AP choosing not to come on vacation

[Anonymous]

It seems like OP hasn't informed AP yet and is just inquiring. So yeah tell her if she stay it is her vacation week. December is a long time for HF or AP to change their mind.

Put is this way: you might still need her and don't want a fight if she needs to cancel her travel trip. But if it is officially her vacation, you can't force her to cancel her trip if your circumstance changes.

[Anonymous]

What does your AP guide book say?

Our book outlines all the days she is guaranteed off. This is all fed holidays, spring break, and the week between Christmas and Easter. Then on top of that she has 2 weeks vacation. We also outline in advance the "blackout" weeks for vacation.

This year we invited her on our spring break trip and she's coming. Even if she didn't come that's already a built in non working week. I wouldn't pull the rug out from under her.

All handbooks should CLEARLY define the days off, clearly define the times they can't take off, clearly define if they will be invited on family vacations, and clearly define what 2 weeks they get off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can count as one of her vacation weeks. If you were planning on having her work Christmas and New Years’ Day you can count as full week or deduct (neither we or au pair are Christians so we treat as regular work day).

I'm not a Christian either, but when work is closed (all fed holidays) our AP is off. Do you just have your AP watch your kids while you are home? That's so strange to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can count as one of her vacation weeks. If you were planning on having her work Christmas and New Years’ Day you can count as full week or deduct (neither we or au pair are Christians so we treat as regular work day).

I'm not a Christian either, but when work is closed (all fed holidays) our AP is off. Do you just have your AP watch your kids while you are home? That's so strange to me.

No, but when work is closed I still have to work. It may be lighter on a federal holiday or religious holiday, or during the summer, but there is still work that has to be done, e.g., to afford an au pair. I either go to Starbucks or work in home office. For example, last Christmas, the au pair worked in the morning while I wrote a brief, and then we all went out for Chinese food, and then she caught a movie with friends. On Thanksgiving, she worked in the morning while I worked, we all went out for lunch, and then she went to the mall for several hours. On religious holidays which she takes off e.g., two days last week, 1.5 days next week, we are either off or working on an emergency only basis. We make it really clear during matching that we do not give federal holidays off because we don't get them off. We do try to give them extra hours off on these days, but we can't always do so. With our last au pair, we took seven days off not counting religious leave (one for SS office/cell/bank; three different trips to the DMV; and three sick days), with her two weeks of vacation - that's three weeks off, so I do not feel bad about her working on Columbus Day. She has her evenings and every weekend free, which I have had not had since the 1990s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does your AP guide book say?

Our book outlines all the days she is guaranteed off. This is all fed holidays, spring break, and the week between Christmas and Easter. Then on top of that she has 2 weeks vacation. We also outline in advance the "blackout" weeks for vacation.

This year we invited her on our spring break trip and she's coming. Even if she didn't come that's already a built in non working week. I wouldn't pull the rug out from under her.

All handbooks should CLEARLY define the days off, clearly define the times they can't take off, clearly define if they will be invited on family vacations, and clearly define what 2 weeks they get off.

NP. Lucky you, you know your constant schedule long in advance, most people don't! My handbook says what holidays she will have off. Also that she get to choose one vacation week and I get to choose the other one. The rest is TBD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can count as one of her vacation weeks. If you were planning on having her work Christmas and New Years’ Day you can count as full week or deduct (neither we or au pair are Christians so we treat as regular work day).

I'm not a Christian either, but when work is closed (all fed holidays) our AP is off. Do you just have your AP watch your kids while you are home? That's so strange to me.

I don't get all fed holidays off -- if I'm working, she is too. But we make that very clear in our handbook and in matching. And I don't feel bad about it at all (i.e I don't give extra days just because she had to work Columbus day.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does your AP guide book say?

Our book outlines all the days she is guaranteed off. This is all fed holidays, spring break, and the week between Christmas and Easter. Then on top of that she has 2 weeks vacation. We also outline in advance the "blackout" weeks for vacation.

This year we invited her on our spring break trip and she's coming. Even if she didn't come that's already a built in non working week. I wouldn't pull the rug out from under her.

All handbooks should CLEARLY define the days off, clearly define the times they can't take off, clearly define if they will be invited on family vacations, and clearly define what 2 weeks they get off.

NP. Lucky you, you know your constant schedule long in advance, most people don't! My handbook says what holidays she will have off. Also that she get to choose one vacation week and I get to choose the other one. The rest is TBD.

My company publishes a holiday calendar. I've never worked somewhere that doesn't, so it's pretty easy. I also manage our AP the same as work, I clearly define the expectations, goals, and work hours/days expectations. It is all outlined in our handbook, which is basically an employment agreement. I also know I don't work Christmas break or Spring break. Other than summer and TWD, I stay home because cherish time with my kids. Time is short, I don't want their childhood to pass me by.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does your AP guide book say?

Our book outlines all the days she is guaranteed off. This is all fed holidays, spring break, and the week between Christmas and Easter. Then on top of that she has 2 weeks vacation. We also outline in advance the "blackout" weeks for vacation.

This year we invited her on our spring break trip and she's coming. Even if she didn't come that's already a built in non working week. I wouldn't pull the rug out from under her.

All handbooks should CLEARLY define the days off, clearly define the times they can't take off, clearly define if they will be invited on family vacations, and clearly define what 2 weeks they get off.

NP. Lucky you, you know your constant schedule long in advance, most people don't! My handbook says what holidays she will have off. Also that she get to choose one vacation week and I get to choose the other one. The rest is TBD.

My company publishes a holiday calendar. I've never worked somewhere that doesn't, so it's pretty easy. I also manage our AP the same as work, I clearly define the expectations, goals, and work hours/days expectations. It is all outlined in our handbook, which is basically an employment agreement. I also know I don't work Christmas break or Spring break. Other than summer and TWD, I stay home because cherish time with my kids. Time is short, I don't want their childhood to pass me by.

I feel the same. of course some people are in first responders or work in hospitals, or work at Walmart, so they don't know, but the average white collar worker knows their work schedule as published.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does your AP guide book say?

Our book outlines all the days she is guaranteed off. This is all fed holidays, spring break, and the week between Christmas and Easter. Then on top of that she has 2 weeks vacation. We also outline in advance the "blackout" weeks for vacation.

This year we invited her on our spring break trip and she's coming. Even if she didn't come that's already a built in non working week. I wouldn't pull the rug out from under her.

All handbooks should CLEARLY define the days off, clearly define the times they can't take off, clearly define if they will be invited on family vacations, and clearly define what 2 weeks they get off.

NP. Lucky you, you know your constant schedule long in advance, most people don't! My handbook says what holidays she will have off. Also that she get to choose one vacation week and I get to choose the other one. The rest is TBD.

My company publishes a holiday calendar. I've never worked somewhere that doesn't, so it's pretty easy. I also manage our AP the same as work, I clearly define the expectations, goals, and work hours/days expectations. It is all outlined in our handbook, which is basically an employment agreement. I also know I don't work Christmas break or Spring break. Other than summer and TWD, I stay home because cherish time with my kids. Time is short, I don't want their childhood to pass me by.

You are very lucky to be able to make such a choice - not everyone with An au pair has your privilege.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does your AP guide book say?

Our book outlines all the days she is guaranteed off. This is all fed holidays, spring break, and the week between Christmas and Easter. Then on top of that she has 2 weeks vacation. We also outline in advance the "blackout" weeks for vacation.

This year we invited her on our spring break trip and she's coming. Even if she didn't come that's already a built in non working week. I wouldn't pull the rug out from under her.

All handbooks should CLEARLY define the days off, clearly define the times they can't take off, clearly define if they will be invited on family vacations, and clearly define what 2 weeks they get off.

NP. Lucky you, you know your constant schedule long in advance, most people don't! My handbook says what holidays she will have off. Also that she get to choose one vacation week and I get to choose the other one. The rest is TBD.

My company publishes a holiday calendar. I've never worked somewhere that doesn't, so it's pretty easy. I also manage our AP the same as work, I clearly define the expectations, goals, and work hours/days expectations. It is all outlined in our handbook, which is basically an employment agreement. I also know I don't work Christmas break or Spring break. Other than summer and TWD, I stay home because cherish time with my kids. Time is short, I don't want their childhood to pass me by.

You are very lucky to be able to make such a choice - not everyone with An au pair has your privilege.

+1, although my company also publishes holidays for the whole year, that is about all I know about my schedule one year in advance.
Although we all cherish time with our kids and we know time is short, we don't all get Christmas break or Spring break or whatever break.

I always find it pretty sad that HMs who offer something special to their APs wants to make it sounds like it a standard and every HM who doesn't do it is doing something wrong!

[Anonymous]

I am a nurse (as is my husband) and we only know our hospital schedule one month in advance. We work a variety of shifts. My AP knows this and empathizes as she is a nurse in her own country. (She is trying to improve her English skills to work in an upscale international hospital at home.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does your AP guide book say?

Our book outlines all the days she is guaranteed off. This is all fed holidays, spring break, and the week between Christmas and Easter. Then on top of that she has 2 weeks vacation. We also outline in advance the "blackout" weeks for vacation.

This year we invited her on our spring break trip and she's coming. Even if she didn't come that's already a built in non working week. I wouldn't pull the rug out from under her.

All handbooks should CLEARLY define the days off, clearly define the times they can't take off, clearly define if they will be invited on family vacations, and clearly define what 2 weeks they get off.

NP. Lucky you, you know your constant schedule long in advance, most people don't! My handbook says what holidays she will have off. Also that she get to choose one vacation week and I get to choose the other one. The rest is TBD.

My company publishes a holiday calendar. I've never worked somewhere that doesn't, so it's pretty easy. I also manage our AP the same as work, I clearly define the expectations, goals, and work hours/days expectations. It is all outlined in our handbook, which is basically an employment agreement. I also know I don't work Christmas break or Spring break. Other than summer and TWD, I stay home because cherish time with my kids. Time is short, I don't want their childhood to pass me by.

You are very lucky to be able to make such a choice - not everyone with An au pair has your privilege.

+1, although my company also publishes holidays for the whole year, that is about all I know about my schedule one year in advance.
Although we all cherish time with our kids and we know time is short, we don't all get Christmas break or Spring break or whatever break.

I always find it pretty sad that HMs who offer something special to their APs wants to make it sounds like it a standard and every HM who doesn't do it is doing something wrong!

+1, and is somehow a bad parent who doesn’t cherish their children.