Unwaged au pair

[Gusthetheatrecat]

I was doing some research about possible future childcare options and came across this:
www.gumtree.com/p/live-in-nanny-jobs/fantastic-part-time-live-in-nanny-mother-s-help-au-pair-job-in-sw-london-east-sheen-near-richmond-/1098932082
My jaw is on the floor at the sheer, brazen, cheek of it. Effectively they are asking for an au pair (or a nanny, arguably) but for precisely zero pay.
I am so outraged that I needed to share.
Also, seriously though, they are really looking to exploit someone and I feel like I should report them to someone but I don't know who?

Sorry for lack of clickable link. Am on phone!

There's somebody near me on Childcare.co.uk offering the same sort of deal - just a room for several hours childcare each day. When I read it I was amazed as these work requirements would surely make it virtually impossible to get another job, so what were they supposed to live on? Been on there a while so presumably nobody queuing up to take it, but yes it is gobsmackingly mean.

thats shocking!

Gosh I must apply I really want to be a unpaid slave.

Note that they also require a childcare qualification. Presumably also the moon on a stick.
Gah.

Board in exchange for around 10 hours a week would be OK IMO but they are asking for au pair hours without au pair pay.

Plus it involves sole charge of 2 under 5s.

Replying to the add and telling them this is not acceptable or reporting to Gumtree is all I can think to do.

www.gumtree.com/p/live-in-nanny-jobs/fantastic-part-time-live-in-nanny-mother-s-help-au-pair-job-in-sw-london-east-sheen-near-richmond-/1098932082 - make it clickable by putting at the start and at the end of the link - the symbols can be found on your phone keyboard

Is this legal?

In the past I've emailed where the families are advertising a job that is illegal.

I just think it's wrong and it's one reason the government needs to firm up legislation regarding in home work.

Aupalr hours need at least basic pocket money.
Althiugh in reality I think there should not be any such description as an au pair but everyone living in employers homes should be payed at least minimum wage minus accommadation offset.

I just don't get why people think this is ok at all.

I don't necessarily agree but it's no different to 'work away' where you get board/lodging in exchange for 25 hours work a week. It may suit someone from abroad who wants central London but can't afford central London prices.

But someone who wanted to live in London could do so, and receive £70 - £90 a week, by doing the same hours as an au pair!
It is entirely illegal. And all the more cheeky when couched in such 'gosh aren't we such a lovely family, how lucky you would be to be our unpaid slave?'

22 hours a week?? How does that leave 4/5 days to do another paid job .

Could someone direct me to government legislation which says why it's not legal? Maybe we can direct them to it.

It is slavery. 22 hours a week - and the rest.

"This is a great opportunity for the financially-savvy nanny. Although this role is unpaid, we estimate that the board & lodging package is worth at least £1000 net per month (given the cost of living in London). You will have no rent to pay, no bills and we provide all your basic food plus Wi-Fi & membership of Amazon Prime AND you will still have 4-5 free days in which to do another paid job!"

"Financially-savvy"

It's beyond cheek. I'm almost grudgingly impressed.

I don't know for certain obviously but it would appear from here m.workaway.info/ that it must be legal to work in exchange for just board and lodging. Like I said, I don't necessarily agree, not least because, you're not likely to have anyone to stay for more than a few weeks.

mrswishywashy - there is obviously the minimum wage! But there is also a strict limit on the 'offset' for providing accommodation and food. Which is here:
www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-accommodation

Although you can have an au pair living in your home whom you pay 'pocket money' to, there is a set of criteria that someone has to meet most of in order to demonstrate that it is an au pair relationship and that they are not your slave (or, more pertinently, your chronically under-paid and taken-advantage-of nanny):
www.gov.uk/au-pairs-employment-law/au-pairs

In this case they even say they are recruiting for a 'financially-savvy' nanny, with childcare experience and qualification if you please. Clearly illegal. Doubtless unknowingly so. But no excuse. Not to misuse that classic Mumsnet word, but breathtakingly entitled.

And yes, I am now planning to go and get a life! In my defence we have an au pair who is fab (and whom we pay pocket money to) and who genuinely gives us light assistance at home and lives as part of our family. I was trying to figure out if we could now or ever afford a nanny, live-in or otherwise, and that's how I came across this.

Full text of ad;

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Richmond
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Live-In Nanny & Babysitting Jobs

FANTASTIC PART-TIME LIVE-IN NANNY/MOTHER'S HELP/AU PAIR JOB IN SW LONDON (East Sheen, near Richmond)
East Sheen
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Contract type
Temporary

Posted
12 days ago

Description

Unique opportunity, great location, work part-time & live in with a lovely family & have 4-5 free days per week for another job/studies.

We are a happy, friendly and outdoorsy family with a son (3¼ years old) and daughter (21 months) looking for a part-time nanny/mother’s help/au pair to live in and work approximately 22 hours a week (spread over 2-3 days), plus occasional babysitting when needed, in exchange for board and lodging.

We are looking for a nanny with experience of caring for pre-school children (or someone with lots of babysitting experience and enthusiasm) who is happy to work alongside Mum to keep our children smiling and our house in order! We would like someone who is easy-going, friendly and is good at taking the initiative. This would be a great job for someone from abroad looking for a home-from-home in London as we always endeavour to make our nannies feel that they are part of the family. All of our nannies have loved sampling Mum’s yummy roast dinners and Dad’s legendary barbecues!

Mum has recently given up a full-time teaching job to look after the children and Dad is a pilot and is abroad a lot and also works lots of weekends, hence the need for a little extra weekday help! We have had wonderful full-time Kiwi and Australian nannies while Mum was working, and a lovely Spanish part-time nanny who helped us after our daughter was born.

Duties will include shared and some sole care of the two children (nursery drop-off/pick-up, attending children’s groups/activities, swimming, going for walks in the park and to the playground, playing at home and in the garden, hosting/attending play dates etc.) as well the usual nursery duties (tidying up toys, cooking for the children, cleaning children’s rooms and bathroom, washing and ironing their clothes etc.) and generally helping out as an extra member of the family (loading/unloading dishwasher, keeping living areas clean & tidy etc.). We have a fantastic weekly cleaner to do the main cleaning tasks.

Basically, Mum has a big list of filing, paperwork and other tasks (that have built up over the last 3 years of working full-time and dealing with very small children) and she needs someone to give her a few hours of child-free time each week to get on top of life again! Our son is a bright, energetic and talkative little boy who loves trains, diggers and running around. He goes to nursery in Richmond every morning and would love someone to build train sets, do jigsaws, and play with him in the garden or take him to the playground in the afternoons. Our daughter is just starting to talk properly and is equally sparky and energetic. She is currently at home full-time and goes to lots of playgroups and other activities while her brother is at nursery. Her favourite activities are feeding the ducks, swimming, going to the playground and jumping in puddles!

This is a great opportunity for the financially-savvy nanny. Although this role is unpaid, we estimate that the board & lodging package is worth at least £1000 net per month (given the cost of living in London). You will have no rent to pay, no bills and we provide all your basic food plus Wi-Fi & membership of Amazon Prime AND you will still have 4-5 free days in which to do another paid job!

We live in East Sheen, in SW London, and both the amazing open space of Richmond Park (with its herd of 630 deer) and the River Thames are on our doorstep. It is a perfect location if you enjoy spending time outdoors (especially running/walking) yet still want to get to Central London in less than 30 minutes. There are lots of families with nannies and au pairs in the area, and it is a safe and friendly place to live.

Our house is a couple of minutes’ walk from the local high street which has a great range of shops and cafés. There are good public transport links (Mortlake Station 7-8 minutes’ walk and buses 2-3 minutes’ walk) and the lovely town of Richmond Upon Thames is just 1.5 miles away.

We completely renovated our house before we moved here in 2011 and you will have a delightful double bedroom on the top floor with great views, a shower room (shared only with our guestroom), and use of a separate sitting area on the top floor landing with sofa/TV/DVD/fridge/microwave/Wi-Fi access.

Requirements:
• You must speak fluent or near-fluent English.
• If applicable, you must have a valid work permit/visa for the UK (e.g. Youth Mobility).
• A current paediatric First Aid qualification and CRB clearance (or valid police check from your country) are essential. You can complete a First Aid course after taking up the position, if necessary.
• A childcare qualification/relevant experience of caring for young children is desirable and some experience of looking after young children e.g. babysitting is essential.
• It is important that you are a non-smoker and enjoy a healthy, active lifestyle.
• You do not need to be a driver as everything you need is within walking distance.
• You should be able to travel to London for interview. A Skype interview would only be considered for an exceptional candidate.

Please apply enclosing a full CV, a covering e-mail telling us about yourself and why you would be an excellent candidate for the position, a recent photo and details of references (minimum 2 referees, one of whom should relate to childcare).

Starting date flexible from February 2015 onwards.

Please note, we will be unable to reply to you if you do not fulfil the above criteria or do not complete the application as requested.

Feel free to contact us via e-mail if you have any questions prior to submitting an application.
Ad ID: 1098932082

I do hope this won't become a trend.

So exploitative.

www.nannytax.co.uk/wages-survey/2014-survey-results

Maybe this is why nanny wages are dropping because people like gumtree person expect free childcare.

Thing is maybe she is the one in the million who treats person well but there is far many more who treat the person who they want looking after their children like crap.

I am really perplexed by it. Do they not realise that all UK au pairs get board and lodging?? The amount they are paid (usually not more than £100 pw) takes the food and accommodation into account?

I hope they get a flood of narky replies and the ad will be gone in a few hours.

I feel really strongly about this but there isn't much traffic on the thread and I think most Mumsnetters are not seeing it because it is posted in slightly niche topic.

OP - would you consider re-posting in Chat or Aibu, with a more explicit title? Then you might draw more attention to this terrible ad!

Hmmm. I will ponder it, Mintyy. I am an avid reader of AIBU but truthfully (ridiculously) find it slightly scary.

The idea of posting in AIBU with the title, 'to keep an unpaid slave in my guest room to look after my children, as long as I give them yummy roast dinners' is very tempting though...!

I've reported the ad, gumtree are usually quite quick to remove adverts like this.

I've also emailed the person who posted it. Be interesting to see if she replies to me.