Just a quickie, how much do you pay your au pair?

[oneplusone]

I'm planning on finding an au pair later on in the year and have no idea how much they expect to be paid.

Can someone give me an idea/rough guideline? I live in greater london (sw) and she would be needed in the mornings and late afternoon/evening but would have most of the day free.

Thanks in advance for your help.

I think the going rate is somewhere around £70 per week for say 25 hours. Not sure though. I've never had an au pair, just nannies which cost a whole lot more.

25 hrs per week is around £55

I get 40 hrs (Au Pair plus)for £75 (to £95)

we've got one coming in September - and we're paying her £60 a week (same hours as you) - we live in West London. If your AP wants to meet others, maybe they could get together.

Thanks for that, just a few more questions, do they normally have weekends off or charge extra for weekends?

And what's the best way to go about finding someone? Through an agency? I've had nannies in the past, not live-in, and have only used agencies.

Am pleasantly surprised that they are more affordable than I thought!

More afordable yes - but a lot more hassle. You have to realise its about having another member of your family living with you who won't necessarily show initiative and "muck in". But you could be lucky (as I was a few years ago) and get a wonderful AP.

Some host families have the AP helping out at weekends but I never have. However, they should have at least one day off at the weekend (normally Sunday).

I use aupair-world.net to get my APs but greataupair.com is good but has never produced the right person for us. I tried to use an agency but they just get you to complete a registration form which is exactly the same as the profile that I loaded on aupair-world. Mind you, I spent a lot of time replying to APs so there is extra time involved in the DIY process.

Hi oneplusone

Subject close to my heart as our new aupair couple is starting in a week's time.

They will each work 35 hours per week and we will pay £100 per week to each of them (about the most you can pay before tax and NI kicks in). They don't have to work at the weekends, apart from occasional baby-sitting.

I tried all the normal routes and found the best ones to be www.theaupaircompany.co.uk and good old Gumtree.

BTW I know £100 per week is a lot for an aupair, but they are both in their late 20s and qualified as teachers in their home country, so it seems appropriate to pay them top whack!

Oh, that's great Issy. I've missed this. Glad you were able to find a couple.

Thanks Eleusis, although I guess recruiting them is only half the story.....

Yes, of course it is. But a good recruitment can save many headaches later.

hi,

Yes I do realise the hassle of having a 'stranger' living in our house which is why I've not been keen on the idea in the past, but we're having an extension done so there'll be more space, so hopefully it won't be too bad, especially is she is out most of the day so I have the place to myself.

Partly the reason i want an au pair is that I have just had enough of getting up at 5.30am with DS, would this be classed as unsocial hours? as I want the au pair to get up with the kids, I don't mind if that's all she does, I just need my sleep after 4 years of not very much of it!

Our two and a bit years of having an au-pair (ours was a Kurdish Turkish Christian 27 yr old trying to get away from her Muslim father) were overwhelmingly positive. She arrived speaking no English, depressed and introverted, and slowly blossomed into a lovely woman. She is now living in London with two small children of her own, married to another Turkish Kurd. It was back in 2001-2003, but we paid her £50 a week, in an expensive Surrey town. Having a decent amount of pocket money gave her the confidence to go out, meet other people and make friends.

Good grief, Duchesse, you probably saved her life. Wow.

oneplusone, I think it's the number of hours that matters and not whether or not she considers them social. My nanny starts at 6:30 every day. So, 5:30 is only one hour ealrier.

And I get up at 5:15 every day, so there's ny sympathy from me for people who get p at 5:30.

It is unusually early so I think you'd need to make it clear in your profile/job advert that this was the expectation. You'd also need to be clear about what you would expect her to do then - sitting on the sofa in her dressing gown supervising some DVD viewing is a very different matter to being up, dressed and raring to go at 5.30am.

One of our live-in nannies was not an early riser, so we just used to put DD1, still in her pyjamas, into bed with her when we left for work at 7.30am and they'd start the day slowly with a cuddle, some milk (for DD1) and bit of looking at books.

I don't think I'd be too bothered what she did with DS at 5.30am, he just needs supervision as he's 15 months and is into absolutely everything. Although by the time we get the au pair he will probably be coming up to 2 so things may be different.

I know I will have to put the early start into the job description/advert, but apart from a few bits and pieces around the house I wouldn't mind if she did her own thing for most of the day and then perhaps helped out in the evenings/bedtime.

Have to say I'm still not 100% sure about the idea, am hoping really that DS's routine will change as I'd much prefer that.

I am very fed up of the early starts and having to be in bed myself earlyish in the evening to avoid being a complete zombie the next day, especially as DD who is 4 is nonstop all day. I have no life or time on my own.

Anyway, thanks for the advice/info, will make a definiate decision once the extension is built.

I've offered my next one £70 to start for standard 25 hours per week. I will probably increase it to £80 in January if all goes well.

My last au pair did 35 hours, and we paid her £100 then £110 by January.

1+1,

We stick to the Monday-Friday contract. Any extra hours, including weekends, I pay £4 per hour.

I've never had much luck at seeing the aupair before 8am. 5.30 is very early, especially if she goes out in the evening.

We had au pair girls looking after us. Our first was Spanish and we adored her. My mum is still in close touch with her and she credits her success in Spain now to my elder sister, for making her speak English properly. Our other au pair was from Hungary and we went over there for her wedding. She is also still in touch with mum. I think being pretty laid back helps. Mum says to us now, she never wanted them to do housework, just so as we were OK after school. I am proud of my mum that she has been so kind to these girls that they would stay in touch. And I would love an au pair, but the cost of an extra bedroom round here is prohibitive.
Enjoy your au pair, treat her like a human, let her do your mates cleaning for 7 per hour, or you other mates babysitting to make up her money, and enjoy her company. She could prove to be a godsend and a lifelong friend.

£100 pw
35hrs a week
in the country
she is only 19 (american) so I could probably have paid her £60 or something but I don't do slave labour I'm afraid