Going rate for an au pair and other stuff?

[Catzenobia]

We are thinking of getting an au pair from January to help with DD (4) and DS (will be 2). It will be for 25 hours a week plus 2 nights babysitting and a mixture of school run and after school care for DD and helping out generally with the house, children, cooking. We are in the Oxford area so lots to do. Have Googled a bit but there seem to be huge differences on pocket money depending on where I look so wanted some Mumsnet expertise... and any other tips!

Rural area-2 kids (7 and 10 )

Between 20-25 hours a week. Babysitting- maybe once a month.

£70 a week plus use of car. They bump this up by walking next doors dog once a day for a further £20 a week.

Did pay the last aupairs language course as well but at £350 I dn't think I'd do that again.

£80-£100 a week in my experience. For the sake of good will (as it affects your precious children!) it's worth slightly overpaying. And of course, lots now 'overpay' and so it's the norm

But seriously, we are between aupairs at the moment... And easily pay this per week just in babysitters. And so, I am inclined to come down on the side of aupairs and say they are worth paying £80-100.

Are you expected to pay for au pair language courses generally?

Also, by "use of car" do you mean you have a car available for the au pair to use all the time (i.e. a second car) or just that she/he can use yours when you aren't?

We pay £75 p/w (plus obv cover any costs, phone, travel for our bits etc.) No gym, no access to car. ~20 hrs p/w.

We don't pay for language courses.

APs get lots and lots of paid leave though (cause DH is a teacher.)

East London.

The only people I know who offer use of the car by the way is if they need the au pair to take their children places. I don't know anyone who pays for insurance etc just for it to be a perk. WOuld be curious to hear whether there are people though.

We're in South Oxfordshire and paid £70/week for a very similar role. I didn't pay for language classes and didn't give them use of the car, although I did offer to collect from the station before 11pm if they went out in the evening and missed the last bus, as long as DH was home to stay with the DC. We don't have an au pair this academic year but I would again in the future if I needed that wrap-around care, as it worked well for us, in the main.

Au pair did't expect us to pay for language course but as our current aupair wanted to stay a fr a long stretch- we offered to. That was before the Tories cut the funding for courses and the fee trebeled!!!!! Couldn't really say- Oh weve changed our minds now.

As for car- theoretically aupair pretty much has sole use of it. She needs one to take girls to school and has it at her disposal in her free time. However, we do have rules attached (responsible for own traffic offences, responsible for any damage caused through their own fault when driving in own time, need to check with us about car use during holidays, don't really like them taking it on longer journeys- 100 miles plus etc.)

Have to say that we have decided to limit the car use with the next aupair becaue despite these rules, in reality we end up forking out when they go for a jolly miles away and come back with 2 punctures etc. Not overly thrilled with finiding empties strewn in the back after a heavy weekend etc....

We are in a rural area 2 kids (6 & 9), we pay £90 for a 30-32 hour week.
Babysitting is rare for which I pay extra. Our AP has full use of the car during the week for the school run and after school activities, to go to language school and for her own use.

During the weekend we say AP can use it for local trips but not for going into London.

I've never paid for language schools, but have offered to part pay for next term. I also part pay for the use of the local gym.

"Rural" London suburb, 2 kids (7 and 5), 35 hrs per week, some ad hoc babysitting, £100 per week. Includes exclusive use of bicycle and use of car on weekends when I'm not using it, but I expect petrol to be at the same level on Monday it was at on Friday evening. Strict no alcohol ("not a drop") policy when they're driving, but it's never been a problem with any au pair we've had. I've never paid (nor been asked to pay) for language schools, but only one of our au pairs has ever gone to a course - the others have had such good English they didn't need it.

North west London. 20- 25 hours, 2 babysitting evenings per week. I pay 80 per week. In addition I contributed with 200 Gbp towards first English classes and put 10 pounds on the sim for the first month.

Greater London (zone 6). 30 hours, 2 babysitting eves per week (although not always used) - £90 per week. we also give a £10 per month mobile phone allowance and a mobile. We pay for 28 days holiday per year - but it can work out more as we generally do not use them over the school holidays.

We don't pay anything towards language courses as most of our Au-Pairs have not bothered with them. I don't pay for flights home either, but may take and drop them off at the airport.

Nice advertising Mila