Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Aupair questionnaire / contract / handbook / houserules & other questions

43 replies

laura032004 · 26/10/2007 10:02

We're just about to start recruiting our first aupair. Has anybody got any paperwork that we could use? Have been following these threads for a few months, and picked up lots of useful tips. Is any particular website better than others at the moment? I think we might struggle to get someone, as we're in Devon (a long way from London!)

Is this a bad time of year to be looking? We'd ideally like someone to start in January, poss start of February.

Also, if anybody knows of a good aupair that would like to do a few weeks from mid/end Nov to mid December, I'd love to hear from them

[email protected]

TIA

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

ingles2 · 27/10/2007 21:32

Thanks Scary,,that's great

ingles2 · 28/10/2007 08:09

Scary I looked at your blog and it's just great! What a good idea....I've never done a recruitment tool, just info when they arrive, but I'm definitely going to do one next time I think it would really help because we are in such a rural location. Thanks again

cloudberry · 28/10/2007 09:35

SST, please could I jump on Ingles' bandwagon and have a look too? I was just thinking reading ingles' last post, isn't it brilliant that we can help each other like this. We all know what a nightmare it can be and it's just great being able to glean ideas and people being kind and sharing their experiences and what seems to work for them. I know that might read a bit urghh, but it's just what came into my head.

I've just received an email from our last ap saying that her new family is horrible, I was "a much better empleyer", she now regrets changing families and is going back home next week. I feel sorry for her though I don't think she would have been happy anywhere, but it does restore my confidence a bit if you see what I mean. I have really been beginning to question what the hell I must be doing wrong!

ingles did you get my cat? Not quite sure if I'm doing it correctly!!

ScaryScienceT · 28/10/2007 13:23

I've catted you.

I decided to go along the route of having this blog page. It has a fairly chatty in tone - I am not good at being stern and formal. There is an appearance of spontaneity because all the posts are at a different time (and I can sneakily edit the times they are posted for the next aupair).

Because it's in the format of a blog, it doesn't have to be logical in any way, and in reality, it does reflect the importance that I put on each aspect of the job.

It's also responsive to the aupair's questions, so feels very open and collaborative.

alyblackcat · 28/10/2007 13:38

SST,

Please can I see too?

Need all the help I can get, as I think that I am going to have to re-recruit.

I'd obviously got far too complacent as had some great ones lately.

ScaryScienceT · 28/10/2007 13:43

set a Cat - but it's not that good

ingles2 · 28/10/2007 18:26

I don't think so Cloud,..I'll cat you again.

alyblackcat · 28/10/2007 22:30

Thank you SST, it looks great.

cloudberry · 28/10/2007 22:33

Thank you too SST, it's fab.

Squiffy · 29/10/2007 14:30

SST - you will need to publish the address soon as so many people want a peek (or alternatively, can you please CAT me the details)

Original poster

laura032004 · 30/10/2007 10:57

Can I jump on the bandwagon as well please

My email address is: [email protected]

OP posts:

Looby4 · 31/10/2007 14:00

Please could you send me a copy of this handbook/ blog as well - [email protected].
Many thanks

ScaryScienceT · 31/10/2007 14:04

I've sent out some CATs (Looby, it wouldn't work for you).

BTW, I am much thinner now that I am in the photo on the site.

All the site is is a chatty little 'blog' that outlines the job. It's a less formal and less authoritative way of delivering the rules.

Original poster

laura032004 · 31/10/2007 21:11

SST - I've not had a CAT/email yet. Could you resend - [email protected]
Need to get moving if we might have an aupair in a fortnight

Thanks

OP posts:

ExplosiveScienceT · 31/10/2007 21:12

Sent again

Original poster

laura032004 · 31/10/2007 21:26

OP posts:

Squiffy · 02/11/2007 15:46

thankyou

suzuki1 · 30/07/2017 00:29

I had an awful experience with Nicky at Peter Pan Aupairs. The service is very impersonal and you should only expect communication via email with very little support in the event issues arise later down the road with the aupair.

This time around I decided to go for an 18 year old German girl from a little village in Germany to help with my 5 year old DD. Within a week we ran into difficulties in that the aupair did not get on with DD and several times I witnessed her crossing her arms and telling DD to do it herself. Also every time I was out at meetings she would call the mobile to complain my daughter was not listening. My gut feeling was that she did not have much childcare experience and when questioned had only done a week placement in a nursery.
She did not appear to have any patience and i suspect she did not really like them either I contacted Nicky for support however she was more concerned with finding the aupair another host family quickly as opposed to understanding the issues or trying to resolve them.

Sadly the au pair decided to return home 2 months into her 1 year placement leaving us with no help and Nicky refusing the refund fee after the second au pair she recommended was underhand with her references and later it transpired that the father of the children she was looking after was her boyfriend who wrote the reference. As Nicky pointed out so few families use agencies she came up with every possible reason why the refund could not be paid.

The whole experience with Peter Pan agency was very unpleasant and resulted in my being out of pocket. I very much felt I was left to pick up the pieces with no support from the agency. In addition I felt that agency had another full time job so very little involvement or support was given during the difficulties at the time.

Flip

1 2