Au pair babysitting New Year's Eve

[BelleCurve]

My au pair has asked me for a reference for babysitting New Year's Eve for another local mum.

As it happens I am going out NYE, and would happily pay her extra to babysit for me. I usually pay £30 per evening if she does extra babysitting (rarely) and would pay £50/60 for NYE as she would mostly be asleep anyway!

She is now asking me for £20 per hour - is this reasonable?

It doesn't matter, my plans are still a bit vague anyway so will probably give it a miss. Does everyone really book up NYE in October, then?

I thought I was Ms Advanced - planning!

Tbh most nannies I know charge £15 per hr on a regular night, so charge £30 per hr nye. I don't think you can only pay her £50 for the night and make her work when you hadn't asked her.
It's less than 8 weeks away so yes many will be booked up
It's like many maternity nannies will be booked up months in advance so you need to book when your early in pregnancy to get the best ones available

Mind you dh registered ds's for school at 6 days old also!

I'm not "making" her work. She advertised for additional babysitting work, which she has never done before during 18months here and asked me to supply a reference.

If she hadn't asked for a reference, When were you going to ask her??

I have already been asked by several families for NYE babysitting and charge £20 per hour!

Just to add, I'm not sure why you are so annoyed that she found other work for that evening, why should she clear it with you first? Unless you had specified that you would like to use her then I don't think she has done anything wrong...I'm in NLondon, and i would charge £20p/h also. I too have already been asked to babysit by three families!!

Its a really difficult one, I'd usually say no - you needed to give me first refusal....but our au pairs go home over Christmas and new year so we've never really had that issue.

I still wouldn't be happy with her working somewhere else when I needed her. Oddly enough, if she was going out herself, I'd be more inclined to get someone else. BUT, babysitting on tap is a big part of the au pair package. We let our au pairs know the weekly schedule a week before, so I wouldn't have let her know this early either.

I think I would be pretty annoyed at that, particularly as you seem pretty reasonable and shes been with you a long time. If you are not using your 2 nights a week (which is what is in our contract), and she is living with you I think she should have asked you first.

Our AP does some babysitting for friends....but he checks whether we need him before he accepts.

Good luck with the discussion.

Well, as always there is more to it! It seems there isn't any actual offer of £20ph, she has just heard that some babysitters earn that.

So why did she ask you for a reference for another mom? That's strange...

I think i am being slightly played. Never mind, NYE not that big a deal for me. It's not the end of the world to have a night in!

A bit cheeky then however this could be an addition to talk about for future times. Maybe it's ok they bb sit for other families but need to ask you first? Or they only have to ask for days they work and other days free to do as they wish.