AuPair stuck in Europe

[Metrobaby]

My au pair was due to return last weekend, but is stuck in her home town in Europe. I'm more than happy to wait for her to return when she can. However, do I have to pay her for her missed days? I have already paid her full holiday pay. She is also considering getting coach travel through Europe. Should I contribute to this expense as well?

Mine is stuck as well - she went on a four day trip to Norway and was due back last Thursday. She has made it as far as Copenhagen, we have decided that it is an extra weeks holiday (the contract allows me to direct when she can take up to 50% of her holiday) and she will city hop and has a seat on the Eurostar at the weekend. Have had to send a money gram out to her as she was getting a bit hungry.

What does you contract say?

I must say if you want them to return you should be as nice as possible about it.

It's a LOT to ask for someone who has a very part time, often boring part time job to catch a COACH across Europe to get back to you. Of course you should pay for it!!! I wouldn't do that to get back to an au pair job.

I would pay her for her missed days

It isn't her fault that she is stuck and you (i assume) what to retain a good relationship with her

how much would her coach travel back cost?

personally, I would offer to help her out

I would pay her for the missed days and offer to help out. Au Pairs aren't exactly overpaid and a coach trip might clear her out financially.

I wouldn't pay her for the missed days but I would pay for her return travel if she is trying to get back and I would be extra nice and buy her a nice treat

DioM - my contract states she has 28 days holiday per year and that we can mutually agree when that holiday is taken. She has already used up her leave to date though.

Just to be clear I didn't ask her to find alternative means of travel as I thought that would be unreasonable of me. In fact I said that I was more than happy to wait until her flight was re-scheduled and not to worry about things. However, she herself decided she wanted to come back and said that she could travel by coach.

You don't have to pay her missed days - you can make her take them as unpaid leave - but it would be a nice gesture to either pay the missed days or her coach fare. Especially as she's doing her best to get back to you.

Offer her the choice, either unpaid leave or take as holiday that hasn't accrued yet but presumably will before the end of her contract. By the end of this week our AP will have had half her annual holiday despite being only a third of the way through her contract.

And she is finally home this evening, very tired but happy all round that she is back.

gosh hh

We had the misfortune of being stuck in Europe and had to wait a full week before we could get home. I'm still talking to my bosses as I'm hopeful I may get at least part of my missed time given as paid special leave.

One person I know has been given 5 special days (paid) on the basis of serious unpredicted family problems. Two others have been given only one day which is the maximum they would normally be able to claim as leave for disruption due to extreme transpor issues/snow/accessibility.

Anyone else on here had problems and what has been the outcome with paid/unpaid time off..?

I would personally have given my au pair special paid leave - it wasn't her fault that she was stuck.