Prospective au Pairs requests fair or not?

[scrummummy]

Hi I am currently looking for an au pair. I am down to 2.
Lets call them A and B-
A: childcare experience but not been to the uk or been an au pair before, wants to learn english for her career not childcare or teaching. can start in 5 weeks
B: has been au pair in london before but left as there were too many hours 40-45(??) She is coming back to the uk in next week.

Now we ideally would like au pair to start in 2/3 weeks (I have been looking for a month or so)

Now B has asked if she will be getting a 1-4 monthly travel card. I stated in my as that I would provide a 3-4 travel card and a monthly bus card or once started a school and had student id a monthly 1-4 card. My thinking is a 1-4 card is over £150 a month but a student one is around £80.

B then said that she wants one from day 1 aibu to think this is a bit much on day 1? I replied that after 1 month we could talk about it.
So aibu or is she?

Why don't you want to give her the travel card from day 1.. why should she wait for a month or so? The very first month is the hardest time for an Au-Pair, away from home, no friends around etc. and this is when they need to get out the most to meet new people, explore the area etc.

I'm not stopping her getting around, she'll have a bus pass. but not a travel card until school starts.

id give her the trav card..

start the au pair - - host fam 'relationship' on the right note

This is the one who said she had to work 40-45 for the other family- she's had one family where it didn't work out? We cover costs for the travel they do for us as part of the job which I in my exp is normal. I would hold off on he extras until you see his she's going to work out with you. TBH I wouldn't have a great feeling about it if your terms are otherwise reasonable. If really isn't a common or garden benefit.

She is unreasonable. This is an extra which you don't even have to provide.
As a compromise you can tell her that you can cover up to 80 gbp of first month travel card if she chooses to buy one, the rest is on her.

Tbh if she left first family, even left UK without trying to find a new family and now puts demands on you I would be a little bit cautious of choosing her at all.

By the way we also only cover transport costs for the travel they do as part of their job only. Monthly travel card is generous.

We provide a bike! In Zone 3. Hardly any travel required for work. I think she IBU.

She is sounding a bit demanding. Which zone do you live in for starters?

I suggest, for the first month, buy an Oyster and just add a certain amount of cash. She can go to Leicester Square or all the way out to Amersham if she so chooses....

Then do the student one if that is a perk that you want to give.
But I am getting a few red flags about her attitude.

thanks sane reasoning at last I posted this on Aibu and I am according to mn.
I saw a C today lovely girl can start asap already in London after 1 hr she asked about travel cards I said yes 1-4 from start.

I don't give a travelcard either - just pay for travel as part of childcare (we can walk to school and everything in walking distance here).

I would agree, it's not a good sign if they are very demanding from the start if all your other terms are normal. I have learnt that the bad way with my new au pair who moans about everything!

so Beastie advice please never had one before

Beastie do you live in. London?

I have had 8 APs over 6 years and no one has demanded a travel card. We were in harrow and now in south London. No work requirements for travel. The most demanding girl we had (questions re college course which were reasonable) at interview stage turned out to be an opinionated PITA. The signs were there!

I am slightly concerned OP because I have recently agreed to take an AP whose last family made her work 45 hours a week having said 30 hours in interview and she is meant to be starting with us at the end of Aug. I hope we're not speaking to the same one!

I've also been talking to AP who works 'full time' for current family and is coming back to UK next week after a holiday. Hopefully not the same one!

Regarding the travel card, yes she seems demanding, especially if you already stated what you would offer and now she's asking for more. We provide a bike for local travel which is especially popular with our au pairs in the summer, less so in the winter. I also pay for their young persons railcard so they can get discounted travel, give them some credit on an Oyster card when they first arrive to get them started and thereafter pay for work-related (childcare) travel only. Now I see a student railcard is so cheap I might consider that in the future in place of some other perks but I certainly wouldn't pay the full £150 a month for a travelcard!

Is she French by any chance? In Paris I think its the norm for au pairs to be provided with their Metro travel card (although AP pay is quite low) so I have found French au pairs are more likely to ask if they are getting a travel card during the interview.

Oops sorry, I mistyped - I meant now I see a student travelcard is so cheap I might consider offering it in future.

B has a bit too much 'tude. Hire A.

We live in West London and many years of nannies and au pairs have only ever had a greater london bus pass from me. It costs about £70 per month. Travel card most certainly not a uaual perk.

Most of our au pair's friends envy her mobile phone, iPad, gym membership. Don't know of any who get a travel card.