Should I pay my aupair?

Question

I usually pay my aupair £50 per week. she doesn't really have to do much because i was still looking for a job. so the only time she has to look after my daughter is when i go to interviews. i asked her to do the washing up before me and my husband went away for the weekend ( was in her job description). got back tonight and she hasn't done anything. was worse than when we went. I tried ringing her about 30 times, but she didn't answer the phone. and when i got back and asked her she said it didn't ring.
She is leaving soon because of a family emergency, which now means there's no point me going for interviews as i don't have childcare.
So she's not actually doing anything!
should i still pay her the £50?

I wanted to pack her bags earlier. the only bad thing is that her flight doesn't go until the 9th.
I'm not cheap, I'd pay her if she'd do what's asked of her. I didn't even mind her not really doing much while I was looking for a job, but now all i pay her for is to sit in front of my PC all day. I don't even mind if her not answering the phone, but she could at least tell me that it had rung!
I'll obviously pay her some of the money.
£50 isn't much, but that's what aupairs get. it's more pocket money than pay.but childminders don't get much more here and they don't live in your house.

would you leave your baby with someone who can't even do the washing up when asked to do? My last aupair did things like washing up and hoovering. never had to ask her.
Her family problems are no really my concern. If it was really bad she would have left as soon as she could and wouldn't wait 2 weeks to get a cheaper flight home. I know i wouldn't.

my husband wouldn't sleep with her. i pick our aupairs and i never pick pretty or very thin ones. who would? apart from a man :)

£50 gets me childminder for 25 hours per week. which is as much as I wanted her to work. Plus she lives in my house for free.

Dalejones: childminders here charge between £2.50 - £4.00 per hour. so i don't think she's underpayed. she's an AUPAIR!!! she came to England to learn more English. She had the chance to go to an English course which i would have given her time off for, but she didn't want to go. it's free as well. The minimum you have to pay aupairs here is £45 for 25 hours per week (and I obviously pay for her food and drinks).

Asked her why she didn't do what we asked and all she didn't answer.

I asked a question before having made a descision, because i didn't know what i should do and all you people do is judge!!!
I never said she couldn't get a job while she was here!!!
AuPairs, just like childminders don't get minimum wage!
And how can any of you call me lazy?if you employ someone to help you with your child and housework you would expect them to do what they are paid for!
doesn't matter if it's £50 or £1000!!!

Answer 1

personally i wouldnt pay her and i would ask her to go. if she hasnt done the washing up ,then that probably means that she hasnt washed your childs cup etc. this is bad hugiene and not got for looking after children. get rid o fher, its only £50 a week god thats cheap. i pay 4 times this for my son childcare.

Answer 2

At first sight, and without knowing any details, your whole story sounds too me very much like you (and maybe the authorities) have been cheated by the family. In Switzerland withholding tax, also know as tax deducted at source, has to be paid for by the employer and is deducted from the employees salary. In your case, this means that the family should have deducted the tax from your base pay, and then transferred the remaining part of your salary to you. The way this systems normally works, it prevents that you incur any withholding tax debt. Since the tax amount is calculated as a percentage of income, it is impossible that a withholding tax deduction can use up a whole salary. Since you mentioned that you would have been working for free if the family would have deducted any more, I recon they were either telling you lies (for whatever reason) or that they were not declaring the right amount to the authorities. I'm not an expert in the field, but I have slight doubts that an employer even receives a bill from the authorities: from what I know the employer declares and remits the amount due to the tax office without being billed in the first place (but I might be wrong). You're stating that you would have had to receive a higher wage -which may or may not be true. But adding your doubt towards your salary to the rest of the case doesn't make it look less odd. You should get in touch with the tax office in the canton where you worked. I truly hope they can be of assistance.

Answer 3

may be she is just having a hard time, if she is having a family emergency that means she is leaving I very much doubt that your washing up is at the top of her mental list of things to do and worry about.

I very much doubt it would be the top of yours if you were in her position.

ask the agency (if you got her through an agency - if not then what do you expect????? and what would possess you to put your children in the care of some one not vetted propperly to save money?) to find you some one else and pay the poor girl the money for goodness sake... its only £50!!!

Answer 4

If you only have 1 kid and no job I'd suggest stop being a lazy git and go without the Aupair in the first place and do the washing up yourself.

Answer 5

I think you still have to pay her, but I would suggest having a sit down talk with her and discuss what happened. Let her know if things don't improve she will need to find a new job.

Answer 6

as a childmider myself i am so disgust at what u pay 50 pounds her cheap laubour for you but is she puts up with it then she only gotherself to blame.

ok now when u took her on did you make it clear what you wanted her todo and not to do aslo if she leaving cos family htings maybe her mind is not on the job.
for god sake be nice to her still pay her cos that s what u agred on but ask her why she as nt done what u asked of her clear the air

Answer 7

I would... she deserves that, just for sleeping with your Husband!

Sorry, didn't mean it, surely it's only £50, what does £50 get you these days.

Why is it that people value their own time at £500 per hour and everybody elses at nothing.......Don't be tight. Pay the girl!

Answer 8

Yes.. It's a family emergency ... and she will be grateful for your kindness for the rest of her life..... do you have a little present for her, just to soften the blow?

You can say to her, "I know you are going through some difficulty right now, so I want you to have this...." and give her a little something for her tears. Even if she is not crying. In this life .....

Answer 9

tell her that you dont feel she earned the money but that by accepting it she will have lost your respect and any chance of your recommending her in the future. if she was through an agency then report what happened.

maybe this girl will admit she was wrong and not accept the money but if she does that then you might owe her a second chance.

Answer 10

You have to pay her for the hour's she already worked. Whether she was working in the manner you wished or not, she was still there in charge of your child. You cannot decide not to pay someone after the fact just because you aren't happy with the job they did.