au-pairs

[ThingOne]

How do you find au-pairs?

This is a short notice situation. I have major surgery next week. My mum is coming to stay while I am in hospital but I will (probably) be discharged on either Friday or Monday 24 December. I am teriffied about DH and I will cope with small boys (4 and 18mo) while I recover. Solution seems to be lots and lots of activity to get sick mummy off their mind but DH is too knackered after months of me being ill and 18mo's crap sleep.

Our regular afternoon nanny (3hr per day - I have been ill for some time) obviously wants some days off but as a keen young person seems to want only 25/26/27 off (gawd bless her a zillion times).

A nurse at the hospital today suggested a live-in person for about six weeks. I guess she was meaning an au-pair because she quoted a figure of £50 per week for a friend's Slovakian helper. I can afford this but not a proper nanny.

Any ideas how I go about this? I realise finding someone to start on Christmas Eve is unlikely but suggestions welcome.

I am in Bath and can juggle children for her to have own room but shared bathroom.

There are girls advertising holiday cover on Gumtree

www.gumtree.com

Maybe ask Mishmash if her AP would be interested in a temp job? see here

I've had a few au-pairs and will advise you that £50 a week is very low for what you are asking. You probably wont get one for that price, especially as you will only want her for 6 weeks. She will be looking for a longer term position for better pay, I'm sure.

Also the time of year is awful. Au-pairs are either now all in place or will be looking to start in late spring/early summer.

Only thing left for you to do is to ask your regular nanny, who sounds lovely, to do more hours for you. Could your family give you some financial support. Even wacking it on your credit card could be an option.

Oh my god I've just remembered. If you contact your local college that runs NNEB courses then you could get a FREE trainee nanny (not live in but a local girl) for the spring term. It's done as part of their placement because they have to work in a family where there is both a toddler and a baby. Anyway, college will tell you much more but phone them NOW or it will be too late.

Hope your surgery goes well.

Thanks for your ideas. After I posted on here I discovered that the going rate for what I wanted started at £85 pwk, which is still within my budget.

I've never used gumtree. I hope it comes up with somebody who has fallen through the cracks.

Family are helping in many ways but financial nightmare is mainly because all this is taking place at precisely the same time as we are moving house(s) ... Sold house and moved into rented place mid August - got diagnosis the week later and started intensive treatment. Are due to move into own new house in late January ... So all in all we don't really have much cash atm. Not at all "poor" and feel crap at 40 asking family for money but have gratefully (nay, eagerly) accepted the c£1000 we've had already!

good luck with the surgery.

the only thing you might want to think about is how much effort goes into introducing a new person into your household when they are live in. Live out, while more expensive, is less intrusive.

And I calculated that all the hidden costs of having someone live in can add up to about 50% again on top of their pay: you have another adult eating all their meals at your house, using the washing machine and tumble dryer, car insurance (if you need them to drive), phone, etc...

good luck with whatever you decide.

Yeah - I know. Really don't fancy it at all but am desperate for help.

thingone did you call your local college?