How does your au pair deal with kids?

[Migsy1]

AP has been with us for 7 weeks. I am disappointed with the skills she has with the boys (5, 8,10). I am at home for most of the time she is looking after them so I can hear what is going on. Basically, she does not fully engage with them and only speaks to them to ask what they want to eat or drink. She has not even bothered to learn how to use the TV remote control (it is complicated - BT Vision) so that she can put the TV on for my 5 year old. One of her jobs was to get them ready for school in the morning but she is unable to do so because of her poor communication skills and therefore I have removed this task from her. I get her to put their breakfast out though.
My ES told me yesterday that she gets on his nerves, has no personality and is the most boring person he has ever met.

I am wondering what other people's APs do with the kids? Maybe I am expecting too much.

metrobaby - I told her today that I didn't need her any more. I gave the recession as an excuse. I am so relieved. TBH, I had doubts about her from day one. I remember on the first weekend taking her to the park with the boys and she interacted with nobody. She had said earlier in the day that she played basketball and when we got to the park I met a teenage girl I know who was playing basketball (just taking throws). My ES joined in with the girl and I asked AP to have a go and she said "no" and refused point blank to join in. I thought that was weird since she had already told me that she played the game. She paid no attention to the kids in the park that day and she has been weird and useless ever since. She has never engaged with my boys at all. She came with excellent references. Unbelievable! Actually, she is good at cleaning but I already have a cleaner. I have had so many sleepless nights over this. I am so relieved she is going and so are the boys. I have been so traumatised by this experience that I don't think I will ever get an AP again.

I just wanted to agree with the comments about Au Pair World being a good alternative should you decide to consider an au pair again! We were badly let down by an au pair we got from an agency who arrived and decided she was homesick in about 24 hours, then left immediately with no notice! She avoided the agencies calls and seems to have decided she can't cope with being away from home. The agency have offered us very poor substitutes and wouldn't refund our money but after a certain amount of sifting and skype interviewing we got a very good shortlist of au pairs via Au Pair World. Hopefully our chosen Au Pair is going to take the job but if not any of the others would be fine. I would definitely take a good look at it. We had over 100 applicants in the last 10 days or so even though we restricted ourselves to au pairs from one country only. The quality of many of the applicants was better than the agency's au pairs - we should have used Au Pair World the first time round. If you PM me I could give you some pointers on how we sifted through the applicants to get a shortlist. There are many time-wasters on Au Pair World too but you can quickly eliminate them. And, at least if the au pair doesn't work out there is no agency fee wasted.