Advice on getting an au pair..

[megglewell]

We're thinking of getting an au pair to look after our 4mth old and 3 yr old as I've got a great job offer to work 3 days. Not sure how to go about it- any good agencies to register with? Things to watch out for? Any advice appreciated..thanks!

You want an au-pair to look after a 4 month old baby, whilst you are out of the house all day?

An au-pair does not tend to have that much childcare experience... you may get lucky and find someone perfect, who has baby experience and may even have some training from their country, but it's more likely to be someone in their late teens who does not know that much about babies.

Why an au-pair, not a live-in nanny? If you asked for a nanny, then someone applying would know it's primarily a childcare job, not just a few hours helping around the home.

Some message threads you may wish to read:

for 9 month old and 2 year old
What does your au-pair do?
Questions about au-pair duties

I really really would not get an au pair to take sole charge of a 4 mth old for any more than an hour or two.

I had two au pairs, but they were just for pre and after-school care of a 9 year old. One of them left in the middle of the night after running up a huge phone bill. The other was lovely and I probably would have trusted her for a day with a toddler, but not regularly. Too much to ask of an au pair - unless things have really changed

Thanks all, did think that but wasn't sure if some au pairs were more experienced. Will look into childminders and nannies instead (what's the difference between a childminder and a live-out nanny btw?)

Live-out nanny comes to your home, they are your employee. You get to say when they work, what they do.

A Childminder provides a service at their home. They care for children from multiple families. They are a business, they have their own terms, policies and procedures to which you have to agree.