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

Au pair not working out

135 replies

geisha · 19/09/2008 08:01

Having our first au pair is not workingout for me. I find it intrusive having someone else in the house and stressful having to consider someone else (I did't think I would). She is nice enough - some small inadequecies but to be honest if I wanted her to stay I would work at addressing those issues so it is unfair to list them. I just feel like I have another child to consider/cook for/worry about..... and don't need it.

She has only been here since Saturday but already I know it is not for me..... I will of course pay for her flight home and give her reasonable notice but please give me some advice about how to address this and when? Thanks.....

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Quattrocento · 20/09/2008 21:58

Just one thing Geisha, how old is your AP? It might well be the first time she has spent time away from home, she might be feeling a bit lost and lonely and settle down soon

peonyflower · 20/09/2008 22:56

Just to add... that I did stress to my au pair that she had the use of a car and free fuel and should be out and about seeing England rather than shuffling round the house. She later admitted that this was the boot up the backside that she needed!
Of course, if the au pair thing is not for you then that is also fine and you might be much better without her.
I think everyone here is keen for you to give it a bit more time.
Mine worked out OK (never brilliant, but manageable)and she did help me alot ie. impromptu baby sitting so I could go out for a drink with DH to rant about her latest antics.

MrsSchadenfreude · 20/09/2008 23:24

Do you know anyone in your area, who has children of a similar age to AP? Or other APs in the area? If she is young, I can see that she might not want to mooch round a town entirely on her own. We introduced our Silent Romanian to another au pair who lived near us, and this girl was great - dragged SR out with her in the evening, to church on Sunday, out for the day on Saturday. They also went out a few times with a neighbour's daughter who was in the sixth form, so only a year younger. Left to her own devices, I think SR would have spent her entire year with us either on her own in her room or glued to MTV and Cartoon Network. She was much too shy to do anything on her own, but having someone to do things with did wonders for her and improved her stay with us no end.

DadInsteadofMum · 21/09/2008 13:24

Geisha - where in the countr are you, can any of us with APs that leave the house put ours in touch with yours?

evangelina · 21/09/2008 20:11

Geisha, I sympathise with you. I had my first au pair in August, who was supposed to be here for 6 months but left after one week. I found it very intrusive and that it added to my workload, although your one does sound a bit better than mine who made no effort with my children. Even though my experience was a total disaster, I was very mindful that she was only 18 and I didn't want her to lose confidence or go home hating England, so I said some nice things to her when she left and said she could come back for a short visit any time. Good luck.

geisha · 21/09/2008 21:39

Thanks everyone for your comments. I am listening and am definately going to ive it til christmas before reaching a final decision (even though at the moment I really don't want to). The most difficult thing about this is that she is actually quite a good au pair. She does everything I ask to a good standard and uses her inititive as well. I chatted to her today and she said she was very happy here, very lucky to have found a nice family and that we make it hard for her to be homesick!! (We are quite nice I do admit but this is not helping.......)

Dadinstead - we are in Shropshire. I know of no other au pairs in our smallish town or other 18 yr olds or similar. She starts college tomorrow morning and will go two mornings per week. I understand from the teacher their were 4 or 5 french au pairs in the class last year so fingers crossed she will start to make some friends.

She doesn't drive so can't use that tactic but the principl for getting on the bus/train is the same. Went to b'ham today for shopping, she did not leave my side once - feel so suffocated . I know I have to build her confidence to get her out and about on her own adn that is the approach I will take up to christmas.... btu seriously if any one wants a good au pair in the meantime get in touch.

Thanks for the offer of a chat mummypoppins - may well be in touch soon.

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mummypoppins · 21/09/2008 22:05

oh geisha well done......it is hard but surely the benefits of having someone who is actually a help outweigh the downsides at the moment?

You will find once she starts college it will change as she will meet other au pairs and will aquire a social life pretty quickly.

I dont have an aup pair the moment but Im only 30 mins south of brum so do shout if it is all abit suffocating.

I can assure you by Xmas she will be a star and we will all be very jealous and desp to take her off you !!

MP

marmadukescarlet · 22/09/2008 09:58

Yes, I'll have her once you've trained her up!

Well done for setting a date to work until, also I always found that being really definite with them was by far the best way with most - so the timetable will work wonders. I also go through my weekly schedule with them and work alonside them for the first week.

Good luck

kittywise · 22/09/2008 10:06

I know it's difficult for some people to share a house with another 'adult' I have my second aupair now and am funding it hard. She is lovely, quiet, considerate, learns quickly, eats very little and spends fee time in her room until she starts college next week.

I have nothing to moan about but I know what you mean about feeling you have to look after someone else, especially with the cooking.
When there was no au pair i would sometimes say "right I'm only cooking chips and nuggets" etc but with her here I don't feel i can do that.

Could you get help that lives out?

geisha · 22/09/2008 16:46

kitty - I'm not sure about help that lives out but my plan B is before and after school club + help from my mum + a bit of flexibility from dh.

Marmaduke and mummypoppins - are either of you seriously interested in my au pair?

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mummypoppins · 22/09/2008 17:07

not at the moment as I have avery expensive live in nanny but in due course we will go back to an au pair but probably not for a year

kittywise · 22/09/2008 17:15

geisha, some people just can't stand to have someone live in, no matter how wonderful they are.

geisha · 22/09/2008 17:18

my very lovely neighbour has just called me to say that the au pair dropped dd1 off in floods of tears at about 4 and she will keep her til I get back......

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geisha · 22/09/2008 17:19

dd1 was in floods of tears not the au pair...

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SammyK · 22/09/2008 17:30

Hi geisha, been following this thread, sorry to hear you are still finding it hard.

Did your neighbour tell you why dd1 was upset? Hope she is ok.

geisha · 22/09/2008 17:34

No, will find out when I get back. If I know my dd as well as I think I do it will be that she cried to manipulate the ap to take her to her friends house. i am certain the ap would not have shouted or done anything wrong.

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marmadukescarlet · 22/09/2008 18:11

Lovely offer but a) I'm miles away from you and b) we have a veto on French (and Italian) APs

blueshoes · 22/09/2008 19:14

geisha, when you say you are nice (which is great), could you be too nice? Dh and I are on our second aupair. I would say that we treat her like a member of the family, but not a guest. So she is expected to muck in eg she takes turn to wash up dishes, tidy up the house and entertain the children, even if it is outside her strict work hours, so long as she is in the house.

I make this clear in the houserules. In my mind, I am not her skivvy (nor is she mine).

Of course, this does not happen when she is out of the house, which gives her an incentive to get out every now and then.

And whilst we ask her about her day, weekend and let her know our plans, we don't make a particular effort on a day-to-day basis to make conversation with her. If she is having dinner with us or chooses to stay around the living room with us in the evenings, dh and I have our catch-ups without necessarily including her. She is free to listen and pipe up, but it is quite an easy and casual relationship. As a result, we don't really notice or mind if she is there. It is up to her. I also prefer to maintain a slight professional reserve whilst being friendly (ie I don't overly confide in her or encourage vice versa on the basis we respect her privacy as well), as ever so often, I will have to tell her she did not clean the sink thoroughly or she missed that out and show her how to do things.

Yes, once she has friends, she will prefer to go out anyway . We make ourselves slightly boring.

geisha · 22/09/2008 21:43

thank blueshoes - we are were definately too nice. As I suspected dd1 fully manipulated the occasion of this afternoon being the first time we have asked the au pair to collect dd1 from school. she decided she wanted to play at her the neighbours house, cried and the ap took her!I have explained to the ap (again) what my expectations are and that if she is unsure she must phone me at anytime and this is one of the reasons I bought her a phone. also, when I ring her she needs to try to answer it so that I know she has found her way to school, got dd safely home etc.

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ingles2 · 22/09/2008 21:51

geisha.. everything blueshoes says is right... it is impossible to keep up being extremely nice to a live in AP for a year. She is there to help you or there is no point to having an AP. Make it clear what you want and how you want to done now.

Marmaduke! you ignoring my email!!!????!!!! x

cthea · 22/09/2008 22:05

I was wondering what kind of fitness regime you'd set your AP and she wasn't working out I hope things improve for you. We haven't got the space for an AP but I'd also worry about the extra responsibility. I hope it gets better long before Christmas.

geisha · 22/09/2008 22:08

cthea - maybe that is part of the problem - our house is not big enough. how big is the av. family house with ap? we live in a detached house but newish build so smallish with 4 bedrooms (2 dble/ 2sgl).

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cthea · 22/09/2008 22:11

Well, we have a 3 bed flat, same level, not even up and down, so definitely not big enough for an AP. We were OK having my parents over, usually one at a time, but we knew they were for short periods of time, and it's different anyway, they look after us, not the other way round. I'd think a 4 bed detached house is big enough, though.

ingles2 · 22/09/2008 22:12

As long as there is a room for the AP geisha, your house is big enough

geisha · 22/09/2008 22:23

guess its a perception thing. At the moment I could live ina huge palace and give her a wing to herself and it wouldn't be big enough!!!

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