Working shifts - are these reasonable hours?

[VivaLaVieBoheme]

Single, so, as working shifts, I need some overnight and unsociable hours care. Worked out what hours would be needed for a random 8-week period. As is often the case salary doesn't quite match the crazy hours - so AuPair + nursery seems like the only possible solution.

While there are lots of hours, these are mostly overnight and AuPair could do whatever they want (at home), e.g. study/Netflix, sleep - there are only 12.5hrs per week on average where AuPair would not to do any actual childcare. So my reasoning was that AuPair would work well and that should there be occasions where more 'awake' hours are required, e.g. illness, this could be paid extra.

What do you think? (Bold days are days I get to be at home all day).

Week 1: 14 hours (4 hrs awake)
Mon – Nursery 07.30 – 18.00, Au-Pair 18.00 – 21.30 (3.5hrs)
Tues – Nursery 07.30 – 18.00, Au-Pair 18.00 – 21.30 (3.5hrs)
Weds – Nursery 07.30 – 18.00, Au-Pair 18.00 – 21.30 (3.5hrs)
Thurs – Nursery 07.30 – 18.00, Au-Pair 18.00 – 21.30 (3.5hrs)
Fri – Nursery 07.00 – 17.30, Au-Pair /
Sat – Nursery /, Au-Pair /
Sun – Nursery /, Au-Pair /

Week 2: 46 hours (4 hrs awake)
Mon – Nursery /, Au-Pair 19.30 – 07.00 (11.5hrs)
Tues – Nursery 07.00 – 17.30, Au-Pair 19.30 – 07.00 (11.5hrs)
Weds – Nursery 07.00 – 17.30, Au-Pair 19.30 – 07.00 (11.5hrs)
Thurs – Nursery 07.00 – 17.30, Au-Pair 19.30 – 07.00 (11.5hrs)
Fri – Nursery 07.00 – 17.30, Au-Pair /
Sat – Au-Pair /
Sun – Au-Pair /

Week 3: 55.5 hours (22hrs awake)
Mon – Nursery 07.30 – 17.30, Au-Pair /
Tues – Nursery /, Au-Pair /
Weds – Nursery /, Au-Pair /
Thurs – Nursery /, Au-Pair /
Fri – Nursery /, Au-Pair 19.30 – 07.00 (11.5hrs)
Sat – Au-Pair 07.00 – 17.30, 19.30 – 07.00 (22hrs)
Sun – Au-Pair 07.00 – 17.30, 19.30 – 07.00 (22hrs)

Week 4: 59 hours (23.5hrs awake)
Mon – Nursery 07.00 – 17.30, Au-Pair 19.30 – 07.00 (11.5hrs)
Tues – Nursery 07.00 – 17.30, Au-Pair /
Weds – Nursery /, Au-Pair /
Thurs – Nursery /, Au-Pair /
Fri – Nursery 07.30 – 18.00, Au-Pair 18.00 – 21.30 (3.5hrs)
Sat – Au-Pair 07.30 – 21.30 (22hrs)
Sun – Au-Pair 07.30 – 21.30 (22hrs)

Week 5: 23 hours (2hrs awake)
Mon – Nursery /, Au-Pair /
Tues – Nursery /, Au-Pair 19.30 – 07.00 (11.5hrs)
Weds – Nursery 07.00 – 17.30, Au-Pair 19.30 – 07.00 (11.5hrs)
Thurs – Nursery 07.00 – 17.30, Au-Pair /
Fri – Nursery /, Au-Pair /
Sat – Nursery /, Au-Pair /
Sun – Nursery /, Au-Pair /

Week 6: 14 hours (6hrs awake)
Mon – Nursery 07.30 – 18.00, Au-Pair 18.00 – 21.30 (3.5hrs)
Tues – Nursery 07.30 – 18.00, Au-Pair 18.00 – 21.30 (3.5hrs)
Weds – Nursery 07.30 – 18.00, Au-Pair 18.00 – 21.30 (3.5hrs)
Thurs – Nursery 07.30 – 18.00, Au-Pair 18.00 – 21.30 (3.5hrs)
Fri – Nursery /, Au-Pair /
Sat – Nursery /, Au-Pair /
Sun – Nursery /, Au-Pair /

Week 7: 20 hours (20 hrs awake)
Mon – Nursery /, Au-Pair /
Tues – Nursery /, Au-Pair /
Weds – Nursery /, Au-Pair /
Thurs – Nursery 07.00 – 17.30, Au-Pair /
Fri – Nursery 07.00 – 17.30, Au-Pair /
Sat – Au-Pair 07.30 – 17.30 (10hrs)
Sun – Au-Pair 07.30 – 17.30 (10hrs)

Week 8: 20 hours (20 hrs awake)
Mon – Nursery /, Au-Pair /
Tues – Nursery /, Au-Pair /
Weds – Nursery /, Au-Pair /
Thurs – Nursery 07.00 – 17.30, Au-Pair /
Fri – Nursery 07.00 – 17.30, Au-Pair /
Sat – Au-Pair 07.30 – 17.30 (10hrs)
Sun – Au-Pair 07.30 – 17.30 (10hrs)

Sorry, supposed to read: 'there are only 12.5hrs per week on average where AuPair would do any actual childcare'

The au pair overnight is that awake or asleep?

Ignore me I've re-read. Xx

How old is your child OP?

2

Make sure you consider implications with regard to national minimum wage. I know the Mencap ruling has just been overturned but there's a chance that ruling will be appealed further. I'm assuming you're planning on paying her a wage during the "childcare" portion of the night but perhaps only a fixed amount for the rest? Certainly if the Mencap ruling is reinstated then you'll end up paying NMW for those hours too. :(

Annie au pairs aren't considered employees so minimum wage isn't really a consideration.

I don't know OP, you'd need a attract an experienced older au pair who is happy and capable of looking after a small child for a sometimes very long days at the weekend.

I'm not sure I'd leave any if my au pairs with a 2 year old for that long.

I also suspect you'd also struggle to attract and keep someone good who's willing to work both days every other weekend. Suggesting that you are more than happy for them to get other work when you don't need them would help I think.

Regarding sickness too, you couldn't leave a poorly 2 year old with an au pair.

Thanks underneath. Actually just reposted on chat as hadn't had a whole lot of replies, but that is good to think about. I have great friends who I know in an emergency, e.g. sickness could take LO.

@underneaththeash - hmm, but surely here the au pair will be in sole charge even while asleep which would take her hours over the 30 (iirc) that still classes as an "au pair" and "family member"? It's a grey area, but if it were me I'd want to be absolutely clear of any implications that may land me with a huge bill to pay! =)

That seems a lot of hours and very few of them seem to be you seeing your kids at all.
They seem to be at nursery and with nanny, when will you actually see or spend any time with them?

Annie - thanks will double check this.

Really helpful crosser.

No genuinely, when will you spend time with your lo? Is this a 6 week contract that ends or is it your permanent job where you will work these hours?
The other thing is you are going to be shattered, when will you have any down time for your own rest?

I don't see how your genuine question achieves anything but to try and attack me? But for what it's worth: I get to see LO and/or evening every workday (like many, many mums and dads) and often have 3 or more days during the week during which I will be completely at home (and LO will not be going to nursery). It's a permanent job.

morning and/or evening

And yes, there is no down time.

Viva - just one more thought. How easy is your child and how exhausted do you feel after a full day alone with them at the weekend when there are no organised activities for them to go to or friends and family to meet up with? An au pair is going to find it significantly more difficult that you.

One of mine at 2 would have sent an au pair running for the hills after only one long weekend day, but DD was incredibly sweet and easy at that age and just sort of pottered around.

For week 3 are you sure you have the hours correct? You're legally entitled to have an 11 hour break between shifts.

Why are you using Nursery/Au-Pair on the days you are home (bold)? Do you need to sleep duing the day?

I thought au pairs shouldn't have sole charge of under 4s?

Tbh it sounds a bit miserable for your
DC.

I'm not sure many traditional au pairs would be attracted to this job. When are they going to go out & socialise if you need them at home regularly in the evenings? How are they going to do a language class or exercise classes if their schedule keeps chopping & changing like this?
FWIW, the au pairs I know tend to do a couple of hours in the morning, have the school day time to themselves when they are expected to do a few chores like dishwasher, washing machine, tidy the children's rooms & kitchen but get to meet up with friends, do some voluntary work, go to language classes, explore the area etc and then they do School pick up until 6/7pm and then their time is their own again.

I’ve had four au pairs, all of whom have been pretty good. I’d not have left any of them with a 2 year old, particularly after a long day at nursery and in charge of bedtime. And they never did overnights but actually I don’t think that would be the problem if the child sleeps well and the au pair is happy with it (and has a baby monitor close by and wakes up - I went out one night and my five year old woke up crying at 11pm and the au pair didn’t wake up despite the monitor. It was only when my seven year old woke up and went to get her that she woke. Not her fault but I don’t think many young people sleep with one ear open!).

It could work for the right person and I do see why it makes sense but I think of my second (and best) au pair who had come from a somewhat similar job. She loved the children and had a great reference from the family but she confessed she’d hated it and had spent the whole eight months plotting her escape. If she’d been less conscientious I think she’d have done a moonlight flit after a couple of weeks. So something to consider, and I think you’d really need an exceptional, and mature, au pair to take this one on.

Good luck.

Clearly some people are failing at comprehension.

Where OP has put / she means not needed, so her bold days where she’s off state that neither nursery or au pair are needed.

Au pairs should not be doing this kind of work. They should be offering a few hours of babysitting only and certainly not with a pre schooler. You need a nanny OP.

I think from my limited knowledge of au pairs a they tend to be very young and want some days off to go drinking/clubbing/socialising which this schedule doesn’t really allow. Is there any way to make sure the air pair has at least 2 days with no responsibilities?