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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

Things that annoy you about your aupair...

115 replies

ChocolateBiscuitCake · 04/04/2015 14:39

Have just given the au pair the heave-ho and a huge weight has lifted. However, I am now enduring the two week notice period with a stroppy teenager.

Thought I would start a lighthearted thread on the annoying things that they do mine does:

Empty the dishwasher but after 6 months still not know where everything goes, so leave it on the side.

Filling the dishwasher with cleaned things left on the side of the sink to dry.

Hoover around things on the floor (rather than put them away). Definitely no hoovering behind doors!

Always let the dog lie in the only ground floor room with carpet, mostly when wet (when specifically told, no dog in this room).

Feed the fat dog treats (we don't have any, she has bought her own!).

The list goes on.

Any one else able to add their experiences?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Ledkr · 04/04/2015 14:41

ambientolf · 04/04/2015 14:43

#firstworldproblems

thefirstmrsrochester · 04/04/2015 14:44

Finola1step · 04/04/2015 14:45

I wonder why the poor girl spoils the dog...

Artandco · 04/04/2015 14:45

An au pair is supposed to mainly help with childcare though. I would be grateful she did any of the above. It sounds like she was helping chore wise just not to your satisfaction, and was at least kind to the dog

Ledkr · 04/04/2015 14:46

Glad you've sacked the lazy selfish bastard.

MrsMargoLeadbetter · 04/04/2015 14:54

All your lighthearted comments relate to the house/dog. So presumedly so looked after the kids ok.....which is the main purpose of an au pair.

I can understand that having an au pair brings lots of challenges but your post sounds like she was your cleaner/housekeeper...

Original poster

ChocolateBiscuitCake · 04/04/2015 15:09

No actually - she was meant to look after the kids only she couldn't...literally! I am 8 months pregnant, so believe me I wanted the extra pair of hands.

She is an only child with no childcare experience (my fault - went for "maturity" over experience) and could not leave her with all three as no capacity to engage or do anything other than watch telly with them. My older two would run circles. Only could leave her with my youngest (aged 3) for short periods and everytime I returned she would be sitting him with her iPhone feeding sweets.

the main reason for firing her involves the arrival of a BT bill over £1000 (I pay for her pay as you go top up mobile). It is fair to say she is a shocker, no?!

OP posts:

SoonToBeSix · 04/04/2015 15:12

Think you should have employed a cleaner/ housekeeper, poor girl.

Boomf · 04/04/2015 15:14

Look after your own kids lazy bones

Nolim · 04/04/2015 15:17

Wtf boomf

PrintScreen · 04/04/2015 15:18

Don't ever expect MN to give you a sane reaction to an au pair problem. On MN an au pair employer is tantamount to a slave owner.

Original poster

ChocolateBiscuitCake · 04/04/2015 15:20

Artandco - her only housekeeping duties were to help with the dishwasher, keep kitchen tidy after meals, hoover the ground floor once a week and wash/put away children's laundry…hardly challenging.

And soontobesix I already have a cleaner! .

Boomf I do look after my own kids…she was meant to be an extra pair of hands, especially with the arrival of a newborn!

OP posts:

butterfly2015 · 04/04/2015 15:25

At least one or two loads of washing per day, dish washer once a day, clean and tidy the kitchen three times a day and Hoover once a week. And look after the kids. And supervise the dog.

And you have a,cleaner. So what does the cleaner do? And what do you do? And why does a teenager need an aupair anyway?

Must be dreadful having to do everything yourself for a whole fortnight. I hope you manage to get a replacement soon.

First world problems indeed!!

DrankSangriaInThePark · 04/04/2015 15:25

Do you get through many au-pairs, OP?

PrimalLass · 04/04/2015 15:30

It's funny how 'get an au pair' is the answer given on here to many childcare problems, but when you do you get a slagging

PrintScreen · 04/04/2015 15:32

Butterfly: I imagine her cleaner cleans. None of the AP duties are unusual. They are day to day tidying duties. A cleaner mops and scrubs bathrooms and hovers but a carpeted house needs hoovering more than once a week.

And the OP said she has a three year old and older kids so why do you think the AP is caring for teenagers?

Seriously MN posters, get a grip in your reaction to au pair threads. Most au pairs o know, and I know many, are really happy with kind host families who enjoy them as much as they enjoy the experience. If it was as shit as you all suggest there would not be literally thousands of western European girls desperate to land an AP position each year.

Original poster

ChocolateBiscuitCake · 04/04/2015 15:34

No, no au pair replacement - a qualified nanny who can engage children and who I can have every confidence in leaving 1,2,3 or 4 children with depending on what we are doing (clubs, playdates, hospital visits). Our au pair couldn't engage the children (could only bribe with sweets and TV), so I spent my time telling the children off or taking them all with me everywhere (with live rurally, so the idea was for children not have to spend hours in the car but be able to be at home doing some "nice" things - whether playing in the garden, reading stories or colouring, for example!).

She was expected to help for 2 hours in the morning: 1 hour helping with breakfast and getting kids ready for school and then 1 hour-ish with "housekeeping" whilst I did the school run (1 hour round trip).

In the afternoon she was expected to be around from approx 4-7 to help with tea time, bath time etc baring in mind I AM 8 MONTHS PREGNANT.

5 hours a day. What is wrong with this as an au pair timetable????

OP posts:

DrankSangriaInThePark · 04/04/2015 15:34

I have been an au pair. Which is why I feel qualified to comment that this one appears to be being treated as something rather different...

Original poster

ChocolateBiscuitCake · 04/04/2015 15:35

Dranksangria - first and last!

Thanks printscreen - vipers nest today!!

OP posts:

DrankSangriaInThePark · 04/04/2015 15:36

Good idea though OP to get a qualified nanny next time.

MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 04/04/2015 15:42

Weird thread. Nothing the op's au pair has been asked to do looks unreasonable.

I haven't had an au apair but have had a nanny would put let ds nap so he was up all night and then lie about the naps and another nanny who was late and let the dc scoot in the living room on their scooters. That was pretty annoying.

Also had about 2 wonderful nannies who do a better job with the dc than I do.

bigfam · 04/04/2015 16:02

Why are you making such a big deal of 'needing an extra pair of hands' when you're 8 months pregnant. When you have children, you're supposed to do these things with them, or am I missing the point?

MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 04/04/2015 16:06

I think you're missing the point. If you can't see why someone who is 8 months pregnant might need a bit of help that's rather short sighted. To not be able to comprehend that someone who is 8 months pregnant and has 3 other children to look after might need a bit of help suggests that you either have no imagination/empathy/the ability to extrapolate beyond your own experiences... or you're just on a bit of a wind up and have decided this thread would be a good place to have a bit of fun/play Devils advocate/be a bit pissy.

Of course you may be posting on an Apple device and have written something completely different to what posted, in which case I apologise and sympathise because my twat phone does it too.

bigfam · 04/04/2015 16:15

I just find it hard to relate, I mean at 9 MONTHS pregnant I moved house, decorated it and looked after 3 kids aged between 6 & 3, I went into labour two days after we moved and had only finished decorating 3 hours before I was at the hospital pushing.

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