au pair - going rate etc

[nikki73]

We are thinking of getting an au pair for one month in summer. How many hours is acceptable and how much pocket moneyis the going ratr?i am assuming we pay flights? And weekly travel. And help with findinga language course. Grateful fot any tips. Thanks.

[Dog-Kennel-Hill A.P]

Hi Nikki, have you found anyone yet? As I know someone who is looking for a family for a month over summer.

Oh and having spoke to lots of nannies & au pairs I think ?100 a week was the going rate, however as nannies can get that per day or even more I think more than this would be fair

[bend11]

I have found someone thanks. Just want to make sure I offer her a good deal.

[mettelw]

The guidelines our agency provided was that an au pair works 25-30 hours a week plus two evenings babysitting and that the minimum rate is ?65/day in London. We've paid our au pairs from ?85 (if they were straight out school ( A-levels) and had no other experience than light babysitting) to ?100 (where they had more experience and/or qualifications e.g. nursery nurse degrees etc). We've never paid for their flights to / from their home country.

[dulwichquine]

Sorry but paying an au pair ?65 a day is really not true. A typical rate is ?100 per week for around 25 hours. We pay ?120 and include all food, board plus mobile phone. If you are hiring a nanny then that's a completely different matter.

[mettelw]

Well, I can only relay what the guidelines provided by the agency we initially used, was. And certainly, from what I understand from our au pairs, no au pair they know of is earning more than ?100 a week (and I do make a point of asking once in a while to validate that we are paying a fair rate)except in a particular family where the au pair has sole care of the children for several days and nights on the trot because of the work the family does and and in this case the au pair does work more akin to that of a nanny.

[katgod]

Think there's a misunderstanding above between daily and weekly rates. Think for au pair we are looking at between ?65 and ?100 per week? Not per day. And can anyone explain the phone thing? Do I need to get a phone for her or just give extra cash or buy a top up voucher? Not very technical so will need the phone thing explained in simple steps please!

[dulwichquine]

Yes, I think there is a muddle with the day/week rate on that earlier post. She must mean per week. BUT sixty five pounds per week is very low if you're looking at 25-30 hours per week plus option of two nights free babysitting, given the cost of living. We decided to offer ?120 for someone with considerable experience, given the responsibilities involved. Au pairs tend to not like sharing family bathroom and having room next door to parents/kids. So you may possibly need to pay nearer hundred mark to attract the right person if you're all on same floor. Re phone, we decided to pay for a mobile phone so we could make sure we could stay in touch with our au pair at all times. We bought a very cheap mobile and do ?12 a month with a certain number of calls and texts. Our au pair has her own foreign mobile as well.

[Mrtibbs]

Hello, can you tell me what agency you use and if you are happy with their service? Thanks