hours for au pair/au pair+

[stressed2007]

Just after some clarificaton. We hopefully have nearly finalised our au pair search (it is like the search for the holy grail) using various agencies and the usual websites. It may be me but there seems to be a little inconsistency between the hours each is expected to do. According to one agency the au pair can do up to 35 hours per week (pay should increase accordingly) plus 2 nights babysitting. Other places say 25 hours per week with 2 night baby sitting and others say 25 hours a week (including the babysitting?).

Is there any norm? We have told our lady 35 hours a week and 2 nights baby sitting(though unlikely to go out one night a week let alone 2 so she won't have to) but we are paying significantly more then the £60 minimum which makes me think we have actually employed an au pair+?.

So is there any guidance as to what an au pair/au pair+ should be doing (the difference between the 2 being the hours they do and the amount of money they are paid?)Thanks very much.

I think, from what I have read that the 25 hours rule was originally intended for an au-pair visa back in the day when we weren't free to roam Europe.

So I am assuming that now, due to less movement restriction within Europe there is no legal max limit as Au-pair visas are typically not used by European au-pairs. So I think you can ask for as many hours as you feel are fair?

But I am not certain so do not take my word for it. Sorry can't be much help!

bump please

well, the babysitting in the evening when the children are in bed ( or about to go to bed) is on top of the weekly hours. some people think it is ok to ask for babysitting on ap's days off, to me that is not right.

the 25 hours are limits for the aupairs that come on the aupair visa/stamp as i posted on the other thread. the recommended minimum of 60 pounds is for the 25 hours. so you are about to 'employ' an aupair plus. before the eu there were more countries on the aupair visa list but aps from western europe were free to come to the uk and work as aupair or aupair plus. i am talking about late 1990's and early 2000's (how do you actually read this??) and not sure how it worked before that but thats not the point anyway.
as there is no other regulation on aupairs in the uk, the agencies are making up their own rules as to the hours or age of children an ap can look after. which is fair enough. if you dont like the rules of one agency, go to a different one. or use the internet and find her/him yourself. if you are interesed - this is europian treaty on aupairs but uk has never signed it conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/QueVoulezVous.asp?NT=068&CM=8&DF=7/29/2008&CL=ENG.
i'd personally say a normal aupair 25hours/60-70 pounds and an aupair+ up to 35 hours / up to 90-100pounds a week. the taxable threshold is around 100 so anything paid more then that is not an aupair to me.

hope this helps a bit.

We have just agreed the following terms with our new AP, and have had similar arrangments with previous ones:-

First 25 hours @ £70, to include babysitting

Next 10 hours at additional £30 (but only if she wants to do these additional hours)
to bring her up to an AP+ level of 35 hours for £100 (again, all babysitting coming out of these hours)

Every hour thereafter (if she wants it) paid at straight £6 per hour.

that sounds about what we have though like catepilarr I thought the baby sitting was on top of the hours and not part of them.

The norm for an aupair is 25 hours per week, plus 2 evenings' babysitting.

The norm for an aupair plus is 35 hours per week, plus 2 evenings' babysitting.

If babysitting is on the aupair's day off, they should be paid for it.

Babysitting is not part of the 25/35 hours.

Goodness you all seem to be very generous. We pay £80 a week for an au pair + (35 hours a week) plus 2 nights babysitting one night of which may be a saturday night once a month. (however we usually don't use all the babysitting). We also provide all the usual gadgets, full sat tv package and DVD in room, personal laptop and unlimited access to wireless broadband. We also occasionally need the aupair to have DS aged 5 for a full day when its holidays and he's not in holiday club. For this we pay an extra £5 a day but make sure there are fun activities and days out planned so they are not stuck in the house with him. I have 2 other friends with au pair + and they pay £70 and £75 respectively but they are not London based.

£80 is what I pay for 25 hours.

extra five for having a full day instead of a half day??

Yes £5 a day. Got that from a friend who pays their au pair an extra £20 a week for having the children full time in the holidays. That wouldn't work for me as I don't think au pairs are upto extended periods of childcare but we do use it for odd days ( about 8-10 a year) and actually they like it cos they get the extra money, a fun day out, no cleaning or ironing and I shorten their hours on non childcare days so they don't lose out on free time.