Our very lovely au pair has had to leave us to return to Spain due to a family emergency, so we need a new au pair! Start dates are flexible, but we need someone to start by the middle of August. I’d be grateful if you could contact me if you are interested.
We are a busy, friendly family living in Ealing, West London. We are looking for a kind, caring, mature and organised person to help us look after our two young sons, who are 6 and 9 years old. All of our au pairs have stayed with us for over a year, and one for three years; so hopefully, this indicates that we are a nice family to live with!
Both our children attend a local school between Monday and Friday. We need someone to help the children get ready in time for 7.30am in the morning and take them to school (two bus Stops or a 20 minute walk away) and collect them at the end of each day (between 3.30 - 4.30pm, depending on whether they have after school activities). We also need support with other tasks related to our children and as well as some light housework.
We welcome applications from individuals who are in the UK already, so that we can do a face to face interview.
We live in a clean, comfortable and spacious house in Ealing, with a garden and friendly Neighbours. We are close to several tube and train stations and main bus routes. Ealing is a lively area with lots of shops, bars, cafés and parks within walking distance. The closest tube station, Ealing Common (5 minutes walk away) will get you into central London in 30 minutes. If you wish to study English there are several English Language Colleges nearby, several within walking distance.
The job is exactly as described below, so we won’t be asking you to do anything else, as I know that many au pairs arrive to work for families and find that they are doing far more than they expected.
You can also speak to our last au pair, if you would like any further information.
This job will suit you if you if:
• Are responsible and reliable
• Are over 22 years old
• Enjoy caring for young children and have experience of looking after them
• Speak, write and read English well
• Are energetic, organised and cheerful
• Are clean and tidy
• A non-smoker
• Are well organised and good at planning
• Are a good timekeeper
• Are pro-active and use your initiative
• Are flexible and a team player
• Can commit for a minimum of one year
• Enjoy a peaceful and clean home environment
• Are independent and want to enjoy London life
• Wish to work flexible hours to enable you to study during the day
• Have no criminal record (CRB check essential)
• Can provide at least two excellent written references, with contact details
Responsibilities
• Helping to get our children up in the morning at 6.50am and getting them dressed in their school uniform, preparing their breakfasts and taking them to school at 7.30am for school, which starts at 8am; picking them up between 3.30pm and 4.30pm (depending on the boys’ after school activities)
• Preparing the boys’ dinner and giving them their baths before we get home between 6 – 6.15pm to put them to bed. We help with the boys’ morning routine most days during the week and try to take the boys to school and pick them up whenever we can.
• Helping the boys with their school homework when they get home from school
• Taking the boys to holiday clubs during the school holidays, if we do not have time off or they are not staying with their grandparents
• Keeping the children’s rooms clean and tidy
• Preparing the boys’ school bags each day
• Doing the boys’ laundry and preparing their school uniforms
• Cooking simple meals for the children
• Keeping the house clean and tidy. We have a cleaner who comes once a week
• Running occasional errands e.g. Going to the post office, picking up dry cleaning, going to the shops if we’ve run out of something essential, etc.
• Helping with household tasks e.g. Loading and unloading the dishwasher, laundry, changing bed sheets
• Doing the ironing
• Keeping your own accommodation clean and tidy and keeping it in good condition
Hours
• 25 hours a week, but often a lot less. The core hours will be between 6.50am - 8am in the morning and 3 – 6.30pm in the evening, Monday to Friday, to do the school run, give the children their dinners and baths. All other hours are flexible with other tasks being fitted around language courses, etc.
• A maximum of 2 evenings of babysitting a week, to be agreed in advance. We rarely use babysitting
• Weekends will be free other than any evening babysitting that has been agreed in advance. You will find that our friends and Neighbours will offer you extra paid babysitting.
What You Will Get
• Accommodation - You will have your own floor of the house which comprises a self-contained studio flat with a large studio area with kitchenette and en-suite “wet-room” bathroom. There is ample storage and space, in addition to the usual furniture, which includes a desk, TV, DVD player, Freeview box and wireless broadband internet connection provided
• Pay - £110 per week, which you should also use to buy food for yourself, when you are not eating with the children or cooking a family meal. You will have no household bills. You can also do paid babysitting for friends and Neighbours
• Holiday – 20 days of paid holiday, to be taken during school holidays, plus bank holidays (9 days in the UK). Additional unpaid holiday is also available, by prior agreement. No weekend working unless it’s babysitting in the evening, or if in exceptional circumstances, for which overtime will be paid. We haven’t asked anyone to work during the weekend in the past 3 years, other than babysitting
Contact and Start Date
The start date is flexible, but we need someone to start by the middle of August at the latest.
If you are interested in working for us, please send us a covering letter, CV and photograph. Please remember that we will only consider candidates who are already in the UK so that we can do a face to face interview. We look forward to hearing from you.
We will be unable to respond to every application, so if you don’t hear from us, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful. Many thanks for your interest.