Sacked the AP, atmosphere in house.

[BoffinMum]

Just that, really.
Bit stressed.

I haven't found any of my Spanish au pairs to be in the least bit dramatic, no eye-rolling, gestures or hyperbole at all in fact. I'll admit that four isn't exactly a compelling sample size though, and I don't really like dramatic people so I probably subconsciously edited out the overly gushy ones, even if they were gushing in a positive way.

The one thing that I did find is that the northerners (one Basque and one Catalan) completely got the Irish sense of humour, dark and bitter like our Guinness, whereas the other two (Madrid and Seville) had to be eased into it somewhat. Also the two northerners found it easier to cope with the weather, the guy from Madrid had terrible recurring tonsillitis/sore throat when the weather was wet and the woman from Seville was always the wrong temperature and constantly putting on and taking off jumpers, I think she just wasn't used to the humidity here. I've occasionally long-listed people from the far South/Canaries but I strongly suspect that they would actually dissolve in the constant rain here.

Some AP experience but this really relates to choosing "staff" in the hotel we used to own. If we employed highly qualified staff with degrees etc, very often they felt the job, even though it was just for the summer, was beneath them. They would tell off the full time, permanent staff as they felt anyone working full time in an hotel was probably stupid. One memorable one was given a job to do (say, wash a few pots) and would then immediately re-assign the job to someone else, often the person who had given her the job to do in the first place. However, those who genuinely valued the job, perhaps because they wanted a career in hospitality, worked harder and tried more.

I would hesitate to employ someone who though the job a "step down" ie teacher to childminder.

ArtandCo, this was a regular agreement as one of the DCs has an appointment then, and he's been doing it for about 5 months. He just decided this week that while he is not always physically present at the times he is supposed to be working for me, because he feels like a lie down or wants to go out for some reason, even if I am paying him for that time, if I need 30 minutes at another point in the day I should pay overtime. That's simply not reasonable and why I have as they say, taken the 'ump.

We've had Spanish APs before and they weren't like this at all. This man will hardly let me speak without interrupting, accusing me of shouting at him, and being very accusatory. It doesn't matter if I am asking him to put a towel away or asking him why he is sleeping on the job. I reckon he is poor at planning, unused to picking up after himself, and actually does not really know how to sustain an effort at a job. I am sure he wouldn't have got through a PGCE here, to be honest.

Roseforme, there is some truth in what you say, I think.

Oh boff :(

It does sound like he's a bit immature and sees APing as beneath him and frankly you don't need the aggro especially with GCSEs looming. Temp nanny sounds a good plan.

Ah, NomdeClavier, tis yourself. How is the offspring and life in sunny climes?

I am very tempted by a temp nanny, although as we well know, they can be equally bonkers.

I will admit to ringing the agency at The Place We Don't Mention amongst others. This could work out brilliantly (which it did once) or provide fodder for any number of future threads.

Only something like 10 more years of childcare to go!!

Well, he has flounced out in a very petulant, dramatic manner.
In his former room I found:

cups, bowls and plates with food on them
rubbish
cider poured all over the mattress
wank tissues
all the presents we ever gave him ripped up and despoiled

and

hamster cage, bedding, straw, food and so on.

I'm assuming you didn't know about the hamster?

Life is no longer sunny, tis windy and rainy, and I have an additional sprog.

At least if the temp is crazy you know it's only 6 weeks, and for the first 2 they usually make an effort.

Eurgh what an absolute fool. Sorry bof :(

You poor thing. So glad he's gone. Where did you get him? Can you provide feedback?

I'd get the room industrially cleaned.

I read threads like this and my plans to go back to work retreat further into the future

Boff you do seem to have awful bad luck with your childcare, hope you can find someone fun and reasonably sane for a couple of months.

Oh that is so grim, and tells us very clearly where the fault was.

WHERE IS THE HAMSTER? And is that related to the wank tissues?

Good luck next time.

Wow. Was he associated with an agency? I'd give them feedback if so.

Where's the hamster? Has it got on the flight home too or is it still in situ?!

Ali - yes. I hear you!

Are you sure it was not a Siberian hamster?

(Sorry about your crap ap).

Oh Boffin I'm sorry to laugh but you were hugely ambitious to think that a Latin male graduate would take well to minor domestic employment in a Northern European household!

It sounds like you new a proper nanny, ideally live out. Look at greycoat nannies, they are very professional. And a cleaner. All seperate, all go home when not working

So, were my two immensely successful, laid-back, helpful, male, graduate, Spanish au pairs an anomaly then Bonsoir? I've got a third starting in June so I hope not.

Blimey, hope he's not let the hamster out and its now got the run of your house.

I have to admit that I sniggered at the hamster. I hope doesn't chew through your electrics. Our cleaner changes the bed linen in our au pair's room, which is handy as she would tell me of anything irregular like wank tissues or a hamster.

Oh good riddance to the twat.

We had a terrible foreign student who left on similar but worse bad terms. And also did the thing of being rude to the woman when the man of the house wasn't there. It was more offensive than if he had been rude to me all the time tbh!

His bedroom was riddled with dirty cotton buds when he left. [I have only just noticed we don't have a vomit face]

Oh goodness, is the hamster still in the cage?!

another one who is wondering where the hamster is - my bet is that he has let him loose to do damage to the house.

And at the state he left the room - I reckon he's not only hacked off about how completely unfair you were as an employer for not paying him for every moment he was living under your roof but he now realises that his cushy number has come to a premature end and he's been sent home with his tail between his legs and that's going to be embarrassing to explain away, especially as you didn't give him all that money he needed for being asleep