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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

Au Pairs - thin on the ground?

6 replies

Strix · 27/07/2015 09:00

Is it just me, or are Au Pairs thin on the ground just now. IO just can't really find any to talk to. I mean one or two, but that's a very small pool to choose from. I am wondering if it's the timing of my search (i.e. those looking to take a year off have probably just started job in july or at least already have them arrange).

Just wondered if others are having the same experience or if I'm looking in the wron gplace (au pair world mostly).

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LUKYMUM · 27/07/2015 11:39

I was really surprised too. Normally I'm inundated with au pairs but this time I noticed there are much fewer online. For example one au pair got 107 messages in 4 days so she wrote apology on her profile.
I've started looking for male au pair which I've never done before.

HenriettaBarnet · 27/07/2015 11:42

yes, I'm finding it really difficult to recruit this time. Even if I do get an au pair who's exchanged emails with me and arranged a visit, they just keep not turning up. It's very frustrating. (to say the least - who needs to work anyway?!).

Baffledmumtoday · 27/07/2015 11:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

chloeb2002 · 29/07/2015 07:12

I think in our instance a big factor this time was simply that people have more financial pressures. We have a lovely girl starting soon but we had a fair few who wanted flights paying etc. Had no extra funds for travel etc.
by now I think most people from Germany have either found a place or decided not to go. They finished arbitur a while ago. Not sure about other countries time scales.

somtam · 31/07/2015 07:56

I am struggling too. I had a lovely au pair who stayed with us 18 mot us but I had to sack the new one after only two days. I had to tell her to get dressed at 3pm. She did nothing unless I told her and some of that ignored. Then on Tuesday she came in at 5.30am. She had only been there since sat. Dreadful. Back to endless skype interviews and hole I can get it as right as I did with our first au pair.

ek54 · 31/07/2015 22:06

Yes, we had a lovely au pair from Spain who got offered a job back home so decided to go home to accept it. There definitely don't seem to be as many au pairs around as there were a few years ago. I am chatting to an au pair on kangarooau pair. You could look here. Have you tried facebook? A few pals have found their au pairs on fb. Au pairs definitely seem pickier these days

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