Does your Au Pair work on Holidays?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We always have our AP work thanksgiving morning (we host about 25 people), then she is off at like noon once the cooking is well underway. Give her time to relax and get ready for the meal and festivities.

Thanksgiving is the only holiday we have AP work for a few hours, half the time they are in the kitchen trying to help or be part of things, does not matter - if they want to cook or watch the kids either works - we just need the extra eyes/hands.

If AP is celebrating Thanksgiving or Christmas with you, I am not sure I'd count it as 'working'. We always spend those two holidays with AP and spend the day cooking together and playing games with the kids. I don't even put it on the schedule, I just let her know that on that day, we celebrate together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We always have our AP work thanksgiving morning (we host about 25 people), then she is off at like noon once the cooking is well underway. Give her time to relax and get ready for the meal and festivities.

Thanksgiving is the only holiday we have AP work for a few hours, half the time they are in the kitchen trying to help or be part of things, does not matter - if they want to cook or watch the kids either works - we just need the extra eyes/hands.

If AP is celebrating Thanksgiving or Christmas with you, I am not sure I'd count it as 'working'. We always spend those two holidays with AP and spend the day cooking together and playing games with the kids. I don't even put it on the schedule, I just let her know that on that day, we celebrate together.

We put on the schedule because we need her; not because we prefer her to be available. Otherwise AP may stay in her room until meal time or once hors d’oeuvres are plated.
We do not put any other holidays on AP schedule - and really it is up to them if they want to wake up at 7am for Christmas and children opening presents. All have, but we did not schedule them. We love our AP's but do not like having to have them, if that makes sense. Ours do not work weekends or holidays not out of favor to them; rather us. Let them go see America every chance they get and let me have my house with the my family is the way I look at it.

[Anonymous]

Ours are off NY Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving, July 4th, Labor Day, Memorial Day. Others like MLK, Presidents Day, Columbus Day... it depends on our plans. Sometimes they work a few hours, so we can get things done.

We were both off work today, but AP worked 5 hours while we ran errands and took care of some big house projects. It's hard to find time for this with kids and 2 FT jobs.

[Anonymous]

The program is for 45 hours or fewer a week. And one of the benefits of the AP program is flexibility of hours. I don't get families that 'brag' about all the time off they give APs or how few of the hours they use always on this forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The program is for 45 hours or fewer a week. And one of the benefits of the AP program is flexibility of hours. I don't get families that 'brag' about all the time off they give APs or how few of the hours they use always on this forum.

And I don't get people who try to "clean their plates" and use all 45 hours. It's an exchange program, not an indentured servitude program. I want my AP to have a wonderful exchange experience in addition to having someone available for snow days.

[Anonymous]

Generally, yes, our AP works bank "holidays", but has time off or compmtime for Holidays. She has her two weeks off, and knows during matching that if the kids are out of school sage works. But, in practice, she's already had 8 days off for two mini vacations and hasn't cut in to her official vacation time yet. She did, however, work Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve mornings.
I like being able to spend half days 1:1 with different children if she's working with the others. I also enjoy the flexibility to run extra errands, prep the holiday meal, or whatever - that's part of the premium we pay for with the program.
Some families may truly need an AP fr 45 hours 49 weeks a year --that's the reality of the American work life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Generally, yes, our AP works bank "holidays", but has time off or compmtime for Holidays. She has her two weeks off, and knows during matching that if the kids are out of school sage works. But, in practice, she's already had 8 days off for two mini vacations and hasn't cut in to her official vacation time yet. She did, however, work Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve mornings.
I like being able to spend half days 1:1 with different children if she's working with the others. I also enjoy the flexibility to run extra errands, prep the holiday meal, or whatever - that's part of the premium we pay for with the program.
Some families may truly need an AP fr 45 hours 49 weeks a year --that's the reality of the American work life.

Imagine if a factory owner said, "some factory workers can't afford fair working conditions--that's the reality of the American manufacturing industry."

If working certain conditions are abusive and not in keeping with the spirit of the exchange program (a debated point) the fact that a given family needs childcare 45 hours a week, 49 weeks a year, and can only afford to pay the au pair $195.75/week, that just means some families can only get by while abusing someone, and is not relevant to answering the question of if it is or isn't in fact abusive.

At any rate, it seems many DC AP hosts operate from the view that they're entitled to those 45 hours a week, every single non-vacation week, and will "clean their plates" whether they need all the hours or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The program is for 45 hours or fewer a week. And one of the benefits of the AP program is flexibility of hours. I don't get families that 'brag' about all the time off they give APs or how few of the hours they use always on this forum.

Who here bragged? Giving your AP the 10 national holidays that most of us also get off isn't equivalent to only using half the hours, like some people post on other threads. It's not particularly generous, but it is quite stingy to have the AP work when it's a national holiday, you have the day off, and don't actually need to childcare.

[Anonymous]

I use federal holidays like Columbus, Veterans, MLK to schedule doctors appointments for myself or do other long errand so AP works. Big holidays like July 4, Thanksgiving, and Christmas she has off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The program is for 45 hours or fewer a week. And one of the benefits of the AP program is flexibility of hours. I don't get families that 'brag' about all the time off they give APs or how few of the hours they use always on this forum.

Who here bragged? Giving your AP the 10 national holidays that most of us also get off isn't equivalent to only using half the hours, like some people post on other threads. It's not particularly generous, but it is quite stingy to have the AP work when it's a national holiday, you have the day off, and don't actually need to childcare.

I don't think it's bragging. I work most of the Monday observed holidays and so does the AP. I can be flexible with other time off - that's a small perk my family can offer, and we highlight in matching that an AP who wants to be able to travel would be happy with our calendar. On the other hand, I almost never give her extra cash bonuses and our house is small-ish. I am sure that families who need the full hours year round have man benefits m family can't offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The program is for 45 hours or fewer a week. And one of the benefits of the AP program is flexibility of hours. I don't get families that 'brag' about all the time off they give APs or how few of the hours they use always on this forum.

Who here bragged? Giving your AP the 10 national holidays that most of us also get off isn't equivalent to only using half the hours, like some people post on other threads. It's not particularly generous, but it is quite stingy to have the AP work when it's a national holiday, you have the day off, and don't actually need to childcare.

I don't think it's bragging. I work most of the Monday observed holidays and so does the AP. I can be flexible with other time off - that's a small perk my family can offer, and we highlight in matching that an AP who wants to be able to travel would be happy with our calendar. On the other hand, I almost never give her extra cash bonuses and our house is small-ish. I am sure that families who need the full hours year round have man benefits m family can't offer.

IMO there's a big difference between needing our AP to work because you don't have off and having her work when you do.

[Anonymous]

We give some holidays and dont give some. Current AP arrived in August. She worked on memorial day because kids were out from school and I needed to rest as I just had a medical procedure the friday before. She was off on Thanksgiving (though she accepted our invitation to go for thanksgiving dinner at a cousin's house), and off on black friday since I was home. She was off on Christmas day (she never works on Sunday anyway) and I gave her choice between being off on 26th or the 2nd since there were both federal holidays. She gets one and we get one.. seemed fair to me so i could run my errands and stuff. Smart girl that she is, she chose 26th. Kids were home on 26th and back in school on the 2nd. Since our kids are school aged, she just works 30 minutes in the morning and 3- 8pm to pick up the kiddos. My next corporate holiday is memorial and DH and I have an event so she will work. She will be off on July 4th.

In the meantime, she has already gotten an extra 4 days of vacation time to go home for a week including her weekend off. She's from L.A so it was a quick flight. She didnt want to use her vacation since she's booked it to travel with friends visiting from home next month and then in June. She was only going to go for a weekend and back on Monday night but i gave her an extra 4 days so she could spend more time with her family and she is very grateful. I feel like I do so many other things for my APs who have all seemed pretty happy with my family that I dont have to guarantee every single federal holiday. Sometimes, I actually want to run errands, go to dr.. Have a long lunch with my husband. and so far it works for us because we say that upfront before matching

[Anonymous]

I find that when you have children younger than 5 it's really hard to give the au pair off during all holidays because we really need the help during those times.
So I try to give more than 1 sat a month off.
You shouldn't feel bad about it. That's is why you hired an au pair in the first place to help you.

[Anonymous]

Our au pair gets all the holidays off that we get off except for Presidents Day. And we give her a floating holiday to use in lieu of Presidents Day.

[Anonymous]

45 hours a week maximum. thats the deal. if the AP is working more, then it's a problem. No HF should feel guilty for following rules.