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[quote=Anonymous]I have allowed our au pairs to do this once or twice... but it also makes me nervous:

1)  It is, as you note -- not permitted by the program.  Part of this is to ensure au pairs are not working 60 hour weeks -- even if they want to.
2)  The pay rates of babysitters tends to be "higher" than the au pair program.  There are some mature au pairs who I think understand why their per-hour rate of pay under the program is a lot less than their babysitting money --  but the immature ones sometimes do an hour-per-hour calculation and then get really pissy about doing their real au pair job  (Why should I be taking care of 3 HF kids for $4.50/hr when babysitting family pays me $12/hour for one kid??).

As has been discussed many times (and please lets not derail this thread on the fairness of au pair pay), the "hourly" pay for au pairs is basically lower than minimum wage, but the State Department has determined it is legal and appropriate because of the room and board costs.  But some au pairs really don't get that.  They focus only on the "hourly" rate, and then think the host family is awful because the babysitting family pays them 3 times that.  They don't account for the plane tickets, food, heat, car insurance, phone, time spent training, etc.

So -- when I've allowed it, it is only late in the year with mature au pairs who want to earn a little extra cash, and for whom I'm comfortable that they get the big picture.[/quote]

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