live out mothers help/au-pair

[nanny2mummy]

I wonder what is the going rate for mothers help or au-pair in central London thses days

Could be a very young person, no qualifications needed and there would be no sole charge involved at all
I just need some help as having a baby and already have a 1 year old in tow
any advice?

An au pair is generally live in as part of the deal....so you may struggle to find one.

You could probably find someone for £6 an hour gross - if you're really not worried about experience/quals/age then an 18 year old could be less (think minimum wage under 21 is just under a fiver an hour?).

Have you thought about contacting colleges where they run childcare courses and seeing if anyone would like some work experience? If you are able to supervise it might be a good option.

few good ideas here
it would not be sole charge at all so yeah I would be supervising at all times
with au-pair I was thinking more of an au-pair that is already with the host family but has free time while kids in school and maybe want's to earn more money???

Just tossing ideas right now, but will need something sorted out

That sounds like a good idea about an established au pair -good ones are in short supply though and you might find the host family a little possessive about the au pair (worrying about permanent poaching)

it would be only for a short term though
I am thinking maybe for 8 weeks or so!
Just untill I establish myself with a baby and a toddler.

Do you know any friends or associates in a similar position who could recommend anyone? An advert in the local paper would probably attract people....how could you check on their background though?

not sure about the background, but not too worried about it as the person would not be left alone with children
as I said I was hoping for an established au-pair but have no idea how to go about it and where to look
Most people I know have a nanny and I can not afford to pay a nanny rate, and don't really need one as it is not a sole charge
plus I think most nannies would hate the idea of being used as mothers help (me included LOL)

Ask for references and check them scurryfunge, same as hiring anyone!

I'd try advertising on Gumtree, and see if any local children's bookshops, cafes etc have a noticeboard.

Yes, that makes sense...Missus84...used to using agencies who do all that stuff!

All agencies do is take references from the candidate and then call or write to the referee (actually lots don't seem to bother even to do that ) so nothing an employer couldn't do directly.

where would I stand with tax and so on if getting a "shared au-pair"
they normaly don't get taxed do they?

It depends how much they are paid overall - if you employ an au pair who is already earning say £75 a week, and you pay her another £75 a week, then I think you'd have to register as an employer and pay tax as she'd be over the earnings limit (which is around £100 a week I believe).

If you hired someone and were their only job, and paid less than the limit, you wouldn't have to register or pay tax.

but as far as I know au-pairs don't even have a NI number so sorting out that and tax codes would be a nightmare
just seems a bit too complicated

maybe I should look into a daytime babysitter type thing, so no tax or NI required?

It looks from here (www.hmrc.gov.uk/paye/intro/register.htm) that you have to register as an employer if they have another job, or if you pay over £97 a week - but they won't pay tax unless they earn over £125 a week.

Depending on how many hours you need, it may be simplest to hire a student looking for something part time, for around 16 hours a week at £6 an hour.

If an au pair wanted to get another job then I guess they'd have to apply for a NI number - shouldn't be too difficult if they're an EU citizen.

How about a local mum who has free time while her own children are at school? So long as you're under the £97 a week it should be easy enough.

I think I would only need about 10 hours a week spread over 2-3 days
can not afford to pay more than £70 anyways (tight budget as not working or on ML)

gosh, now I am stressing out over it all and that is one thing I said I will not do

I think in your situation I would definitely either look for a mum with free time during the school day, or approach local colleges and see if they have any childcare students who would be interested in a part time job for a few weeks.

So long as it's their only job and at £70 a week it should be pretty straightforward.

Of course, the other option if you do find an available au pair would be to just pay cash in hand.

The risk of cash in hand is the fine (potentially 3k) if you get caught.

Unless you use a SE temp nanny who does maternity/temp work or a doula you're likely to have to register as an employer anyway unless the person doesn't have another job (mum or student). Temp NI numbers are very easy to get (I used to be able to dispense them and they're based on the person's dob) and then it's their responsibility to get a perm number. I would avoid hiring Romanian or Bulgarian au pairs on an au pair visa as they, despite being EU, still have limited working. If they have a blue card you're fine

The childcare student is a really good idea - I think you could even be a placement family as you have a nb and toddler and you'll be there to supervise. Worth checking. Alternatively what about a uni student?