Tell me about au pair plus

[PolarEspresso]

We currently have an au pair, who does about 25 hours a week, often shared charge with a parent - the role is more babysitting/extra pair of hands. Next year I think we might need more "childcare" than this eg 7-8 hour days of sole charge - I guess more like a US au pair. Is this called "au pair plus"? What can I expect in terms of hours, responsibilities and pay?

This is a nanny role I think.

THis is just a regular live in or live out nanny

So what is an aupair plus? I've specifically read that the extra 10 hours isn't to do housekeeping/heavy cleaning so what do they do?

I understand it's just more childcare if parent/s have longer work days than usual. So s/he'll get up to sort the kids for school and collect them afterwards and look after them until the parent comes from work. That's only 2 hours a day longer than regular au pair .Au pairs are unsuitable childcare solution if you need full day care for a child who's not at school. For that you need a nanny.

What is the difference between an au pair plus and a nanny?

AN au pair plus doesn't really exist. It's just what people call an au pair they try to take on a nanny position for pennies

Au pair - means on par. Should be someone who comes from abroad and gets free food,accomadation and language classes in exchange for a few hours a day help with children and pocket money. Most work 3-6 mon-fri doing school pick up and games for 5-10 year olds. Part of family, invited to family things and meals. £80-100 a week

Live in nanny - full time or part time. Accomadation and food included. £350-500 a week depending on hours

Live out - full time or part time. Around £500-600 a week depending on hours. They don't live in

bapaa.org.uk/host-families/what-is-an-au-pair/

Looks from that link that an au-pair plus is just an au-pair who does longer hours, so they get more pocket money and spend less time experiencing being out and about in the area getting to know what it is like in this country. It may appeal to some people. I expect they would be paid less than £112 per week, so they remain under the earnings threshold.

I don't know any au pairs just doing 3-6pm!

We're certainly not looking for someone paid £500 a week.

I'll need someone to do about 35 hours, and was thinking in the region of £120-£150 a week. Our current au pair gets £80 for 25 hours.

All the aupaurs here do full on childcare, seems only on MN that they dont

All the au pairs I come into contact with do before school and after school care including school runs. They have the term time day to themselves unless preschoolers involved. Then it's playgroups or nursery. Depends when the help is needed but it's usually possible to allow the au pair enough time to her/himself.

If we just needed 3-6pm we'd just use an after school club.

Our current au pair is a young gap year type but still manages an occasional 8 hour day on her own. For someone doing 35 hours of childcare I would look for someone a little older with childcare experience.

But that is a nanny. That's why au pairs are cheap, little child experience, basically do school drop or pick up. An older person with experience will be charging nanny rates

Afterschool club is £17 for 3.30-6.15pm here. If you have two it's £34 an afternoon. Hence it's cheaper and more convenient to pay au pair £100, and you come home at 6.30pm to two children fed at home, homework done, and them playing in own home. Rather than collecting at 6.15pm and travelling home after, then cooking, then doing homework.

We have a part time nanny. Live out. 12hrs a week. £15 per hour.

I have an au pair plus. Recruited through an agency. She does 26 hours per week for £100pw. Mostly childcare, tiny bit of housework. I don't know any au pair pluses doing 40 hours a week, most seem to limit at 30

Isn't 26 hours just a standard au pair role?

Art - does it really matter what the job title is? We had plenty of young women with previous au pairing experience or nursery/primary school teaching qualifications applying for our au pair job so I am not sure it will be a problem to find someone with some experience. We won't be employing a nanny on £15 an hour.

No because my au pair does 26 as standard and up to 30 when I need her to. Au pairs don't do 30 hours a week.

I thought au pair was up to 25 hours a week and au pair plus up to 35 hours a week. I also do not know any au pairs only doing 3-6 each evening. All the ones around here I know (and there are loads at our school) are doing school drop off (incl breakfast) and pick up (and dinner/homework etc) and some light housework or are doing hours to fit with changing shift patterns of their host parents, some are also doing much longer hours on occasions (for extra pay I assume). It is only on mn that I see this push to telling people they need a nanny not an au pair.

How old are your DCs? Au pairs aren't meant to look after under 4s except with parent also present, iirc.

I do think you are wanting/needing an aupair or child minder rather than a Nanny. However I am very suprised with you saying that you have qualified Nannies and Teachers who would be willing to work for so little. We can earn that much and more in 1 days work so would be extremely cautious with those who have appplied.

I am both a qualified and experienced Nanny and Teacher and would never apply for an aupair position.

An aupair is generally un qualified and of limited experience, does not know much about and is not responsible for the child's development in any way. However you can get some Aupairs from other countries that have a fair bit of experience but this can cause difficulties with cultural differences in the ways to bring up children and language/communication difficulties even if they say they are fluent in English (I have personally experienced this many times when helping families find their own aupairs, with me living in whilst they are on trial placememnts)

Qualified Nannies have to complete a 2 year full time certified course where they are trained in many aspects of child development (physical, emotional, intellectual and social). They are graded on knowledge as well as practical assessments from placements.

You can get some people who state they are nannies but are not qualified and class themselves as this because they have experience working with children or have done a 2 month child care course.

That's nonsense about under 4s and au pairs. They're not recommended for under 2s. My au pair looks after our 2.5yo and they hAve a whale of a time!

Apologies, Oly5 is right, should have looked it up before posting!

user - remember au pairs come from abroad and often want to travel and improve their English, so aren't going to walk into well paid jobs here immediately.

Au pairs usually do 25-30 hours, au pair plus 35 - that is the recommendation of the British au pair association anyway. I don't believe there is any legal restrictions on the age of children au pairs care for, but obviously various agencies make different recommendations.

Our au pairs have had sole charge of a 3yo and of a baby. Not 5 days a week but for 1 or 2 days a week, plus cared for those kids whilst I, or DH, have been working from home. Where we live this is quite normal.
It's only MN that say these odd rules exist limiting what au pairs can do. In actual fact there are no au pair rules in the U.K. So you can agree what you and the au pair like so long as it falls within the law

They have always been trainee teachers in their own country and in their mid 20s looking to experience london and improve their English.

It has worked well for us and I would recommend it.

We limit the hours to week days and if we ever do need babysitting at the weekend we pay extra. Hours tend to be 25-40 hours per week. Mainly childcare but with general housekeeping thrown in on days when there is no childcare. We are flexible though to accommodate classes. We also have a cleaner so it's only light housework. Most of the time with the baby is spent at playgroups and they come to my office when I'm working there. I also work from home so am around.

Pay for weekday work has been between £90 & £120 pw plus car and gym membership. If hours have regularly been up at 35 hours per week with lots of sole care then the pocket money would be closer to £150.

Au pair plus

Exploitation. Hiring a young woman with no experience to do a full-time nannying role and giving it a name to add respectability.