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RTÉ reports:

“The latest MRCI [Migrant Rights Centre of Ireland] research shows that au pairs are now being used by  thousands of parents to replace costly full time childcare and housekeepers. Some are experiencing the same exploitation previously reported by other domestic workers.”

“It finds that there is now a growing informal workforce providing care in private homes nationwide where workers are unprotected and vulnerable. It cites a report by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency that says in Ireland, workers in private homes are most at risk of exploitation.”

“According to the research,  some au pairs are working over 70 hours a week, for between €100 and €120 per week, with no overtime, extra pay for bank holidays, or proper breaks. “

Au pairs subjected to exploitation, abuse – MRCI report (RTÉ)

In Ireland, workers in private homes are most at risk of exploitation – new EU report (MRCI)

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41 thoughts on “How Much?

    1. Paolo

      You don’t have to be rich to have an au pair. €120 per week is the rate but that should only be for defined hours and shouldn’t include any other work. It’s a good way for a young person to learn English, assuming that the host family aren’t exploitative bottomholes.

    2. Clampers Outside!

      Guys, if they are abusing the au pair and dragging as many hours as is stated above, they are pretending.

      Having an au pair and treating and paying the appropriate rates, fine. Good for them.
      But abusing au pairs and demanding 70hrs a week out of them for little money means to me that they are saying “I can’t afford the help I want” and they are only pretend rich a-holes!

  1. casper

    That’s a slight misrepresentation of things. The standard is around €120 a week for 30 hours. The €120 is only the monetary part of the wage – there’s also accommodation, food, utility bills, mobile phone, transport costs….etc etc. Not saying there isn’t exploitation going on but the “what? €120 for 30 hours labour?” outrage is uninformed.

  2. D'oh

    “some au pairs are working over 70 hours a week, for between €100 and €120 per week, with no overtime, extra pay for bank holidays, or proper breaks”

    Great, where do I hire one ? I don’t have kids or anything

  3. James M.Chimney

    Au Pair wanted to mind my two children, Fionntar and Blath whilst I run my artisan coffee stall.

    etc, etc

    1. Well that's that

      Now now, sometimes both parents have to work every hour sent to them to afford their Killiney mortgage and a lifestyle they have to keep up with. Missing out on the majority of their child’s waking hours is the norm. Others are David Lloyd Mommies who take the piss. Don’t go tarring everyone with the same pretentious brush.

      1. Anomanomanom

        Our normal couples who have no one to look after their kids, but both have to work to give their kids the best and keep a roof over their head. Could any of you afford a mortgage+creche fees. I’d take €170 a week live in minder any day.

  4. Supercrazyprices

    Same people who exploit au pairs are also evading their taxes and if they own businesses, they dodge their suppliers invoices by going bust and opening up the next day as a new company. They learn it from their parents and their friends in the rugby club.

    It’s easy to be wealthy in Ireland if you purge yourself of all conscience and decency towards others instead of earning based on your merit and capabilities alone.

    1. Paolo

      What a load of rubbish! These stereotypes are so lazy and stupid, they don’t do you any credit.

      – People who play/watch rugby are rich snobs
      – People who are self-employed are amoral tax evaders
      – People who are relatively wealthy have become so through unscrupulous means

    2. Tucker Done

      Was that part of your essay this morning? Might want to back up with a few facts.

      Still, best of luck in the rest.

    3. Rob_G

      I’m surprised that someone old enough to remember Crazy Prices would come up with such juvenile rubbish.

    1. Odis

      How do you know its exploitation of the worse kind?
      And why do they do it Fluffy?

      Also bear in mind the ones I’ve met have been EU citizens. Their choice, they can go home any time.

  5. manolo

    It has been common practice for generations. Mostly foreign students in Ireland to learn English. They take part-time living in jobs (opportunity for immersive learning) and make a few bob in the process. It is usually a win-win, specially for families with two working parents and tight budgets.
    Yes, there are cases of abuse, but they are exceptions.
    I have friends abroad who have had relatives in Ireland in such arrangements for 6 months or a year and it normally seems to work very well. The au pairs usually can change homes relatively easily if they are not happy.

    1. Paolo

      This is a two-way street. Plenty of Irish teenagers / twentysomethings head over to France | Spain | Germany etcetera for a few months on the same arrangements. My wife spent a year in Paris doing just this and enjoyed herself immensely.

      I suppose that doesn’t fit with the broadsheet theme that everything about Ireland is crap though.

        1. Odis

          Paolo didn’t imply that.
          He said “I suppose that doesn’t fit with the broadsheet theme”.

          He’s right it doesn’t.

  6. scottser

    so if an aupair goes to work for a privately owned creche on minimum wage, then pays rent, bills etc out of that, do you reckon they’d have 120pw disposable income?

      1. scottser

        no fluffy, just the 39 hours. i get that some aupairs are made to cook and clean the gaff as well as childminding and that’s obviously taking the p1ss. i’m just curious though, are the ‘legit’ jobs in childcare any better?

      2. Odis

        Not the ones I know of Fluffy.
        If you mean are some people in this country horrible and exploitive, then yes.
        You get nasty people everywhere. Fortunately, they are the exception rather than the rule.

  7. Kolmo

    It’s a awful situation, but it could be way worse for them – seems to be the thread there…

    Exploitation is Exploitation.

    I know of a number of friends in the past here to learn English, paid ‘registration fees’ to the ’employment agency’ in addition to substantial English course fees and worked 50+ hours a week as Au Pairs (domestic servants/cleaners/locum parentis/marriage counselors/dog walkers) for people who could more than comfortably afford staff, well-heeled people with the moral compasses of lizards. Not all au pair host were like this, but a majority were.

  8. Corky Duke

    These facts are horsepoo…no au pair is going to work 70 hours for 120euros . From what i know its the opposite, quite dificult to get a good one who isnt here just for an easy time. If someone is getting them to do 70hours of work a week then I bet it didnt last more than a week and the au pair ran to the next job. Plenty of people looking for good au pairs to mind kids during the day and do some light housework, mainly realating to the kids they mind like, washing & ironing kids clothes, cleaning up after themselves and some hoovering. Nobody expects them to be scrubbing the jax with a toothbursh or washing your car. I dont think there are any victims here.

  9. swoon

    An au pair at the going rate which does include all the living expenses isn’t bad.
    Maybe if the government helped out working parents with 800 euro a month crech fees they have to pay,then they wouldn’t resort to this so called abuse of Au Pairs.

      1. manolo

        In more advanced countries, child care is free – it is part of recognising children as the future of the nation. In Ireland childcare isn’t even tax deductible.

        I am sure many of us here enjoyed our government funded education, just not sure why there is this issue with the younger families.

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