Irritating things that au pairs/nannies do...

[Tanzie]

Following on from the other thread, and apart from seriously evil stuff that my last nanny used to do, I would (perhaps rather pettily) include the following:

Piling up the rubbish in a huge pyramid on top of the binbag so she doesn't have to change it yourself.

When the pile topples over, scatter carrier bags full of rubbish from the kitchen bin randomly around the overflowing bin (so someone else will deal with the mess and not her...)

Diluting the washing up liquid (an Eastern European thing I think)

Removing the cardboard tube from the loo roll holder and chucking it on the loo floor, but not bothering to move three feet and replace it with a new loo roll.

Saying "It depends what you're having" when you ask if she will be eating with the family that night.

Dumping clothes in a crumpled mess on top of the tumble drier so she can get her stuff in it, instead of folding it so that it doesn't need ironing.

Having to be asked every week to do one simple thing (eg use the brush when you've had a poo, put the children's clothes away if they're clean and folded on top of thewshing machine...)

Feeding children processed crap that she has bought herself (eg microwaveable burgers) rather than grilling fish fingers and making mash to go with them (too much effort).

[tamula]

Well, I'm not so bad now, thank-god! I have aquired a little restraint and will power!

But I still think its best to keep all treats away from my eye, hand or mouth level

I'm expecting my own in March and have developed more a sweet tooth these days, not so much chocolate more chewies and fizzy drinks. I'm terrible.

[Tanzie]

Tamula - in case you think I am the bitch from hell, we have kept in touch with two out of our three nannies (proper nanies, not au pairs)! And we are not rich - most of DH's salary goes on childcare. Current girl is more of a Mother's Help (Hindrance?) than a nanny - half way between nanny and au pair, I suppose. Our last nanny was a nightmare and I have never been so pleased to see the back of anyone in my life. It cost us over 6 months salary to get rid of her, but worth every penny not to see her sly little face and lazy backside again. She has done a runner here now, so we will have the immigration authorities breathing down our necks soon, as they consider it our responsibility to get her on a plane home. Short of abducting her, I am not sure how they expect us to do it.

Our current girl is leaving at Christmas and I think she has mentally left already. Her latest trick is to run the dishwasher without putting any soap in it, and then to put all the dirty stuff away. She "didn't realise" (despite being shown on several occasions) that it needed soap...

[crunchie]

Tanzie, you poor hing, you really seemto get them. If i could put our ex-nanny on a plane/train I would but the jammy moo has found a new job paying at least 25% mre than we paid her her for a 3 day week (plus some sat/sun work occassionally).

I agree that the richer the family the worse they treated their nanny. We were the poorest family we knew and didn't really pay market rate, but because of this we always tried to compensate with extra time off never coming home late (maybe once or twice a year!) or we fixed someelse to come in and take over, and paid extra for any babysitting/overtime we needed. Some of her nanny friends friends were treated really badly, the point being hat the employers life is far far more important than the nannies!!

[tamula]

Tanzie, I dont think anything negative about you at all. I have to agree that as in every other profession or area of life there is good and bad.

I also agree that childcare generally is very expensive and disorganised ona whole, we need more government provision and funding in the UK. We just dont seem to have our act together as well as some of our other European counterparts with regard to childcare provision and allowing people to live and enjoy a quality of life whilst safe in the knowledge that they have quality childcare provided that is not financially crippling.

Isnt it just sods law that on the whole the people that can best afford a nanny without feeling the pinch, treat them like crap. Whilst the 'normal' family muddling through and doing their best may get landed with the tempeamental nanny from hell? Go figure. Maybe some nannies are intimadated into good behaviour by the extravagantly rich and not so bothered anywhere else?

I have actually taken a significant paycut to be with the 'normal' down-to-earth family! Socialites can stick their job

[Tanzie]

She has just had a bit of a strop - she wants to send some of her luggage back home as unaccompanied air freight. I told her that she would have to buy some cheap suitcases to put the stuff in and to ring the airline to see what it was going to cost as she didn't want it to cost her more than the clothes had done. I then realised that she thought I was going to pay. She said "Well, I don't know if I can afford it." So I suggested she have a good look at her stuff and decide what was worth taking back and what wasn't. She has been sulking in her room ever since. I don't see why I should pay for this - we paid her flight out here, two flights home for her in the summer (she has only been here since February) and cover her health care and phone bills (usually about 100 euros a month for phone bills alone). And that is on top of her salary!

Was also v peed off with her this morning. DD1 was sick and I needed to clean up her and the bathroom - no toilet cleaner, no bleach, no Mr Muscle, no children's shampoo, no carpet cleaner (apparently she thought it was furniture polish -yes, that is why there is a large picture of a rug on the tin!). I went shopping on Friday and asked her specifically if there was anything we particularly needed for cleaning. She said there wasn't! Am getting extremely fed up with this - she has left mentally, and can't be bothered any more, I think.

[hattiel]

Tanzie - what a cheek about luggage.

Our current A-P announced her sister and husband were coming to stay for 5 nights. I did'nt realize at the time, she thought they would automatically stay with us. She would give up her double room, and sleep in the box room. she then started to ask me about the sofa bed.

I did'nt click for a few days and kept commenting on how nice it would be for her, ect ect. In the meantime i had got some information for her about local hotels, all with a 2 mile radius. She looked at me as if I had said something terrible... then i realized, they were in fact suppose to stay with us at Hotel Hattiel!!! In the end sister did'nt come, they though Hotel and B& B too expensive.

I did say to her when she started that she was welcome to have her friends over ( meaning local friends who will leave at night fall). Also ANother A-P in the area had told her how previous A-P sister came to stay for 4 weeks ( when really it should have only been for 10 days). It was not an ideal situaton X and sister kept falling out causing a lot of tension.

[Uwila]

Luggage stunt would not sit well with me either. I don't pay for flights to other countries, and I accept no responsibility for getting them any further than the exterior of my front door.

My nanny would never assume someone could stay in our house. She did just have her daughter over for a couple of nights (daughter is 28), but I offered. We don't pay her a lot (because we can't afford to) so I try to give her some perks here and there that don't cost a lot of money. And, it didn't cost me anything to have her daughter over.

I just can't believe she wanted you to buy her new luggage. Let me guess. Is she young? I had a young nanny who thought I was suppose to provide for her whenever she could establish her need. It had nothing to do with whether she had earned it. I, on the other hand, was and am of the view that my nanny deserves what she has earned, and I do not take on parental responsibilites for anyone other than my offspring (and sometimes DH)

[AMerryScot]

Au pair doozy of the day:

I came home with my older kids from school and was taking ages to unpack the car, so DS knocked on the door to be let in. No answer. He knocked again and still no answer. Au pair was sitting on the couch (curtains open, lights on, so in full view of the street) chatting on the phone.

When I got in, I asked her if she heard the door - no answer, continued chatting. I ended up taking the phone out of her hand and told the caller she'd get back to them once she finished working. She proceeded to call them back three times, giggling as they answered.

With the threat of wages docked, she has finally got the message about her time and mine. I wouldn't have taken it so far if she hadn't blatantly ignored DS.

[Stilltrue]

[Uwila]

I think I'd hand of a written warning for that one. Letting her know that if it continued it risked getting her dismissed.

I had an pair last summer who did similar things. The part that made me the madest was when she would giggle like it was funny that she had gotten caught. Used to infuriate me!

[Caligulights]

I agree with Uwila. Or is she going anyway?

[AMerryScot]

She's going tomorrow!

Champagne chilling as we speak...

I'm dismissing her a week earlier than planned because - wait for this one - last week, she was babysitting in the evening. DH came home early to find all my kids up and running wild, and the au pair in the shower. DH didn't have his key, so he had to knock to be let in - by my seven year old. Au pair came out of the shower eventually and went straight to bed, never checking on the children and totally oblivious to the fact that there was another adult in the house.

[AMerryScot]

Sorry - I've just repeated myself - duh, going mad!

[AMerryScot]

No I haven't - ignore last post. Truly mad now.

[Caligulights]

I wouldn't pay her.

Sorry, but that's outrageous negligence.

I'd have been tempted to smuggle the kids out of the house, leave them at a neighbours, and then ask her where they were!

(But I am a cow!)

[Caligulights]

She's obviously driven you mad! The champagne will get you back to normal!

[AMerryScot]

Absolutely. She was lucky not to be dragged out of bed and chucked out along with all her possessions.

I've no intentions of paying her. She owes me £44 for phone calls last month (compared to £4 for DH & I), and £73 for her plane ticket. We'll just call it quits, methinks.

[lisalisa]

caligulights

Ameriscot - that's actaully quite frightening - she didn't know or care where your childrne were and seemed not to even understand what babysitting meant. You're well shot of her.

[AMerryScot]

Definitely!

[Uwila]

caligulights,

[Supernanny19]

Very old post but this does make me laugh..
" Depends what your having" Well id say the samething..No-one will say YES to having dinner if they do not know what it is lol!

[AtheneNoctua]

Gosh what an old thread! And I never see some of these people anymore. Wonder where they have gone?

[AtheneNoctua]

Gosh what an old thread! And I never see some of these people anymore. Wonder where they have gone?

[PaulaMummyKnowsBest]

old but still entertaining

[JenniPenni]

hehe I had a good chuckle too!