Question about hiring an au pair???

[MeltingPot]

Hello.

I am thinking of taking an au pair this year.

What are the conditions to take a living au pair and how much shall we pay her?? I am totally new in that subject and have no idea where to start and what to expect from an au pair in general.

Please can you advise me. Any ideas?? Thank you so very much.

[rebeccaben]

The best place to start is the FAQs on Au Pair World. We just got our first au pair a few weeks ago. The standard rate is ?80/week plus of course all of her room and board (food, toiletries, etc). We also provided her a mobile phone and top it up ?20/month plus we keep her Oyster card topped up. Ours works about 20-25/hrs a week. I think more than that is too much for an au pair. You should also plan to make her a part of the family - don't just expect someone to work the hours you need and then be invisible.

Stick with au pairs from the EU as it is difficult to get proper visas for anyone outside the EU. For those from the EU you don't need to do any paperwork except a contract of course.

[dulwichquine]

We pay our au pair ?120 a week plus mobile phone. She does about 25 hours a week. They are no substitute for a cheap nanny. We've been very happy with how our pairs have worked out. They should be treated as part of the family as well as someone who is an extra pair of hands for childcare/babysitting. We didn't ask our au pair to do any cleaning as we have a separate cleaner to do this.

[Mellors]

I have paid between ?100 and ?120 a week depending on experience. London is expensive and I think that's the going rate round here for c. 25 hours a week. Agree re the cleaning - we also have a separate cleaner, and with the point about EU only. I always recruit from Au Pair World, and prefer somebody who is already in the country so I can met them in person beforehand if possible.

If you need them to drive (I do) then they need to be 23+ for insurance, and check the premium first - ours went up by ?400 this year, quite a big expense.

Feel free to PM me with any questions.

[northdulmum]

We pay ?96 for 22 hours and extra hours ?6/hour

Includes 2x nights a week babysitting

We have a separate cleaner

our AP sorts out clean laundry, empties dishwasher and does school drop and pick from after school club 3x days a week and from school 2x days a week.

I am on my own most of the time as my partner works abroad pretty much all the time... and I work FT, so having an aupair is a must. I like the company too.

My advice to anyone getting an aupair is to be upfront with everything. It's very difficult to change things once you've started a routine. Over state what you need at the beginning.

I can see us having aupairs for the next ten years! been really great addition and the kids adapt quickly when they're living with you.

[MeltingPot]

Thank you for all your replies. Do I need to pay to get some candidates from au pair world ? How does that work??

[enjoy]

https://www.aupairworld.com/en/au_pair

[scarla]

Everyone I know pays no more than ?100 a week to their au pair and I think up to 30 hours a week of childcare is typical. If aupairworld recommends ?70 to ?85, then I think that some increase on that is appropriate for London but not the premium that is mentioned in earlier messages!

Also, au pairs don't need to be 23+ for car insurance. Factors like the age of the car probably makes a difference to premiums.