Au pair in own flat?

[GatherlyGal]

So we are (again) looking for childcare .

Although we really want live out we probably need to consider an au pair. We have a self-contained basement flat which would be fab for a slightly older / more experienced au pair but what would we do about food? Would a bit more cash for food work as we'd envisage them sorting themselves in the evenings?

It might not appeal to all but do you think it would be attractive to some?

Thanks

That's exactly the set up we have. Our au pair eats with us prob once or twice a week. I top up a sainsbury' gift card for her and she buys most of her own food with that. We have an account for her at the butchers as well.

We tend to have older au pairs and the set up really works well for both parties, especially if they're used to living independently before.

That's encouraging. I wonder if that's the answer then to find someone about older.
Job is not enough hours for a nanny and not many people seem to want nanny housekeeper jobs so au pair seems obv choice. We just can't get heads around someone who is there all the time! (antisocial buggers).
Thanks Karole

Do you live in a property with a self contained flat as part of it? That I could see working but if the flat is elsewhere then I would imagine that may be problematic. Would they then be a tenant under housing rules? Tide housing I think it is called.

Yes the flat is part of the house so that's fine. Just wasn't sure whether there are au pairs who don't want to be part of the family so much as have their own space.

If I didn't live with my DP I would love a job with self contained accommodation, I quite like the idea of live in jobs for convenience but I'm a bit antisocial in the evenings as well and really like my own space. That sounds like a great idea.
I am a nanny though so maybe if you went for a more experienced/older au pair it would work.

I have had 3 au pairs already and IMO any au pair would love to have there own space. .. Who wouldn't??

Well that's what I thought but some agencies did not agree! Got 1 nanny housekeeper to interview otherwise au pair it is. Any ideas where best to look for one?

Agencies don't really work for au pairs.

Most people recruit successfully from au pair world. You put a profile on with your requirements and lots of nice smiley pictures of your family (I read lots of other people's first and then extracted the phrases I liked). You want to make a big thing of the flat, but also that you want someone independent.

If you need a driver, you'll want someone over 22, who has had their licence for at least 3 years (or insurance is impossible).
You also want to make sure they have a police check, a copy of driving licence (check for endorsements), and passport copy to check immigration status. I also ask for a reference. I sometimes ask for a doctors note to check they're fit and healthy.

It can sometimes take a bit of time to get everything ready, so the other option in London is to get someone on their second au pair job, who is already here. For that, you advertise on gumtree or on one of the au pair in London Facebook pages.

The advantage of that is that they will have a reference that you can check from their previous host family and also a bit of experience.

The disadvantage, is that they may have set ideas on how integrated they will be into your family. For example we don't often take our au pair out with us at the weekend (often as we either see our friends, or do very boring child related activities). Some do, but not that many, so its important to get their expectations correct before they start with you.

Hope it goes well

That's really helpful thanks very much! I wonder if someone in London might be tempted up North with the offer of the flat. We are in the centre of a lovely town so could appeal to some. Thanks again Karole loads of info.