.

I have basically accepted that my life (as a FT working professional who is also a single mother) is ruined.

I feel for the (often young) girls working in private nurseries. They get paid peanuts, and no holiday/sick pay either.

@CorianderBlues as employees of course they will be entitled to holiday and sick pay. Unless they are at term time nurseries and paid a set number of hours per year to exclude holidays, like teachers are.

And they will be entitled to at least statutory sick pay if they are employees.

Can you get in contact with an agency in Japan or Taiwan, and try to encourage an application from there?
I've done a quick check and it's possible for UK young people to be an aupair in the EU, subject to conditions set by each country for non EU citizens. But it'll be un uphill struggle I imagine, as it will be loads more hassle for the family that it has been in the past. Oviously higher expenses are involved.

Yeah sure. Free childcare hours mean anything to you? I know so many parents who work part time as by the time they've paid school clubs it's not worth it. I've come to the realisation that on MN everyone is way above minimum wage to have these sorts of views.

@2magpies1pigeon

Oh fuck. I wonder whether it will still be possible for UK people to aupair in the EU? I was hoping that would be open to my DC, now that Erasmus has gone. This seems to be the only possibility in terms of having an aupair in the UK, unless they're prepared to stay with you and help out without being paid: The UK Au Pair scheme now comes under Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme and only nationals from the following countries are eligible to apply for visas under the scheme:

Australia
New Zealand
Canada
Japan
Monaco
Taiwan
Republic of Korea
Hong Kong
NO OTHER NATIONALITIES ARE CURRENTLY ELIGIBLE.

My DD has just gone to au pair in Europe. She went just before the New Year so that she could apply for a visa over there. If she'd waited until 2021 she would have had to apply for her visa here in the UK and the embassies were in places she couldn't travel to until the lockdown is over (London & Edinburgh).

@2magpies1pigeon Is that addressed to me?

Unfortunately, I can see that there will be loads of competition for the limited number of au pairs that will exist, and my home and lifestyle are relatively modest. I also can't really afford a load of extra visa and health insurance fees.

Au pairing was a really fabulous and relatively easy option for my family as I use my au pair as a sort of mother's helper and treat her as a member of the family. (Plus with European au pairs it has been relatively low commitment prospect as it's easy for them to come for a short time or move home if they don't like au pairing or whatever). The red tape and extra expense involved with the new system, combined with the competition there will be for the few potential au pairs, are somewhat off-putting.

@underneaththeash she's 23 and genuinely such a lovely girl! I feel like it's more of an au pair relationship we have rather than a nanny if that makes sense as she's very much part of the family aka eating with us and spending a lot of time with us.

@DayBath

Yeah sure. Free childcare hours mean anything to you? I know so many parents who work part time as by the time they've paid school clubs it's not worth it. I've come to the realisation that on MN everyone is way above minimum wage to have these sorts of views.

It’s not “spare money” as you said in your previous quote, it’s the money which having an au pair enables you to earn, and even on relatively low wages it could make sense if (big if I know) you happen to have a suitable spare room.

The difference between a full time job and a 25 hour part time job on minimum adult wage is £4,860 after tax, which would cover minimum au pair pocket money, so the sums do stack up.

Where it really becomes worthwhile is if you can’t find a suitable part time job, so an au pair is the difference between working and not, or if all the better paying jobs are full time only so being able to go full time might get you 40 hours at 10 quid an hour rather than 25 (or a zero hour contract) at 8.72.

The sums are all different if universal credit is in the equation of course.

It’s not “spare money” as you said in your previous quote, it’s the money which having an au pair enables you to earn, and even on relatively low wages it could make sense if (big if I know) you happen to have a suitable spare room.
This ^^
In my line of work, with no childcare (we just moved and have no nursery place) I can earn about £600 a month. With childcare, I can earn £4-6k a month. But that doesn't fit the narrative.
As an aside, we've just moved to Ireland and I believe we have to pay full minimum wage as a PP said, regardless of extras. I approve of this wholeheartedly and think everyone should be paid fairly, and that the age related minimum wage in the UK is a fucking joke given how much is asked of younger people in the workplace.
I always thought that it was mental to leave your most precious babies with someone who you're not even paying minimum wage to and treating like shit. I'd never want to pay an aupair less than what they were worth.
There are plenty of other seasonal "travel abroad" jobs where young people are being exploited, and permanent "get a foot in the door" jobs where natives are exploited too and work all hours but can't live off what they are paid (I had a lot of jobs like this in my early career). But that doesn't make it right, it just shows we need to change all of it.

When I was 18 I was an Au Pair in the US. A 3 month old baby. 0730 - 1800. Not much money. Year before Louise Woodward I think.

Not sure it would be allowed now? Honestly, from socialising with the other au pairs, no way would I use one. Some were good, some appeared good, but you wouldn't want them in your house.

My au pair 15 years ago worked 830 until 4 min to Friday and only looked after my 2 year old
No chores-absolutely nothing
Plus spending money to do activities with DD
Anything she wanted from weekly shop

Therefore she loved our dd and family and she still visits us in the uk and we have met up abroad for holidays all this time later

Urgh

She was paid £100 s week

Is it still £80 for a week? 20 years ago I was paid £80 , I was certain it’s much more now. Oh well... Though I was very happy with that money and my family was nice. I worked all day M-F 7.30-6.30pm and looked after toddler twins and a little girl who I just needed to pick up from school.

I know of an au pair who looked after 4 children for a family, they all went to school but the mum was also a child minder, she had 2 under two all day, plus a child with ADD on different days of the week, plus another child who used to do the wrap around care for.
The mum was getting money for this children and the au pair was looking after them plus the housework. Mum was busy on the phone, drinking tea and smoking in the back garden.
Only day off for this young person was Saturday evening and Sunday, after doing all the ironing.
When the au pair left, feeling extremely guilty, the family wasn't very happy and found fault with everything she did. The mum vouched never to have an au pair again, but she changed her mind, and guess what, new au pair left after a few weeks, in a hurry.
Honestly some people are just piss takers.

It was 20 years ago, she got £45 a week

Your children are your most precious possessions or should be. Many will spend large amounts on hair and nails but don’t want to spend out for good quality child care!

Put into a little perspective.... But this isn't knowing the person's position, if they have no expenses, they are £80 clear a week.... That's between £320/400 clear a month, not many people have that much free cash after house, bills and food are paid for. They will pay no tax because they don't earn enough (whereas we have to pay tax before paying for food and rent) I think it's a good deal esp for a young person.

You can pay just over £2 an hour for a young apprentice......

@blueluce85

Put into a little perspective.... But this isn't knowing the person's position, if they have no expenses, they are £80 clear a week.... That's between £320/400 clear a month, not many people have that much free cash after house, bills and food are paid for. They will pay no tax because they don't earn enough (whereas we have to pay tax before paying for food and rent) I think it's a good deal esp for a young person.

You can pay just over £2 an hour for a young apprentice......

It's not a good deal if you are doing 10 hours a day...

Surely the first objective of good childcare is safe and age appropriate care. I've two young people who could act as au pairs and they wouldn't have a clue how to look after a child. I'm incredulous that anyone would be happy for their child to be looked after a poorly paid student.

@blueluce85

Put into a little perspective.... But this isn't knowing the person's position, if they have no expenses, they are £80 clear a week.... That's between £320/400 clear a month, not many people have that much free cash after house, bills and food are paid for. They will pay no tax because they don't earn enough (whereas we have to pay tax before paying for food and rent) I think it's a good deal esp for a young person.

You can pay just over £2 an hour for a young apprentice......

If they are treated properly it can be a good deal. If they're not, and many are not, then it's an awful deal.

I was an au pair 15 years ago when I came to this country and in the contract it was specified that I have to do "light housework", child minding, school run, cooking dinner for the kids, walk the dog etc. all in 25 hours/week. I was promised £55/week, food and accommodation and I was told I will be registered to an English course too. After I arrived here, things were a bit different. I had to clean their whole 4 floor house, iron all dad's shirts, wash their clothes, dishes, barely spent time with the kids and no way I was registered for an English course. I was new here and they took advantage of me because I couldn't speak very well English and didn't know what to do. One day I got the flu from one of the kids and after I recovered the lady said to me that "I DIDN'T EVEN APOLOGISE FOR BEING SICK" even though I offered to do the work like that but they didn't want me around them.
Many au pairs are treated unfairly and are taken advantage off.

@middleeasternpromise

The au pair scheme fits a very specific legal position - the financial contribution is seen as pocket money, paying more than the scheme recommended amounts means the host and/or au pair may have to pay TAX and NI. The scheme is meant to be a cultural and language exchange arrangement with light duties as part of the swap - it should never replace a child care need that is in excess of a that description.

That's in theory... many things are agreed beforehand and when you get here....nothing. I was not even told I should register with a GP or where is it. I was promised to be enrolled in an English course but it never happened as they said I have to pay for it. And my so called "pocket money" £55/week couldn't pay for that.

Au pair schemes are now illegal under Brexit