How much pay should I offer for this au pair job?

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Posted recently about finding an au pair. The sites I've been using haven't worked out, response rates are v variable and we're running out of time, so I'm about to place an ad on Gumtree.

Can you advise me how much I should offer as weekly pay/pocket money based on the following role/responsibilities:

• 25 hours a week
• speaking Mandarin to the kids (that's our main reason for having an au pair)
• help with housework i.e. cleaning of 4-bed house plus hanging laundry out to dry, folding and some ironing
• some food preparation and school pick-ups, I work flexible hours so it def won't be every day
• some dog walking
• 1-2 evening's babysitting per week

About us:

• DDs are 11 and 9, well-behaved, pretty self-sufficient
• DH works long hours and travels a lot, I work for myself so flexi hours
• we live very centrally in a nice bit of London, just outside zone 1, 5 mins from big transport hub, lots to do nearby
• au pair will have a room & bathroom to herself, all meals included obvs
• weekdays only (bar occasional Sat night babysitting negotiated in advance)
• kids are at local schools so no long journeys on the days when school pick-ups are required

We've had au pairs in the past, and it's worked out really well. We're good at making them welcome and we keep in touch with them afterwards etc. But I haven't done this for a few years hence looking for guidance on rates. The agency websites still seem to say £85-£90 per week but that seems quite low to me so wondering what other Londoners pay. Thanks in advance

Aupairs don’t clean. You want a live in housekeeper or a maid that also babysits.

I agree with Lilies, mention cleaning and ironing and I would be very surprised if you get any responses.

Most young Mandarin/Cantonese speaking people I know are used to having maids!

Thanks both. Sorry I wasn't clear. When I said 'help with housework', I'm expecting that we'll have a cleaner once a week as well (and the kids and I will do a fair amount too) so I wasn't imagining her doing all of it but mucking in. Perhaps better described as tidying then, I'm not talking scrubbing and toilet cleaning etc.

I seem to remember the term 'light housework' being used and I'd have thought ironing and folding would fall into that but if that doesn't sound reasonable, then it's not a big problem.

My DC definitely are not used to having maids! And we don't need a live-in housekeeper or maid. Just someone to muck in and help, which is the arrangement we've had in the past with au pairs.

So, just to clarify, the arrangement we had with washing/laundry with our au pairs in the past is that I would put on the washing in the morning (generally 3-4 times a week) before leaving for work (was working in an office then rather than for myself). They would hang it out afterwards. When it was dry they would fold. I would put the clothes away in the respective rooms in the evening. I honestly can't remember if it was them or our cleaner at the time who did the ironing but I'm pretty sure I asked them now and again (it'd just have been DH's 5 shirts a week because he's the only one who needs ironed stuff for work), which I won't do in future if that's not considered part of the deal.

Our cleaner did 5 hours a week but the au pair would do bits and bobs e.g. load dishwasher and wipe down kitchen surfaces after we'd left for work in the morning, and sweep kitchen floor, and do the same if she was making dinner for the kids that night. She would also wait in for Tesco food delivery and unpack and put stuff away. I'd kind of assumed these were legit au pair jobs but perhaps not?!

so this is a summary
What should an Au Pair NOT do?

An Au Pair should NOT be mistaken for a nanny or a housekeeper. The Au Pair program provides a cultural exchange for both parties. An Au Pair is NOT in charge of the household. Here are some duties that the Au Pair should NOT do during her stay with the Host Family.
Cooking for the entire family
Cleaning non-shared rooms or work in the garden
Washing the car
Doing laundry or ironing clothes for the whole family
Clean windows
Taking care of others' children besides the host kids
Taking care of pets unless previously agreed

An aupair will be
Playing with the children
Driving and picking up the kids from school and other activities
Cooking easy recipes
Keeping the children's rooms tidy and clean
Ironing the children's clothes and do their laundry
Helping the children with their homework
Putting the kids to sleep
Light shopping

You could negotiate the extra jobs at an additional rate and make sure they know they can be terminated at any point.

Thanks @liliesandchocolate. I've been posting on au pair world. Just checked their guidelines:

www.aupairworld.com/en/wiki/housework

Anyway, as I say, ironing is not an essential. The dog is only recently adopted so that's a new thing to factor it, I'll be mentioning that upfront obvs.

Don't suppose you have any thoughts on weekly pay as per my OP?

Thanks

Sorry I am in Sydney, Australia 🇦🇺. Not a clue about London wages

I think most au pairs come to help out with the kids. So I would focus on that in your role. I am sure the kids do clubs etc you they can take them too or from. I think some au pairs would like the fact there is no pre school kids.

Pay I would say £100 - £110 per week plus Oyster with some cash monthly. But if you have been on the sites you must have seen the competition.

I have no idea how common mandarin speakers are I would guess that is the big issue you are having.

So make role sound more appealing / less like a cleaner / housekeeper more like a pal to your kids. Still lots of au pairs at my kids school gates - but I understand there are more families chasing far fewer au pairs at the moment than in the past.

No worries. Thanks anyway. For anyone picking up the thread now, and bearing in mind discussions above…

Would appreciate any thoughts on what appropriate weekly pay would be for an au pair doing the following:

• 25 hours a week
• speaking Mandarin to the kids (that's our main reason for having an au pair)
• help with housework (alongside weekly cleaner and family)
• some food preparation and school pick-ups, I work flexible hours so it def won't be every day
• some walking of small dog
• 1-2 evening's babysitting per week

About us:

• DC are 11 and 9, well-behaved, pretty self-sufficient
• DH works long hours and travels a lot, I work for myself so flexi hours
• we live very centrally in a nice bit of London, just outside zone 1, 5 mins from big transport hub, lots to do nearby
• au pair will have a room & bathroom to herself, all meals included obvs
• weekdays only (bar occasional Sat night babysitting negotiated in advance)
• kids are at local schools so no long journeys on the days when school pick-ups are required

Hi OP. I haven’t had an au pair for @6 years now but had them for almost 20 years (big age gap in my children).

Our last au pair we paid £125 a week. She did clean and she did drive (our car) for school run. We found having au pairs of @20/21 years old to start was great and averaged two to three years with us.

We know au pairs talk and compare their weekly money, room and if they need to babysit regularly at the weekend. Those seemed to be biggest points. You’ll need to find out what the going rate is in your area as it does vary. This could also be one reason you’re not getting good results on au pair world (presuming you've paid for the membership so you can communicate directly/quickly).

Turning to the mandarin. I think you’ll find this a bit too hard to find. Au pairs are coming here to learn English, travel and earn money. You’d be better off paying for additional mandarin lessons. Or perhaps looking at a lodger from your local/nearby uni for a student studying mandarin.

Best of luck

Thank you @adorethebeach - that is very helpful indeed! Re the mandarin-speaker. It seems more or less impossible for Chinese nationals to get visas but easier from Taiwan, and a friend in Oz tells me there's a big mandarin-speaking community there, which someone else on MN mentioned too hence my posting on Gumtree. I appreciate that it's a long shot. I have looked at Mandarin tutors and there are plenty of options I just wanted it to be a bit more organic and not another formal thing that they do bearing in mind that they are getting older and school/after school stuff is getting busier. Thanks again for your thoughts. Appreciate it.

@RicStar thanks for your input too. Have looked at the competition, yes. But it varies a lot! To clarify my OP was not written as an ad to attract an au pair. That will obviously include more detail about us as a family, what the DC are like, how time will be spent etc. I simply wanted to get a MN view on the responsibilities and what would be fair pay for them. It's a nice job. We're v friendly, had 6 au pairs and several have come back to visit, we all exchange xmas cards, whatsapps and whatnot. I've also been an au pair myself (and had a really horrible time of it) so I know the deal. I'm just behind the times on pay and wanted a few opinions on it.

I think the speaking mandarin part os probably your biggest blocker there!

I would remove the reference to cleaning and laundry from your ad and only mention this in the offer email. Tidying up after the kids and putting away laundry are normal au pair activities. If you specifically call them out as "housework" in the advert they might get the wrong idea like most of us on this thread!

I'd offer the max you can without having to register as an employer so £118/week. I'd also offer some kind of travelcard/bus pass.

Good luck in finding someone.

I'd also put in the ad that you're happy to speak English to them and that there are lots of language schools nearby.
Incidentally, I'd be amazed if you find someone on Gumtree, you need au pair world and even then it will take a couple of months at least. If you need to childcare, just get a summer au pair and then try for a Mandarin speaker for September/October.