gym membership for AP?

[Anonymous]

Hello all, just a quick question. We recently interviewed one au pair who asked if she would have access to a gym. Is it typical to get your AP a gym membership for the year that they are here? We have a family membership to a local gym that we are about to cancel because we use it so rarely. I have no idea what single membership runs these days, but i think around $100/mth. Not a huge bank breaker of course, but I was just curious.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I do not pay for them. Most gyms around me at in the $30/month range. They can join and pay for themselves.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't pay for it. The crunch in NWDC has an AP rate for like $30-40/month - what gym wouldn't want a bunch of 20 year old foreign women working out in their gym!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't pay for it. The crunch in NWDC has an AP rate for like $30-40/month - what gym wouldn't want a bunch of 20 year old foreign women working out in their gym!

Excellent point!

[Anonymous]

We pay for our APs to have a membership at Lifetime. DH and I work out and think it is important, so we fully support our APs if they want to use a gym.

Not something that breaks the bank and it is a nice benefit.

[Anonymous]

From my experiences, no, this isn't typical, at least in my area. My au pair went with a group of her friends to try to find a gym they wanted to join when they first arrived, and they all went with the "au pair" rate at the YMCA, which is really low.

That said, like any of the perks, of course, offer it if you think it will get you a better and/or happier candidate. We have a pretty good situation - live in a big city, two elementary aged easy kids, never ask for weekend hours, and only about 30 hours a week. So we usually have tons of candidates interested in us. Never felt like I needed to sweeten the pot to get someone.

[Anonymous]

We did for one AP who really wanted to workout in a nice gym that wasn't the YMCA, but most of our APs have just joined YMCA (which does have an AP rate and it's very reasonable). DH and I both work out daily, but we do Insanity in the basement, so I personally don't think that one needs a fancy gym to have a good workout. But if an AP would be much happier with a nice gym, I will pay for it (and did for a year).
Happy AP=happy kids=happy HM=happy household.

[Anonymous]

I offered it for our first, ran us about $35/month, but she rarely used it, so we didn't continue it. I'd wait to see what your AP is interested in and offer her either a $100 credit at a local yoga studio, a 3 month started gym membership, or just a spa credit if she's not into exercise.

[Anonymous]

Planet Fitness is super cheap. Also, depending on where AP goes to school, she might have access to the college/university gym/pool. That's what ours do, and it's free with her class registration.

[Anonymous]

Our au pairs have joined either Planet Fitness ($10/month, I think!) or another gym where a lot of au pairs go so they can meet their friends. One joined the same gym as me. We have never paid for it, they have always paid for it themselves.

[Anonymous]

Another vote fot the YMCA AP rate. Our AP paid 12 per month.

[Anonymous]

We don't pay, and I wouldn't consider paying even it were only $10/month to Planet Fitness. There are so many affordable options, and I want my AP to do whatever she is motivated to do to stay fit -- and I think having to pay for that herself is an excellent motivation to actually use the gym if she signs up for it.

That said having had a bad experience with our first au pair who signed up for a Gold's Gym way far away from our house and who then didn't pay, and we got sucked into the drama with her getting dunned by a collection agency, I will counsel our future APs that they have to make absolutely certain they understand the membership terms and conditions of any gym so that they're able to cancel at any time without penalty.

[Anonymous]

Anyone know how much the Bethesda YMCA is for APs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know how much the Bethesda YMCA is for APs?

It was negligible. Maybe 20/month? AP had to show a letter from APIA that stated how much she earned, and YMCA reduced the rate significantly.

[Anonymous]

We offer a membership to our AP to Gold's Gym, always have. A few years ago the girls did not really ask about this but (guess social media is to thank) we have seen the girls become aware that some families do offer it. Same with what type of phone they will have when they will get here- the days of giving an AP some early 2000's non-smart phone are gone and you will lose good candidates over trivial things.