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[quote=Anonymous]We've had three au pairs, two of whom were wonderfully and one wanted to work as little as possible. The two that we're great have had very varied schedules - our first worked a consistent nine hours a day Monday to Friday all year. Our third works about 35 hours a week on a similarly consistent no weekends or holidays schedule during the school year, but the same schedule as our first during the summer. Neither complained - both we're hard workers and great with the kids and we did our absolute best to reward them for it (time off whenever possible, bonuses during the year, no restrictions on free time (we don't have a curfew or restrictions on where the car can go anyway).

Our second was a different story. Shockingly, she worked the least of all of ours due to our circumstances that year. 25 hours a week max except for a few weeks of the year. Same no weekends or holidays.  She was awful - spent most of her time texting and made plans while on duty for the kids only if her friends were coming without a care that the friend au pairs kids were the same age as ours. Would complain about other au pairs sweet deals at least once a week - so and so has an every other week schedule because her host parents are divorced!  Or so and so lives in a huge house and has her own suite!  Or whatever. No appreciation for anything we did.

Anyway, all that to say - there are absolutely going to be a wide range of "deals" your au pair's friends get. If you get a whiner, she will be resentful and unhappy. Especially if you are one of these awful host parents that try to eek every last minute out of the 45 hours when you don't really need it, if you have them working every weekend, and/or if you are totally inflexible in allowing some schedule shifts for big things she's got going on.

If you get someone who gets that it's a job, has worked a job before, and you do a thorough job of explaining your situation, and you are a fair and welcoming host parent, you will be totally fine even if you are on of the host parents that needs an au pair 45 hours (and your au pair will certainly not be alone - seems like most of the host parents I know and have heard of use at least close to that for much of the year and definitely most do in the summer).

Good luck!![/quote]

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