Did anyone watch the au pair programme on Monday?

missk_ensington

I'm surprised there isn't already a thread about this (unless thhere is and I missed it?) I just wondered what people thought about the programme.

I watched it because I have a vested interest in it, as I'm currently hiring my 3rd au pair, but I was a little bit horrified with some of what I saw!!! Do you think Cutting It was deliberately trying to make au pairs look like a bad solution, or do you think for some/most/all people, that they are??

I haven;t had any real problems, apart from my last one who drank fresh juice by the pint glass after glass and nearly bankrupted me (okay slight exaggeration) but on the whole they've been a God send.

What do people think? For those who have/have had au pairs did you think it a true reflection? And those who don't have them, has it encouraged you or put you off?

I'd be interested to know what people think! Please don't post though if you're just after an arguement or to be destructive.

MissK

LilMissEmmylou

i was more worried about the fact the guy with the sons (who he let use a drive on lawn mower - no i dont care that it had no blades its still dangerious!) said his method for picking one was the first one to call got the job!!!!! surely thats not a safe way to do it?!

I think they look like a good idea but TBH id only ever want an English speaking one.

Spendless

What bit horrified you Miss K? I only know of one family at my childrens school that use an au-pair and they have gone thru a lot of them, though the latest has lasted the longest (18 months). I get the 'impression' that this family use one because it is cheap and that was also the impression I got from the lady featured who privately educated her daughter.

The turkish lady who didn't think to use the pushchair for the 2 yo when setting out on a long-ish walk. TBH before I had kids I don't know if that would have occurred to me and as a mum I don't know whether I'd take it for granted that someone would automatically know.

missk_ensington

When I talk about it with my friends and family, they're always (naturally) concerned for my and DS's welfare, but really THEY'RE the ones who should be worried. That American girl must have thought she'd died and gone to hell! The place was an absolute sh1thole!

I'm wondering if, like Wife Swap and such programmes, they deliberatly picked three numpties to be filmed!! There was Mr My House is a sh1thole and I pick the first one to call, Then the woman who left a Brazillian Au pair who'd arrived the day before, for 9 hours (illegal I might add) with THREE boys under what appeared to be 5-6, then the woman who clearly earned a lot of money, lived in a beautiful home and spoke like a minor Royal, who expected the au pair (who only get s £50-80 pw) to look after DD with military precision,,, breakfast 7.45am, leave house at 8.05am..... which is the job of a nanny not an au pair.

Have Channel 4 deliberately made those who use au pairs, out to be complete d1ckheads?

liney

Pushchairs are a cultural difference and are unheard of in many countries. I didnt see the programme, but maybe that was a factor.

LilMissEmmylou

they do like the shock factor so they may well have missk

Spendless

missk_ensington wrote: »

I'm wondering if, like Wife Swap and such programmes, they deliberatly picked three numpties to be filmed!! There was Mr My House is a sh1thole and I pick the first one to call, Then the woman who left a Brazillian Au pair who'd arrived the day before, for 9 hours (illegal I might add) with THREE boys under what appeared to be 5-6, then the woman who clearly earned a lot of money, lived in a beautiful home and spoke like a minor Royal, who expected the au pair (who only get s £50-80 pw) to look after DD with military precision,,, breakfast 7.45am, leave house at 8.05am..... which is the job of a nanny not an au pair.

Have Channel 4 deliberately made those who use au pairs, out to be complete d1ckheads?

The numpties being the parents you mean? Re-read your post I see yes you do mean the parents -lol

The one that picked the first person, sounded like he had no idea of what to be looking for. What was the outcome when the au-pair left this house cos I missed it. I realised they were stuck for childcare due to him working away and his wife working w/ends.

Are au-pairs only allowed to work so many hours a day? The au-pair I know has mentioned she *should be* working no more than 25 hours a week, but was being asked for more (without pay) which is why I believe the family concerned have gone thru so many. In the family featured the boys were 2, 4 and 8.

Liney-thanks I didn't know pushchairs were not used in other cultures/countries. The au-pair was Turkish, but like I said, before I was used to 2 yo I might not have realised they need a pushchair, and used to 2yo I might forget that other people might not know.

The woman that educated her daughter privately, I agree she wanted a nanny but on an au-pairs wages. :rolleyes:

missk_ensington

I've just finished my first propertyv development and not being able to afford more than £90,000 to start, I bought biggestv sh1thole within a 10 mile radius. An old lady lived (and died) there since 60's, think flowery mustard anagylpta, avocado bath.... not one thing was salvageable, yet it was better than the house that fella lived in! What a dump! Imagine you've come from USA to be an au pair and you end up in a filthy squalor where you can't see the kitchen units for plates and empty things!!! Urghh! I can't believe she didn't jump on the first flight home!

Then that missle-upper class woman- she clearly earned a good bit but she was obviously too tight to shell out for a nanny (£300 per week) so she got an au pair for £50-80 and expected them to do the job of a nanny! I can't believe there isn;t a regulatory body to ensure people don't take the p1ss out of these often young, inexperienced girls miles from home!! The law is 5 hours a day, 5 days a week +1-2 nights babysitting, but that woman left the brand new au pair on her first day with 3 kids under 5-6 for 9 hours! Nobody even gave her a map or explained how the buses work!! When my au pair arrived from Germany I wrote her all the phrases she's need for a bus, where to get it, how much it was, what to ask the driver for and drew a map, on top of 2-3 hours training and giving her a manual with all the food Oli likes, what to do, his routine.... and I only have one child!

People are clearly just exploiting cheap childcare!

For most people though (myself included) get 85% nursery paid anyway by tax credits, but au pairs are paid from your own pocket. For some people I can't understand why they have them, esp that women who had a husband and was at college so I'm sure they'd be below the threshold for childcare assistance

Spendless

missk_ensington wrote: »

For most people though (myself included) get 85% nursery paid anyway by tax credits, but au pairs are paid from your own pocket. For some people I can't understand why they have them, esp that women who had a husband and was at college so I'm sure they'd be below the threshold for childcare assistance

Tax credits only help with childcare costs if both parents (in a 2 parent family) work at least 16 hours per week, studying doesn't count.

We are stuck with a similar problem and my husbands 'benefits in kind (eg his company car) are classed as income for tax credit purposes thouh we are all already heavily taxed on these 'perks'. Last year I had to add £7K onto DH income due to 'benefits in kind' even if I took 1 16 hour min wage job, we are over the limit for help with childcare costs. We got round the problem when i went to college by using the non-menas tested funding when daughter turned 3 and using Busybee childcare vouchers, (which don't have the restrictions of the other parent working so many hours on them).

Is the 85% help you recieve means tested or restricted to certain studying? She was a student nurse I think.

missk_ensington

I'm at uni so I can get the childcare Grant which is 85% and means tested, but because I have an au pair he only goes 1 and a half days- I forgot the woman was studying. Although as a nurse you do a lot of work on the job, so that might be a way around that?! Tax Credits are a nightmare, I recently had to leave my job due to ill health as the property, uni, working and being a single parent was too much. I only did 16 hours anyway, but have lost my wage and £96 a week in Working Tax Credits! I can't claim Income Support because Im in full time Higher Education, so I'm expected to live on my uni grants and student loan to support us. I've got around it by declaring myself self-employed, but it's still a ball ache.

You'd be better off telling DH to give back the company car! Or buy it off them for a low price? There must be a way around it somehow. Childcare vouchers are ghood for those above thresholds.

Apparently, a person cannot be an au pair if they are under 17/over 27, not from a participating country (different countries are part of the scheme but not all) and their native language must not be that of the place they're going (the point is to learn language) and mustnt have any dependents. My last one was Australian, so tehnically wasn't an au pair, but this makes for very muddy water since you're only allowed to pay them a low amount and in cash because they are an au pair, but if they dont meet guidelines, they are just another foreign worker and are expected to pay tax/Ni and get Min wage???

But generally speaking, what does the law say about workers (not neccessarily au pairs) who "live-in" such as chefs, nannies etc. What can you legally deduct from their earnings as living accomodation??? Is it still taxable?

Spendless

We've looked into other options for the car, but he does too many business miles for an alternative to be viable. College for me finishes in a couple of weeks time, and this year I've managed by doing certain courses within her school nursery hours and help from my friend and nan picking her up if need be. Light is at the end of the tunnel though cos she starts f-time school in September.;)

I wondered about the au-pair supposed to be studying the language with regards to the American girl.