finding an au pair in the countryside...?

[satinandsilk]

We are thinking of moving out of London to rural Oxfordshire - we haven't found a property yet, but would be in a small town/village and definitely near mainline to London as I will be commuting.
Does anyone have any experience of recruiting an an au pair/au pair plus in the countryside? I imagine it would be pretty hard? Childcare is one of the factors we are considering as we mull over when/where to move. We will have three children aged five/six and under. We have not used an au pair before.

We live in Berkshire in a small village and have had 2 au pairs. Have a bus stop outside home but only comes every 2 hours, train station to London at least 10-15 min drive. Nearest big town 20 minutes drive. Last year we went through an agency and this year through au pair world, always had a choice too. We have 5 children and one with special needs - so I would say you won't find it a problem going on my experience.

What will you need the AP to do? Will you need them to drive to school/nursery for example? That would substantially increase you can insurance.

Are you prepared to compensate with a slightly increased salary? Will you be nearish a town with English lessons?

You will find people but it depends on the package you are offering. You will need to strike a balance between compensating for not being in London and not making it too attractive so the cash lures unsuitable candidates.

The pay might not be the biggest question.

How far are you from a town that'll allow a social life?

Are there other au-pairs around who you can put them in touch with (you can figure this out from facebook).

Is there a language school nearby?

Do you have friends in London (which isn't far) who'd put them up for a weekend so they can enjoy it without blowing the budget? (we do this for a friends au-pairs in the countryside and they get to hang out with ours if they wish).

Will you give them a car? While I'm in London and had a many au-pair friends in rural areas tell me that you really do need to get them a car. And, there's the car running costs plus insurance - which is generally huge for someone of typical au-pair age (£2-3k per annum)

I know lots of au-pair who've loved the countryside, but they do need to get to feel like there not totally isolated and alone.

Most au-pairs come for an experience. So if you can still offer that...

Hello satin and silk,

That is a nice Nik :D, try using AP world to find an au pair or look up in the local search here on mumsnet and netmums.

Alternatively you can also try looking up sites like childcare and fab

www.findababysitter.com/find-childcare/typ-au-pair/loc-oxfordshire%2c-south-england

www.childcare.co.uk/searc/Au+Pair/Oxford/

Before moving there do make a list of local agencies who you can try asking too!