This is enough!(Au Pairs: Did you have an experience like this?)

[skyfall13]

Hello everyone!

I'm currently working as an au pair plus in London for 2 months.There are 3 children in the family,2 of them are teenagers so they are "independent".When I had the interview with them,they told me that I should do BASIC housework(ie: empty dishwasher,change bedding,hoover,wash the floors,laundry,cooking...) and once I accepted the job they gave a long list with things to do with NOT AT ALL basic housework:Clean windows,change parents pillow cases,clean the whole kitchen(I have to remove everything from the cupboards,clean them and place back),clean the parents bathroom...I didn't say anything because I needed the job(and they take advantage of this!!)
But yesterday they left for Holidays not so far from here(And they didn't even ask me if I wanted to go,I had to stay here to feed the pets...) and they left a note saying good bye and asking me(very politely) that now that no one is around the house I can do a deep cleaning and that I would be great if I could give their bedroom "a good clean".
Excuse me?
As far as I know an AP plus is someone who works more hours than the regular AP,but is not a maid.
So I'm leaving,I had enough.They think that being good and comprehensive is the same as being stupid.
Now I know why they had more than 24 AP before me.
I want to leave ASAP,so do you think appropiate if I call them to tell them that they have 2 weeks to find someone?
And should I do the rest of my tasks as a regular week?
Or should I just leave?(This is the option I want to take to be honest,they have not being nice to me at all so I don't know why I should be nice to them)

Did you ever have an experience like this?

sorry,I started working there 2 months ago(I wrote I work as an au pair for 2 months,but no,the plan was staying at least 6 months)

Don't abandon the pets! Can you pack up your things and leave the moment they get back?

No no no,I'm not abandoning the pets,that's why if I leave without notice I would wait until the night before they come and I would leave food for them(they are cats,I don't have to walk them or anything)

I love the way everyone immediately thinks of the pets! (I mean that completely seriously!)

By the way, OP, I think this family is just looking for a cheap resident cleaner - definitely leave asap. (after making sure the cats are all right, of course!)

When I was younger we had au pairs, but always had a cleaner too. So our au pairs did a bit of housework, but they mostly did the school run and cooked dinner a few times a week.

If they want a housekeeper, they should pay for one.

Wow! Can't really see their side of things ...

You aren't a housekeeper / nanny, and if you were, you'd be paid alot more and do better hours.

I'd leave. What else can they expect treating someone like that?

I had this in my first job, thought it was basic chores, school run, so took the job, moved from other side of the world, mother had different ideas. Cleaning every day, all their bed sheets, business shirts (about 10 A week!!!!!) didn't sign up for that amount of cleaning. So got a new job, gave them
5 weeks notice, she kicked me out after 2 weeks with nowhere to go! Awful!

Thank you very much for your replies.
Even if I don't feel comfortable being here anymore,I've decided to wait until they come back and tell them that they have two weeks to find someone to replace me.I realized that I don't want to runaway from my problems,I want to face them and being professional until the last day here.

Thank you again.

Make sure you have a plan B in case they kick you out on the spot

Especially if you are not going to carry out that deep clean of the house that they oh-so-politely asked you to do (and I wouldn't be doing it!).

That's sounds awfully like they are taking advantage and I would not do the clean personally. However, I can also see that you have no other responsibility whilst the family away and they want their money's worth. (Not right of them even so). Could you clean for the hours you would normal do child care. I only say this because you may need a reference. Could you in future have a settling in period of a month?
Is it possible to have a meeting with them and explain how u happy you are?
AP are not cleaners. They should have asked you first.
It always amazes me when people spend a lot of money in shoes and life style but want to scrimp when paying someone decently to look after what should be their most precious things, their children.
Best of luck

When I was child we had au-pairs. They did all the cleaning and cooking. We had them through my teenage years, and my Mum made it very clear what the responsibility of the au-pairs was e.g. being in the house when we got home from school so there was someone there, but that was time that they could use to do the cooking/cleaning. Although our au-pairs did do the cleaning, they wouldn't have been asked to do a deep clean. When I was an au-pair, I also did all of the cleaning in the host house. And I changed bedclothes, and I looked after a baby of 4 months. People would have a heart attack if I described the job I did. But it was within the required hours, and my family were lovely, and I knew what they wanted me to do.

I think that the issue here is not the fact that you have to do cleaning per-se (as long as it isn't over and above your contractual hours), but rather that what they expect is not what you thought your job would be. Also, the fact that they are getting you to do so much deep cleaning is not acceptable.