Whate exactly do au pairs do? Would one suit my situation?

[Yorkiegirl]

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Au pairs are supposed to be like another member of your family - a big sister/brother to your kids. A lot of people take advantage of them though.
They can do light housework and childcare jobs like pick up from school/babysit etc.
There are loads of websites about au pairs giving you 'the rules' in more detail.
Just a tip - if you do get one, they need to go to language classes. Language colleges are really expensive, but you might find that your local council runs free classes at the local college. It saved our au pair a fortune.

They do pretty much anything in the house really. You have to make the arrangement with the individual au pair. Eg, mine work long hours, but have light, mainly babysitting duties and no cleaning/laundry. Other people stick to the 25 hours, and get them to clean and do the laundry. Some people make the poor girls do all the housework and work long hours. If you are lucky enough to rescue an au pair from a job like that, she will love you forever and not leave until her visa runs out

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Hi Yorkiegirl,
Yes, laundry and school collection are definately fair game. As a guide I think they work for around 25 hours a week for room, board, and about £60 - £70 per week. Pretty much any house hold chore/light housework/childcare is fair game. But, probably not really long stints of unsupervised childcare.

If you hire someone from the EU I think they just an employee like anyone else, but if you keep her hours low enough that you pay her less than about £90/week then your taxes are virtually nothing. So I guess that would up to I don't know say 35 hours per week.

You aren't required to pay for them to go to language class, but if her English isn't great it mught be in everyone's best interest if you do. It is also a good way for her to get out and meet other au pairs.

Can't remember how old your girls are. They are still quite young, aren't they?

Will you be working yourself? Will you want them living in? A mothers help is another option.

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Not too up on Aupairs so I don't know how much sole charge they do or how good ther cooking might be .

uwila's right - some girls come over on an au pair visa, in which case they have to be doing some form of language or study and there are limits on how much you pay them and how much they can work. but if they're from the EU (and possibly some other countries, though I'm not sure) they don't need an au pair visa and can be an employee subject only to whatever contractual agreements you and she (or he) agree, iyswim. In general the idea is light domestic duties and light childcare - eg school run and making tea, so yes, I do think you'd be able to find one that could suit you.

Oh, and you can get someone from a commonwealth country on a holiday maker visa. They can enter the country for two years and work for one. This includes Australia, New Zealand, and Canada -- so no English classes required.

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Yes, I agree. Live-in childcare is a God send for me. You could probably get an au pair to help out a bit sooner if she did the childcare run (ie took DD2 to the childminder/nursery) rather than doing all the childcare herself.

BTW, how are you doing?

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Aren't au pairs supposed to be limited to 20 hours a week? Any more than that and it should be up to them whether they wish to do it and you should pay them extra. Many people abuse the situation.

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Assuming you have the space I think an au pair might work out for you. It sounds like you wouldn't need too much work from the au pair in the day so you could maybe get one or two evening's babysitting as well. Would this be useful if you have evening meetings/parent's evenings etc? I don't know how you are fixed for babysitters.

I was an au pair myself in the dim and distant past.

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Yes, 40+, of course. More hours means more money. I mentioned that in a previous post on this thread. Few people really come into the country on an au pair visa. If they live in the EU they don't need a visa to come work here. And if they are in their 20s and a citizen of a commonwealth country, they can come in on a Holiday Maker Visa. Aussies and Kiwis are commonwealth.

I'd start with a look on www.greataupair.com. I'd also look at gumtree.com. And now listen carefully.... Mumsnet is a far better source of unbiased and helpful information than any agency on the face of this Earth. Avoid agencies like the plague. Do your own interviewing, and ask the wonderful Mumsnet Jury for advice. And, never hire anyone who doesn't provide contactable references.

Yup - I'll second that! I know quite a few people who've used au pairs and the nightmares outnumber the treasures about 3 to one!

Weare currently recruiting an au pair, she will be taking dd to school four days a week and picking her up three days and doing some light cleaning, no more than 20 hours a week. Won't be cooking though.

I know the guy who runs the agency who has promised to finds someone he thinks will be realiable, he was one or two people inmind apparantly.

We are paying £60 a week and she is getting a large double bedroom and all her meals and any night time baysitting we will pay for although from my reasearch they can be asked to do one night a week but I don't want to take advantage.

I think my aupair is great - my only problem is - we live in a village in Hertfordshire and I am finding it difficult to introduce her to other aupairs - any ideas???

Loads of au pairs used to go to the morning toddler session at Kidzone in Berkhamsted if that's anywhere near you