Does AP get a Christmas bonus?
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Anonymous
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We are hosting an AP for the first time this year. She has been here since May and has done an excellent job. She is prompt and responsible and the kids love her. She never has to be reminded to do any chores and is always pleasant and friendly. If she were a nanny, I believe a Christmas bonus would be standard, however, I wouldn't be buying a lot of Christmas presents for a nanny as I am doing for my au pair.
So tell me, should I give my AP a Christmas bonus in addition to the presents we are getting her? What do most people do? And if I should give her a bonus, how much are we talking? |
Anonymous
| I do. I give her a week's pay, $200 plus other small Christmas gifts from us and the kids. She extended and her 2nd year I gave her a $500 bonus |
Anonymous
| For our excellent au pair, we did give her a weeks pay ($200) and some small gifts to open (maybe $50-100 total). For our awful au pair that we should have rematched with, we just did the gifts. If you really like her, I would recommend adding the weeks pay bonus to the gifts. |
Anonymous
| We alwyas give $200 + another nice present (app. $100-$150). This year I am getting her nice monogrammed robe. In the past I have bought a nice travel bag, and a pair of pearl earrings... |
Anonymous
| We are doing a Christmas stocking (including buying her her own stocking), several smaller tree gifts, and a bonus Visa gift card. The au pair gets more in dollar value presents than my husband does! But she is fabulous. |
Anonymous
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I would hate the monogrammed robe or the earrings ...
Too personal. The robe is gonna fill half her luggage ... |
Anonymous
I don't understand this. How are earrings too personal? We give $200, plus fill a stocking and give gifts. This year I designed a necklace that incorporated her birthstone with our children's'. I also picked up some stuff from a vacation that we all took together. She's been with use two years. |
Anonymous
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We give a stocking with gift cards and little trinkets we think she will like, but we don't give cash.
Our AP's birthday is near to xmas, which makes it tricky for us, so we asked her what she would like. She asked for us to take her on a trip to the next state over, a particular destination she's always wanted to see (not NYC, shockingly). So we are giving the trip for her birthday and gifts for xmas. The cost of the trip will probably be around $250 but obviously it's because the whole family is going so that doesn't really go toward her personally I guess. She wanted the experience. We also are giving her quite a few extra days off (paid) to enjoy some down time. |
Anonymous
AP is in her 2nd year. She will need an extra suitcase already anyway. Surely you don't really mean that you would 'hate' receiving a thoughtful present from your host family. |
Anonymous
Maybe she would have liked to choose her earrings ? I wouldn't like people to choose it for me. I love my charges but wouldn't wear a necklace that had birthstone with the children ... People like to make it all sentimental/personal but it's very likely that the AP won't like it. Sorry to be honest. |
Anonymous
That's sad you don't want to give her some cash. Even $50 can make a difference for your AP, they already make so little per week ... The trip is a fantastic idea |
Anonymous
I have gotten a robe from a host family, it was huge, I clearly didn't need that in my suitcase. And who wears a robe when you're 20 anyway ... You react like a grown up and wanna get useful gifts but your AP is young and would clearly be happier with something else. |
Anonymous
These comments denigrating people's gift ideas are ridiculous. If HFs mentioned that they gave generic gifts then you would all be bashing them for not being personal enough! |
Anonymous
| Cash is good. |
Anonymous
Clearly you're just being rude for no reason and know nothing about this AP or the family. |