How much do your au pairs spend each week?

[roses2]

I pay my au pair £115 each week. She tells me that she spends it all every week and saves nothing. She goes out nearly every day mainly for coffees so it all adds up. She has started asking me recently if I can pay her a few days early each week as she doesn't have any money. As she is leaving in 2 weeks I don't have an issue with this.

My SIL's au pair is paid £110/week and she was topped up by her parents.

I know au pairs are on a relatively low income but when they are spending more than me each week on going out then my sympathy wanes a little.

Does anyone have any au pair who manages to save on an au pair salary? Do they still get to enjoy their time?

@Stuckforthefourthtime I'm comparing au pairs to young people living in accommodation provided by employers charging the max amount legally allowed (incl utilities, laundry etc).

Au pairs live with the family/employer, usually with limitations on having friends over etc It's nothing like sharing a property with friends or a boyfriend.

@JoJoSM2 and the offset is £42 a week. On minimum wage at 25 hours they would still have less disposable income than the au pair (£109 Vs £115).

Not to mention that accommodation of virtually any sort would be inconceivable anywhere near £42 in London. I understand why the offset is set the way it is (and how it can protect minimum wage workers) but it is a bit ridiculous to have it the same whether you're in Merthyr Tydfil or Zone 1. Yes there are limitations on au pair accommodation, but the discount off market rate is huge. My friends share rooms in grimy HMOs without living spaces (as they've gone for bedrooms) and unpleasant flatmates for £90-£100 a week.

JoJo if you’re not happy with the terms of being an au pair- why are you doing it again? Generally it’s a stepping stone to bigger things, either to improve your English, discover a new culture and travel, or to start life in a new country. It’s not meant to be a ‘job’. It’s meant to be a fun thing to do for a few months with a nice family to support you.

Now that you have the experience, get a summer nanny role.

I’ve never been an au pair 😆 I do think it can be a nice a nice experience for a young girl staying with a lovely family who look after her + she mucks in 25h/week.
But yes, I do think some people abuse the system and take advantage of vulnerable young girls, often with limited English making them work long hours for a pittance of pocket money.

Sorry - completely mis-read your last post - too much sun (in Cornwall!)

I think it’s a lovely thing to do as well and significantly less people are taken the piss out of now that there’s less au pairs....we’ve not had an extra unhappy one living in our au pair’s flat for a couple of years now.

I don't think you have the right au-pair. She is meant to take cake or her own washing and clean after herself. Maybe some communication could help fix the problem. I have found that au-pairs with no previous experience, especially when young, habe no idea of how to run a house so they don't know what else they can do other than helping with the kids. She should deffinetly be taking work away from you and not adding on.
I don't know where you are but I need to point out that £80 seems a bit underpaid to me too...
Sorry you're having a bad experience.

Hosting an au-pair doesn't suppose that much cost to a family and living in a family's house isn't the same as sharing a house... You're right that most people are not left with even hakf of 400 at the end of the month, I'm left with nothing at my job back home, but that has nothing to do with the fact that most au-pairs are underpaid for the job they do... They have no real contract, no health insurance, no rights, no place to go if the family decides to let them go sooner... And they're here to learn English and enjoy the city. Some families don't help with the cost of classes or phone bills or transport... Try getting a live in nanny with the same net wage and tell her that 400 is enough... I don't think its wrong to say an au-pair is cheap childcare, it is and some families compensate that by giving a great experience to the girls but others just abuse of it.

Being an au pair is meant to be a travelling/cultural experience where the a young person has a year off from studies/full time work to live in another country by providing household help in exchange for board and pocket money.

I would think that for most that means getting out and about seeing the sights, having experiences, going to bars and clubs etc etc. These experiences may be expensive but it is a year off from normal life of paying rent and bills. I think it would be a bit sad not to make the most of the experience by sitting in your room and saving money rather than making the most of it.