An au pair is different from other childcare providers, and as such they should be treated so.\u00a0 In this article we will go over some of the rules and etiquette you should keep in mind if you choose to utilise the services of an au pair.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
She is living in your home and you are paying her a wage, so you are her employer. However, the au pair should be viewed as part of your family rather than a separate employee.\u00a0 Au pairs are not paid especially well, and part of their payment is the chance to be integrated into family life and the opportunity to be exposed to the English life and language.\u00a0 Involve them in family life and treat them as a member of your own family.\u00a0 Don\u2019t bark orders at her, or shout at her if you are upset with something she has done \u2013 sit down with her and discuss any issues you\u2019re having instead just as you would any other person. Au pairs are just as deserving of respect as anyone else.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n As previously mentioned, au pairs are only paid a pocket money wage on top of their board, and as such they should not have unreasonable demands made upon them.\u00a0 The responsibilities of your au pair should be clearly laid out at the start so she knows what is expected of her, and you should respect the boundaries that you have both laid in place \u2013 for example, if she has the weekends off, she should not be expected to watch the children or help around the house.\u00a0 She may offer if she sees you need help, but it should never be requested.\u00a0 Additionally, be sure not to treat her like a \u2018cinderella\u2019 \u2013 only light housework duties and childcare for children over the age of two should be expected, and again, these responsibilities should be clearly laid out and agreed upon.\u00a0 If you find extra duties come up, discuss them with her and see if she would be happy to take them on in return for a pay rise.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Au pairs are primarily in the country to learn about the culture and the language.\u00a0 The au pair will be attending some kind of language school and will need time to study alone.\u00a0 Au pairs can legally work up to 35 hours a week, unless they are from Romania or Bulgaria in which case they may only be on duty for 25 hours each week.\u00a0 They must have two days off each week, and at least one full weekend off every month.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is not unreasonable to expect a good work ethic and a cheerful disposition from your au pair.\u00a0 If you treat her with the respect she deserves, she will likely be very happy in your home and happy to carry out her duties.\u00a0 Remember, clear communication at all times is key.\u00a0 This can be difficult if the au pair only has a limited understanding of English, but it\u2019s possible \u2013 and it will become easier as time goes on, and the au pair becomes more fluent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An au pair is different from other childcare providers, and as such they should be treated so.슠 In this article we will go over some of the rules and etiquette you should keep in mind if you choose to utilise the services of an au pair. The au pair is part of your family … Continue reading “Au Pair Etiquette”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[38,42],"class_list":["post-236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-au-pairs","tag-au-pair","tag-aupair"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The au pair is not your skivvy<\/strong><\/h1>\n
The au pair has other responsibilities<\/h1>\n
Respect is a two-way street<\/h1>\n