Both Mrs deadslow and I work, have two kids and a springer. We sometimes work from home, sometimes in the office and I travel lots. We have always had childcare, usually qualified, who consume a huge proportion of our net wages and to date have done everything by the book.
We now want to hire an au pair: flexible, more suited to the girls ages (10 + 11) who can do before and after school, clubs as well as light housekeeping and the odd dog walk. We are looking to pay the going rate, they will have a large double room and we will even provide a small run around as we live in rural Berkshire.
All of the applicants so far have very poor English (I know the idea is for them to learn English here but they need to have a certain level to manage their duties. Any advice on where to source someone who meets our needs?
The only other applicant is an American graduate who is prepared to come and work on a tourist visa? Is there anyway round this? What are the risks? Can we get her a work visa through my wife’s small consultancy? Advice welcome.

Get a good looking one 😉

Out of interest, how much is childcare/hour for a qualified british professional?

We now want to hire an au pair: flexible

I see where your priorities lie.

Get the American one then you can get her to bring over cheap bikes/parts and avoid import duty.
She will pay for herself after a few trips back and forth.

Can’t help with the technical question but had to relate a work colleague story – he and his wife decided to get a live in nanny so the wife could return to work. They interviewed several, and to his amazement the wife settled on an absolutely stunning polish graduate student looking for a year placement to learn English in a child care environment before starting a pgce.

When pushed his wife revealed that she had no qualms over allowing this girl to move in with them,on the basis that even if he had any intention of straying she was so far out of his league he’d have no chance, given that he looks like his face caught fire and was put out with a shovel.

We’ve had Au Pairs and either gone by our own network or http://www.aupair-world.co.uk/

The website is pretty crappy but does seem to have best selection of Au Pairs.

We just interview on Skype which give a pretty good idea, esp on language. Can also screen prior to that on email, esp the ones whose first question is ‘what’s the pay?’!

£10000 fine if you get caught employing an illegal

My colleague has a Swedish au pair. We were talking about this arrangement and basically the first thing she said was “and she’s absolutely gorgeous, would you like to see a photo?”. I did, and she is.

I think it’s a pre-requisite that they have to be Swedish and gorgeous.

think it’s a pre-requisite that they have to be Swedish and gorgeous

Are there other types? Why on earth would you have anybody else?

How much are you paying per hour deadslow?

+1 for damo’s suggestions, that’s what we did and we now have a gorgeous, blonde Swedish female.

Just a shame the reason we’ve got an au pair is that I work away from home and commute monthly…

If she’s illegal then at least you won’t have to pay her minumum wage just pay her what you like. She’s not going to say anything she’ll be grateful just to have a job.

Don’t forget to install the spycams before she moves in.

+1 for damo’s suggestions, that’s what we did and we now have a gorgeous, blonde Swedish female.

Just a shame the reason we’ve got an au pair is that I work away from home and commute monthly…
I hope you remembered to install the spycams before she moved in. In her bedroom and yours. 8)

You sick pervert.

I too would like to know the hourly rate-Mrs B works in childcare-this sounds like just the way to get rid of her during the week and get played for it.

Oh, and good chuffin lord is this a #firstworldproblem

why do you have to employ a foreign national? shirley there are plenty of Uk women (or men) who would like a job?

You have a lighthouse? Cooool! 8)

You have a lighthouse? Cooool!

😆

An honest, if unenlightened friend once told me, “if a wife invites an attractive woman to live in their house then she has to accept the possible consequences”

Not saying it’s right, but does make me smirk.

I remember one night my dad brought a rather attractive German au pair home from work. My mum, wasn’t too impressed, my brother and I thought that all our christmases had come at once!

http://www.aupair-world.co.uk/ Phwaaaaah time to boot out Mrs FH and get me an aupair to look after the kids and I instead. So far I have started off with Sweden and I’m mightily impressed, now which country next 😆 8)

I concur, blonde or brunette is your preference?
I’d have a brunette every time.

I did consider the idea too, mainly for the summer. Has anyone done this for holidays? The main stumbling block I found was the number of hours they could officially work, not ejough to do full time childcare.

And has anyone had any experience with male au pairs? Would obviously be beneficial for the boys – not that I need some fit young man about my house 😉

my brother and I thought that all our christmases had come at once!

Something probably came at once…

Wench, yes.
A farmer friend of my sister-in-law took on a Dutch chap to look after their children, being broad-minded & all that.
The au pair returned to the Netherlands after a short time, taking the farmer’s wife with him.
🙂

I suggest an East European au-pair. They often speak good English, and are prepared to work.

One thing, though: Au pair means “as an equal”. They are there as family, not as servants. You ask them to do stuff, not tell them. And they need decent time off.

I dont have any desire to be whisked off to holland – a because there would be no one left to look after the boys, and b because there arent enough hills and id soon get bored of riding on level ground!

I appreciate they arent slaves but see there are limits to how much time they can help out in a week – just wondered how that worked out.

Could you get a particularly lazy one that didn’t fancy helping at all when asked nicely?

Document what you want them to do and be upfront about it at the start of the i/v process. 5 hours a day is the norm give/take.
If it doesnt work out you send them home. In my experience however they’re very grateful of the chance to come and stay here and appreciate they are ‘working’ in return for free board etc.

I SOOOO wanna open the links on here…

But then see a trip back to the divorce/leaving home thread on the cards !

why do you have to employ a foreign national? shirley there are plenty of Uk women (or men) who would like a job?

With au pairing you’ll find that it’s a bit of an exchange thing – most Brits want to go au pair abroad, to learn a foreign language, travel, whatever, in the same way that foreign au pairs come to the UK to improve their English.

My missus considered a male au pair but then decided against it given that I work away from home so much – she didn’t want another man in the house usurping my role as father of our son.

In terms of au pair = “as an equal”, my wife and our current au pair get on very well as friends as well as employer/employee; not to the extent of going out clubbing together or anything like that, but sitting up chatting at night with a bottle of wine after Junior’s gone to bed, etc.

Don’t forget to install the spycams before she moves in.

Hmm, don’t be giving me ideas… 😆

She may be able to do a tourist/working holiday visa so the US option may be possible.

*snigger*

http://www.aupair-world.co.uk/index.php/aupair_detail?&a=1763601

lol,

Is Bob now photoshopping the pics of the kids despite that “will be back soon….”

An honest, if unenlightened friend once told me, “if a wife invites an attractive woman to live in their house then she has to accept the possible consequences”

Even Sienna Miller found that:

http://www.hollywood.com/news/brief/2442851/jude-law-blames-nanny-affair-on-sienna-miller?page=all

This is the kinda Nanny/Au-Pair you need 🙂

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120801131043/omen/images/c/c2/Original_BaylockFacesKathy.jpg

My story around an au-pair is not a good one.

I don;t really move in circles of people who employ them to be honest but on this occasion, we were in the area so visited an old school friend of my wife’s as she had heard the friend had recovered from a serious illness.

So we were sat there in their mansion (her husband was clearly very well paid doing his lawyer job) and were making small talk. The husband had quickly ascertained that we were not his type and made some excuses, walked out. About ten minutes later the au-pair walks in.

She is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. One of those women who make you actually stop walking and just stare. She’s got to be 6’1″, is wearing high heels as well, tight dress, a naturally beautiful face with either no makeup or so little , cunningly applied that it makes her look that way. Her hair is like ink flowing over her shoulders.

I decide the best course of action is to completely ignore her. Obviously it makes no difference because my wife has seen her and she’s already twigged. She asks who the lady is and talks to her a little. I stare steadfastly into my tea cup and become mute. Finally she leaves, I breathe a sigh of relief and catch my wife’s eye who starts laughing.
Her friend asks what’s up so my wife explains that the girl who just walked in could grace a catwalk in any major fashion show and how brave her friend must be allowing such a beautiful woman into the house.
“Is she beautiful? I’d never really noticed. My husband hired her.”

I took that as my cue to leave so began making up time constraints and we left. I barely knew this woman but I could see she was warming up her nagging muscles.

I heard the au-pair was out the door in less than a week.

She sounds ideal. 😆

don;t really move in circles of people who employ them to be honest but on this occasion, we were in the area so visited an old school friend of my wife’s as she had heard the friend had recovered from a serious illness.

So we were sat there in their mansion (her husband was clearly very well paid doing his lawyer job) and were making small talk. The husband had quickly ascertained that we were not his type and made some excuses, walked out

Don’t have to be posh/well paid/professional class to have an au pair – my wife and I both work in the public sector, live in a rented semi and drive 6- and 11- year old second hand cars. We have an au pair because of circumstance – I work away and commute monthly, my wife works shifts and there is no childcare provider where we live (Elgin) who can provide before/after school care that would cover her shift patterns, at anything like a price we could afford (if there are any who would anyway, which I doubt…). The boy is in Primary 1, the au pair costs £70 a week plus food. The relationship they have is more akin to older sister/younger brother – although she has no formal childcare qualifications my wife is more than happy leaving him with her. She selected the girl through one of the au pair websites and then by vetting through email conversations and face-to-face on Skype.

Needs must and all that…

All very entertaining but I think most of you are missing the point.

You welcome a student in your house as part of your family. You provide free lodging and food adn in return they do a few hours a week of chores or childcare for you.
It’s not just a cheap way of having a live-in house keeper / nanny.

It’s still a good set-up all round, though, from what I can gather – everyone’s a winner.