Marcello Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Hello everybody.My wife and I are currently applying for our 189 visa's, we have 2 kids aged 4 and 14 months.By the time we get over they will be 6 and 3, now the big question what the hell do we do with our kids when we at work? One thing we do know is we both have to work! (pitty) My wife would love to stay at home and watch the kids but to be honest we wouldn't be able to afford that. Now after doing countless amounts of homework and having a slight stroke looking at the prices of day care even after the rebate (if lucky and only 7000 per child) doing the math we will still fall way short.Now I have been looking into an aupair, I would like to know if anybody on this forum has gone down this road and would love to hear the pro's and cons regarding this avenue.Thanking you in advance.Marcel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnyskies Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 We used au pairs for a while.Pros:- live in your house so don't mind starting early or leaving late- generally good with small children- reasonable - you pay weekly stipend of about $200 or $250 dollars- extra pair of hands- they generally do what you askCons:- they have a max number of hours per week of 45 hours. So you can't rely solely on an au pair if you need 12 hours care a day (taking into account travel time)- they live in your house. You need a decent bedroom for them although they can share a bathroom with the kids. Expect your utility bills to go up.- you pay for their food (it can be expensive we had one that ate as much food as my husband)- they only do what you ask- it's like another child (they look to you for guidance just like your own teenager would)We stopped using them because my son was 11 and was no longer interested in being nannied.Also look at a local nanny or even students, the advantage is they don't live with you so sort of evens out the extra cost of having to accommodate another adult.I think they are great if you don't need full day care and if your kids are little (out of nappies but still do what you ask them to do). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GranvilleMay15 Posted August 11, 2015 Report Share Posted August 11, 2015 Sunnyskies....any advice as to where (online or agency) we can find a decent au pair? We are not yet certain of where we will end up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnyskies Posted August 11, 2015 Report Share Posted August 11, 2015 Hi Ganville, it sort of depends on whether you land up on the east or west coast. We used AIFS, they were the best of the agencies that I engaged with because they do some screening (police check, reference checks, interview the person before agreeing to put them on their books) and help set up initial contact. The downside is that they have a large book of families and so you may not get your first pick, as the girls get to meet 3 or 4 families over Skype inerviews and they ultimately choose who to go with. Also you have to pay a placement fee which I found a bit pricey. I tried another agency but found that they were charging a lot of money for not much assistance. Some people use gumtree but that is really dangerous I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GranvilleMay15 Posted August 11, 2015 Report Share Posted August 11, 2015 Not sure gumtree is the way to go with au pair! We opted for my wife to stay at home for a few months. ....so we have a bit of time to look around. Thanks for the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudlySouthAfricanInPerth Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 I can recommend www.smartaupairs.com.au - professional and do all sorts of checks before they are even interviewed for placements. http://www.smartaupairs.com.au Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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