APs and coronavirus

[Echobelly]

Just think this might be a bit niche for the coronavirus forum and might be useful for discussion as things develop.

We have just had a new AP start a week ago - I feel rather bad for her as her entire planned stay is going to be in the midst of this crisis. I guess it's possible if they look at shutting down flights she may decide to go home early if she can and obviously she can do that if she wants. Friends have already lost an AP who has gone home so she can apply for college and stuff before flights get stopped.

New AP is a lovely, warm and quite mature girl from Spain - good with kids (and our cat loves her!), and she already has a friend working locally, fortunately. She doesn't seem too phased by things thus far.

If schools shut and we are all WFH, luckily DD is now at secondary school so doesn't need much attention, but I guess I would ask AP to do her hours in the middle of the day to support DS (8) in doing some work, as school has said they will set tasks remotely if it comes to it.

How are things looking with your APs?

Our au pair is also Spanish and has been here a few months now. She seems very relaxed about it all and not looking to go home, although I'm not even sure that this is possible if there are no flights.

Presumably the Spanish government would help to repatriate their citizens if they needed to get home, but I've no idea!

I think so too - my husband is in US and back tomorrow (flight appears to be going ahead) and I just agreed with him that when he's back we should have a frank discussion with au pair that she can go if she wants and may want to before things get more restricted.

If she goes I have seen a good suggestion on line that perhaps people needing childcare offer work to (suitable) people who work in fields like entertainment, hospitality etc where there is not going to be any work for some time. Obviously not any tom, dick or harry, and someone local, but if you can get references that they are trustworthy, it's got to be worth a try (as we'd be working from home anyway, so it wouldn't be sole charge)

If we're working from home then we wouldn't need an ap anyway as given the age of our DCs, there would be no issue working and them being around.

I think we'll wait and see how things pan out!

Our AP has gone home - it was a mutual thing, she was getting worried about getting stuck here/being away from family and to be honest she was not one of the best APs we've had so it was a bit of a relief as we will be wfh for the foreseeable and given the dds are secondary school age we would not have needed her.

Ours is African, but also has a UK passport and wasn’t planning on going back anyway.
Her mum was due to come over next month, but she now can’t as she only has right to remain in SA and she’s worried that she won’t get back in!

She’s likely to be our last au pair anyway, as we’re needing her less and less.

Mine has suddenly announced she's leaving this week as her parents want her home, understandable. Agency less than helpful with advice, what to do next, definitely no refund, so looking at all possible options.

AP mentioned tonight a friend is leaving for Spain because of C19, so it seemed an opportune moment to tell her she could leave if she wants. She said she'd only just got here, but she had been talking with her parents and didn't sound like she'd made her mind up. Me saying that might clarify it, I told her honestly not to worry about us if she wants to go. Both officially WFH now for the foreseeable

On the one hand, it would be good to have her to help with DS, but on the other it's going to a be a tough, intimate, stressful time to have someone else in the house (and another mouth to feed) so I'll accept whatever her decision is.

Where is she flying from to get back to Spain? Might ask ours tomorrow if she wants to go back but she just seems so relaxed about it all that it's not seemed much of an issue.

Luton to Valencia, if she's going to her local one. She has booked an inexpensive one on Monday but she's been calling embassy tonight as it sounds like they might shut down sooner than that and may repatriate people. She seemed prepared for the possibility she might miss the window to get back - DS started coughing this evening, but not sure if it's enough to worry about (has had an ordinary, snotty cold this last week and a half), but if he still coughs in the morning and/or has a temp, we're on lockdown and presumably she can't fly - the last bit being the only bit that I feel any upset about, on her behalf.

Ours said today that she'd rather be here than in Spain, so as long as we're happy to have her, she wants to stay. Fine by us as long as she's ok, so she might be here for the duration!