Au pair expectations/renumeration

[splasheeny]

I'm really interested to hear what other people pay their au pairs, and also what hours/duties they expect?

Also what perks do you offer to keep your au pair happy?

We pay £100/week, they have a car during the week and can often use at weekends too (but need to pay for petrol), railcard, gym membership and food allowance (as they don't eat with us most nights).
Duites include nursery collection and school collection, various household stuff - we have a cleaner for a big clean once a week and ironing. Usually no homework, I work occasionally and study occasionally so sometime she will do a full ish day and then do less the other days.
Plus 1-2 night babysitting.
£100 is the going rate round here as its a fairly expensive area, but not inside London.

£120 a week: 30 hours max which included after school care 3 times a week, drop off twice a week, one full clean (3 hours), ironing 1 hour a week and babysitting including Saturday night twice a week. No extras. She left after 18 months and came back again 3 months later on 12-15 hours and £70 doing 2 drop offs, 2 pick ups, one full clean, 1 hour of ironing and 1-2 babysits a week. In total she has been with us over 2 years.

Our situation is unusual that a) she has stayed so long and b) that she does so few hours now and there are reasons for that. We have always made it clear to our aupairs that we expect them to clean and babysit on a Saturday night but never on a Friday night which seems to be a preferred night for going out. Those are non negotiable and are standard aupair roles around here. I don't offer perks to keep them happy either. I pay a fair rate, I treat them with respect, I expect my children to treat them with respect and I have realistic expectations of what I believe they can can should be able to do. I also have slightly older girls, in their early to mid twenties who have lived away from home before and have found they have all been quite confident and happy to find their own social lives.

We have had aupairs now for about 8 years and they have all stayed for at least 18 months and we are still in touch with them all so I do think that we must be doing something ok.

We are in London in a nice neighbourhood close to several Tube lines. It's the sort of area au pairs fight to be in and everyone I know here pays between £80-£90 a week with no additional "perks".

Our au pair does 7-9am Mon-Fri (breakfast and drop off), then 3.30-6.30 Mon-Thurs (pick-up, clubs, play dates and dinner). So 22 hours a week with Fridays free from 9am and weekends free. She does two free babysittings a week but we rarely use both. If we need extra hours (e.g if one child is sick) then we pay more.

She doesnt need to use transport with the kids so we dont pay her Oyster or anything. she has a lovely en suite room and she eats with us every night. We take her along on family outings if she wants to come.

I have an AuPair that I am struggling with at present and considering looking for a new one I pay them £100 per week and she has nothing to pay at all as we cover all living costs and food.

I am not sure whether this is the going rate as many people at work say I am paying too much that they pay £80 per week as the cost of living/food tops this up significantly. She works from Mon-Fri from 8:30am-5:30pm with 9-11:30am every weekday free as my youngest is at nursery and eldest is at primary school.

I am really having to hand hold her and have had several chats with not much changing - I work full time and am expecting my third child and my partner works long hours and isn't home until late so I am finding it harder with an AuPair than what I did with a childminder and living on my own - surely this shouldn't be the case?!

If anyone could give me some guidance/advice if they have experienced a 'not so great' AuPair before that would be really helpful.

Thanks

EIC1984 - it could be because you're expecting too much - 32+ hours for an au pair (they should be working around 25). You're bound to find it more difficult, you can't expect professional child care for £100/week.
Au pairs are another pair of hands to help you out, not full time child care.
You may want to re think your childcare.

That definitely isn't an au pair job. 6 hours childcare for a preschooler is too much for an inexperienced, underpaid au pair. The problem is not necessarily au pair - it's your expectations.

We pay £80 a week. Home Counties, about an hour from London. After school five days per week until around 7pm. Covers basic housework, ironing, homework, taxi driver for activities and preparing meals. Car for use most of the time when not working. Four weeks paid holiday, plus the odd long weekend. Most weekends off. We regularly invited them to join us for days / meals out (and pay) - and they do not work then (our DC are 10 and 12). We treat them as an adult member of the family and put ourselves out for them sometimes and expect the same in return.

Despite the odd moan on here, we've had eight au pairs over the last five years (mainly planned for 6 month stays), and most have been great. Half have been back to visit and stay and we're hoping to go to the wedding of our first au pair over the summer. I reckon that shows we've got the balance about right!

We pay 80 for 25 hours plus travelcard for all London Zones. We live outside London but it still Zone 6 on the Tube. Hours are 7:30 - 9:00 and 3:00 - 6:00 plus very light cleaning.

We pay 90 per week for pre and post school for 7 year old. No cooking or cleaning (but she does muck in). We are flexible, so she gets days off when iWork at home or a week off to go to exams, but then she will mind the kids for full days during school holidays.

In London, good area, we pay 70 per week plus travel card which is worth an additional 30 pounds a week. No additional perks except lovely room and own bathroom plus allowed to have guests to stay every 6 weeks and when we are away

Helps with kids before and after school time, clears up in kitchen, tidies kids' room and puts away laundry (25 hours in total). I would generally also expect some babysitting but stuck at home with new baby at the moment