Is an au pair our best option?

[dancingmama]

I'm in need of some advice. We're moving back to the UK in a few months (Scotland) and I am a bit clueless about childcare.

Since becoming parents we have been expats in Singapore so our nanny doubled up as a housekeeper - I work 4 days a week so she would look after our son on those days and then clean the house on my day off.

I know things will be different in Scotland but I'm wondering what our best option is for a combination of childcare and cleaning, as myself and my husband will be working long hours so we want to spend every second we aren't at work with our son, rather than housework.

Is an au pair our best option, combined with a cleaning company once a week? (Obviously not expecting the au pair to do everything, just washing and cleaning up after our son.) Or is it possible to get a housekeeper who does some babysitting, and have him in nursery?

Also any feedback on rough costs would be great. What I've found online seems out of date

I'd really appreciate any advice. We are about to start long days and unsociable hours so I want to make the transition as easy for our family as possible. He's 18 months old. Thanks

Au pairs are for school aged kids, they take them to school and collect them. At 18 months you will need a nanny/housekeeper. Expect to pay £25k pa for a younger person, rising to double that for super experienced qualified person. You may need a separate cleaning company but I know people who have their nanny clean during naps

How many hours will you need childcare for?

My son goes to nursery 9am - 4pm with an Au pair providing wrap around care. She works 20-25 hours per week. I've been using au pairs since my son turned 9 months - mainly to wake the kids up, feed them, school run, collect and bath them after nursery. If the hours you need are limited and you get an older au pair you may be ok.

Given the hours you've mentioned, a nursery or childminder almost certainly wont work - they dont work as late as you want (and probably wont start early enough). They are closed weekends (disclaimer - a worked based nursery may opperatecthese hours uf there us one available, and lots of people work these late hours)
Au pairs aren't really suitable for the age of your child.
So, you need a nanny. And maybe a cleaner.
Good luck with the move.

I would agree with most of the comments on age group, generally, au pairs are not qualified and as such young children may not be quite as safe in their care as you'd hope. That said, there are some au pairs you could speak to and see if they have the necessary qualifications but do know that au pairs will want to have their own life and maybe take English classes etc. Some older more qualified au pairs are called 'granny' au pairs - perhaps this could be something to think about?

If you do think you might go ahead with them, as a family new to the programme, you might find this article helpful?

medium.com/@ojulie353/thinking-about-hiring-an-au-pair-a2fe46572ab5?source=friends_link&sk=ee1c287bbbacb8beb7265a240bbecfcd

For those hours, i dont think you need a live in nanny.

A nanny will always look clean up after the child , make sure the house is tidy before leaving (from the childs mess, playroom, kitchen etc)

Just be very upfront in your add and at interview stage, what you expect, emptying dishwasher, hoovering up, etc, most wont mind if that's all you need

They arent long hours you need and if you have a live in nanny, you have to set ground rules, because you could end up with her sitting with you every evening / eating meals, always in the kitchen etc.
You will be sharing your house with another adult. Again if you dont want to have her around and you would prefer her to stay out of your way, you must state this clearly in your ad and in the bedroom, you will have to provide a tv, and a sofa really....

Potentially a nanny share could work.
It works out cheaper.

Either way, if the nanny is Ofsted registered, you can get tax free childcare vouchers from your employer
The nanny will have to have liability insurance, a criminal record's check and a first aid certificate which all takes time

Have a look at agencies online or childcare.co.uk