Im currently looking for a live in AU pair. Double bedroom, ensuite provided. Rural setting. 45 mins frim birmingham.

Minimum £150 a week 

[quote=readysteadycook post_id=289039 time=1689572296 user_id=55877]
[quote=sw-nannyy123 post_id=288872 time=1688764219 user_id=58031]£120 is far too low
Should be min £200 a week. Paying any less is very very questionable.[/quote]

Sw_nanny123 - By your name, you are a nanny, which has a very different skill set. Your comment is totally wrong.

Remember Au Pairs are unskilled. They also have all their food, bills and accommodation (anyone paid to rent recently £££) paid for. It’s purely pocket money and £120/£130 is alot for a young adult with no outgoings.

Au pairs will see this post and expect people to be paying more, that’s just not going to generally happen and they will be disappointed.  [/quote]
[align=start]
[font=Georgia,serif][size=85]I am a nanny not an aupair yes, though that does not mean that I can't have an opinion on au pair salaries / treatment. Due to the nature of my job, I have met a huge number. I have been appalled at how some are treated and feel under paying an au pair will never work out as a win in the long run. The most reliable and sensible au pairs I have met are paid a decent 'allowance' which affords them the opportunity to enjoy their time off and encourage their loyalty toward the families they work for. 

[color=#000000][color=black]I hope au pairs do see this post and see everyone’s opinions on what is fair, particularly that they should not be used to substitute an early year’s nanny doing 50 hour weeks. At a time where nannies are paid an all-time high, overworked and underpaid au pairs are not the solution. They provide an affordable childcare option but should still be treated fairly. [/color][/color]

[color=#000000][color=black]My comment was not totally wrong at all. You will see others in this thread recommend similar allowances. [/color][/color][/size][/font][/align]

answer is: £250pw.

Everyone I know in nappy valley who has an au pair treat them as a full time nanny who is sole charge of small toddlers. It should not be but it is the reality unfortunately. I know a few families who even ask the “au pair” to clean and cook. No one really checks and some of these girls are young and naive. Luckily this is changing as European au pairs are not allowed anymore, but I know of several French families from the French school in Putney who have French au pairs on a tourist visa. Some are even over staying their 6 month tourist visa and nothing seems to happen. The families talk about it at dinner parties without realising it is actually against the law and when I pointed out they say “everybody does it”

Everyone I know in nappy valley who has an au pair treat them as a full time nanny who is sole charge of small toddlers. It should not be but it is the reality unfortunately. I know a few families who even ask the “au pair” to clean and cook. No one really checks and some of these girls are young and naive. Luckily this is changing as European au pairs are not allowed anymore, but I know of several French families from the French school in Putney who have French au pairs on a tourist visa. Some are even over staying their 6 month tourist visa and nothing seems to happen. The families talk about it at dinner parties without realising it is actually against the law and when I pointed out they say “everybody does it”

You seem to be in the minority for your thoughts on low ball pay.

“…Remember Au Pairs are unskilled. They also have all their food, bills and accommodation (anyone paid to rent recently £££) paid for. It’s purely pocket money and £120/£130 is alot for a young adult with no outgoings….“

Not all au-pairs are unskilled and a lot of the advertising requires “experience” with children, references, DBS and first aid certificate. Last time I checked the latter two things are not cheap and require time to complete.
Also, live-in nannies also have all their experiences covered but receive a paycheque that reflects their experience, knowledge and skill sets.
And “no outgoings”?!? What about phone? Everything is seriously expensive these days… If not £200 then the lowest pay should be £180 pw. I mean I got paid £120 almost 20 years ago…
I’m absolutely sure you know the definition of the word “inflation”.

It has always been a government scheme and you can check the rules, recommendations and which nationalities are eligible on the .gov website. I agree you need to be aware of NI and employer’s contribution tax rules. A colleague of mine didn’t bother and, at the end of a year, his au pair asked him for a statement of these. Oh dear.

[quote=sw-nannyy123 post_id=288872 time=1688764219 user_id=58031]£120 is far too low
Should be min £200 a week. Paying any less is very very questionable.[/quote]

Sw_nanny123 - By your name, you are a nanny, which has a very different skill set. Your comment is totally wrong.

Remember Au Pairs are unskilled. They also have all their food, bills and accommodation (anyone paid to rent recently £££) paid for. It’s purely pocket money and £120/£130 is alot for a young adult with no outgoings.

Au pairs will see this post and expect people to be paying more, that’s just not going to generally happen and they will be disappointed.

£175 to £200 for 20 to 25 hours a week with right to work in UK e.g UK passport, tier 5 visa etc.

Those that accept less usually don't have the right to work. Some people are happy to take that risk, others aren't.

As others have said, the cost has about doubled post Brexit. Most of the specialist agencies and websites have either exited the market or exist in a much reduced form. So some of the information they’ve got on their sites may not be up to date.

Slightly off topic, but the amount of people I see advertising for ‘au pairs’ when they mean nannies is not great. Au pairs are meant to do 25-30 hours a week and some babysitting, and not meant to have sole charge of young children. Realistically, this means they are better suited to families with school age kids or a stay at home parents who needs an extra pair of hands. I once heard of a really sad story many years ago where a family had employed an au pair with really minimal English to look after their kids- left her in sole charge of a baby and there was a medical emergency and she was unable to give proper information to 999. Luckily the baby was ok in the end but it could have been a different story. Pay your au pairs properly, and host them for what they’re supposed to do, help with childcare, help a bit around the home, practice their English if applicable, eat thwit main meals with you and your family, free of charge, and don’t treat them like a cheap sole charge nanny!

£120 is far too low
Should be min £200 a week. Paying any less is very very questionable.

I was an au pair between 2015-2017 and am from New Zealand. In 2017, I was earning £130 a week for 30 hours. In my opinion, that is just not enough now, 6 years on and with inflation constantly increasing. Looking back, I would also be wary of those who only want native English speakers but are not looking to offer more, given that Kiwis and Aussies aren’t here to learn a language.