Can anyone help me with an au pair schedule..

[becks5109]

our au pair has really slipped and now doesn't seems to do any of the pre agreed chores so I want to make a weekly schedule up but I'm wondering if expecting her to clean the bathroom, mop floors etc. is asking too much? She is very good at doing the washing for me (only a few shrinking/dye mixing disasters so far!) and does generally tidy up the kitchen on a daily basis but isn't doing much else at the moment. I had hoped she would see what I do and use some initiatives but she doesn't. I had originally thought she was leaving in the summer but have just discovered she wants to stay longer so I'm keen to get a schedule going if she's going to be staying long term. She has to take one child to either nursery/school in the mornings and pick both up in the afternoons (so 3pm - 6.30pm looking after them) so I think she should have time for some other duties or am I expecting too much? Does anyone have an example schedule I could use as a basis please?

Don't have an example schedule, but it does sound a bit heavy. How do the hours compare to the standard 25?

Mine does childcare and school runs before and after school (til 7 in the evenings so doesn't sound too dissimilar to you) and then it is kids laundry (when she does it is up to her provided it is kept up to date) and keeping the kitchen tidy after meals. And thats it.

Day time is her time (subject to laundry - and its three kids so a regular mountain) to go to gym, meet up with other APs etc.

I'm in an au pairs job (Nanny though, it's ideal for me to study at home!). I do work for the kids only. None for the family. If I make a mess in the bathroom I clean it but expecting them to do your housework is unfair, especially if it goes over their hours and if you didn't put it in the ojob description then that's really not fair. (I know how it feels to be given one job description, take the job only to discover that it was changed once I'd gotten there!)

Kids laundry, kids beds once every two weeks, keeping things relatively smart and tidy (with kids help).

Ah, didn't see the pre-arranged chores. Just remind her then but do not go over her hours!

yes I was thinking a schedule would help as we did have a loose schedule agreed on e mail at the beginning but I now seem to be spending all my evenings and weekends doing all the jobs I need her to be doing. She also has been ill alot recently so I've had to pay her and arrange family to come and help with the children so we're all a bit out of sync at the moment. She does love the kids though and they like her which is a massive bonus.

IMHO cleaning bathrooms and mopping floors is not what AP's should be expected to do - I think it crosses the line between 'member of the family' and 'staff' IYSWIM. Laundry, yes, kitchen tidy, yes, kids rooms, yes. but heavy duty cleaning - No

subject to that, I would definately write a schedule for each day with hours, although if she is already doing 3.3 hours per afternoon and I assume 1 hour in the morning, that does only leave you with 30 minutes to schedule for 'chores' each day, surely, if you intend to keep below 25 hours a week?

Thanks squiffy - think our old au pair spoilt us as she used to mop floors etc! My au pair does 4 days a week so her 25 hours are split up between those days. She does 7.30 - 9.30/10am ish 4 days a week then 3 - 6.30 in the afternoons although I am usually home early once or twice a week. She has stopped tidying childrens bedrooms alot of the time and rarely sweeps the kitchen floors. The children just get plonked in front of the telly after school so I've enforced a new rule of 1 hour telly a day but at least the weather is getting better so she will hopefully take them to the park a bit more. I find that in the mornings I am the one making the breakfast and dressing at least of the children so I'm constantly running late for work - just feel I need to be more organised for her sake and mine! We rarely ask for babysitting.

Ah, I see. Definately sounds like lazy AP syndrome to me.

I think you need to focus on getting her to do her existing chores rather than adding to them. A schedule is a good idea, but don't overwhelm her with a super detailed one. I would make a list of things that are absolutely non negotiable her scope of work and go from there.

I would make a schedule composed of tidying child related things. Au pairs much prefer looking after children to cleaning and if you cross that line too much you might find yourself looking for a new au pair.

Thanks ladies - had a bit of a chat with her as we needed to sort out holidays and pay etc. Good news is she is staying on longer that I had thought which is great for the kids. I think maybe I have been expecting too much of her so I'm planning on getting myself super organised to keep the house in check! She did seem to be tidying the kids rooms this morning as we were all up and organised a bit better today so that's a good start.

That sounds positive.

That's good! I agree with Athene, when I was looking for au pair jobs I was looking for ones with little cleaning, as generally I just wanted to spend time with kids! I think also, after speaking to loads of au pairs when I was looking, sometimes they didn't realise that cleaning was part of the job until they got there and were telling me to find out! (which is why smart people look into the job description first )

My aupair does cleaning and I was very clear from the outset that this would be an important part of her role. Her schedule is like this

Monday - 3.5 hours
clean house including bathrooms and mopping floors
change kids sheets
do kids laundry

Tuesday
AM: 2 Hours
DO kids breakfast
empty dishwasher if necessary
clear up after breakfast
make kids beds
One hours ironing

PM: 3 hours
look after kids whilst I do homework & activities
help with bathtime and clearing up

Wednesday
AM: 2 Hours
DO kids breakfast
empty dishwasher if necessary
clear up after breakfast
make kids beds
quick hoover and bleach down toilets

PM: 3 Hours
As Tuesday

Thursday
As Tuesday plus kids laundry

Friday: 3 hours
Help with breakfast
make kids beds
house clean

Babysitting
2-3 times a week. This week will be 3 times but for the previous 6 weeks it has only been once a week

Whilst she mops floors and does bathrooms she doesn't do things like windows, ovens or cleaning out cupboards and she has no responsibility for our bedroom or washing.

She also walks the children to school if I need to leave for work early and sometimes picks them up if I am back late. Her total hours are about 21 hours a week and she has loads of spare time. If I need her to do anything out of the ordinary ie help out if we are entertaining / help me with hardcore cleaning I usually give her an extra £30.

All the aupairs I know have significant cleaning responsibility.