When the Au Pair Comes To Stay

ejmaztec

Having an interest in au pairs:pac:, I decided to watch the RTE programme (Fridays 7.30pm), where some poor German girl stayed with some family:o in Galway.

I couldn't help but notice that the narrator went for the usual stereotypical comment re the Germans, a couple of times, and it just seemed cringingly tired.

Because the girl made sure that she packed everything necessary for the trip to Ireland, the narrator decided that was down to the usual German efficiency, and later on, as she did a bit of thorough vaccuuming (because the house was "dirty"), a comment was made that "you can take the girl out of Germany, but you can't take Germany out of the girl".

Perhaps I'm being over-critical?

Next week, a French girl is the subject of the programme, and I'm just wondering how far into the 30 minutes they'll get, before the narrator starts sticking it to the French.:eek:

Richard Dower

Any sexy time?

Diddler1977

I enjoyed this programme....

But I didn't think think the host mother was hugely representative of an Irish mother....

She was rather bizaare.....at one point she was wearing the same hot pants as her 9 yr old daughter.......weird to say the least!

amdublin

I thought it was soooooooooooo boring.

But I missed the mother in her 9 year old's hot pants??! That would have made it less boring!

ejmaztec

Richard Dower wrote: »

Any sexy time?

The only dirt in this programme was sucked out of the carpet by a vacuum cleaner.:(

...but then again, it was half seven.:P

Our man in Havana

The reference to D day was rather unfortunate.

ejmaztec

Haddockman wrote: »

The reference to D day was rather unfortunate.

It was definitely heading towards a Basil Fawlty moment.

RubyBlu

ejmaztec wrote: »

Having an interest in au pairs:pac:, I decided to watch the RTE programme (Fridays 7.30pm), where some poor German girl stayed with some family:o in Galway.

I couldn't help but notice that the narrator went for the usual stereotypical comment re the Germans, a couple of times, and it just seemed cringingly tired.

Because the girl made sure that she packed everything necessary for the trip to Ireland, the narrator decided that was down to the usual German efficiency, and later on, as she did a bit of thorough vaccuuming (because the house was "dirty"), a comment was made that "you can take the girl out of Germany, but you can't take Germany out of the girl".

Perhaps I'm being over-critical?

Next week, a French girl is the subject of the programme, and I'm just wondering how far into the 30 minutes they'll get, before the narrator starts sticking it to the French.:eek:

I totally agree with you. I was amazed about how unPC it was and stereotypical. It could be construed as racist by extreme PC types. If that was said about the Irish, lets say having a few drinks in another country, there'd be war!

Sids Not

RubyBlu wrote: »

I totally agree with you. I was amazed about how unPC it was and stereotypical. It could be construed as racist by extreme PC types. If that was said about the Irish, lets say having a few drinks in another country, there'd be war!

Imo the narrator had carefully been told what to say ,at the end of the programme the girl herself stated that in Germany everything/one is expected to be in its place, no mess , no fun...:p

Sadly it seemed so typical of Irish teenagers though..no respect ,not just for the au per but for the mother either ,then again she was'nt the brightest button in the box was she..in her porno apron..:rolleyes:...?

Poochie05

and her comment to camera about not liking small sausages herself - cringeworthy:o

galway53

wow watched the show on friday and her dress sense or should i say "lack of" made me cringe also!
thought the show had more to do with the mother trying to advertise her self on the singleton market then the au pair actually in the family! from her comments that she kisses better then she cooks, to the apron(surely that shouldnt have been shown at that hour of the night!LOL) to the comment about sausage! she was far from your typical galway mother like my wife and others i know. i think its fair to say she gave the likes of kerry katonna a run for her money!LOL!
felt sorry for the au pair watching it, from the dirty house which only required "light house work" to the empty presses everytime one was open! at least the freezer was stocked full of nutritious foods!
looking forward to watching next week and seeing if the next few familys are as "entertaining" and learning more on the actual au pair life!

ejmaztec

Was I hearing things when it was said that the family had 21 au pairs in 8 years? I wonder what happened to them all?:eek:

Our man in Havana

No, you heard correctly. 21 in 8 years.

They probably all quit.

amdublin

Sids Not wrote: »

the mother either ,then again she was'nt the brightest button in the box was she..in her porno apron..:rolleyes:...?

I took it that she was wearing this as a Halloween costume??? Did the narrator not say it was Halloween and then show her. Oh jebus I hope she wasn't wearing it just as a normal apron.

The sausage comment was cringe alright.

21 au pairs in 8 years is possible without them quittinng - alot of au pairs come for just 2 or 3 months at a time.....

ifconfig

Is it my imagination or has this episode been removed from RTE Player.
Just checked today at quarter past midday and no sign of it.
I watched 15mins or so of it yesterday afternoon.

-ifc

ifconfig

Ok. It on RTE player (I got it via the A-Z index) but couldn't find it by search

ejmaztec

Sids Not wrote: »

Imo the narrator had carefully been told what to say ,at the end of the programme the girl herself stated that in Germany everything/one is expected to be in its place, no mess , no fun...:p

That's a stereotypical response from someone not wanting to admit that stereotyping's encouraged by RTE.:P

Our man in Havana

€85 per week for an 11 hour day? These guys are sure getting value for money.

Our man in Havana

She complains about the family taking advantage of her, and the family gets rid of her.
Making her work double her agreed hours is bang out of order.

face2face

Just watched this with the French girl and a Cameroon-Irish family in rathfarnham. At the end the mother stated that the girl had no idea what Au-Pairing was about - I believe that she had no idea. Au-Pairs are not supposed to be cheap childcare for working parents, it shouldn't be a full time job. I see this all the time, and I pity the girls who come here to be treated like slaves. They should be treated like a member of the family and if people can't honestly do that, they should explore a different option.

Missiechan

I just saw it myself, and I'm pretty shocked. I'm a nanny, I make around twice what that girl made and my boundaries within the family are clearly defined. She was doing my job for scullery maid wages.

She's only nineteen, and in a different country. It was very unfair of the family to expect her to do the work of a professional within a day of arriving on Irish soil. I could see how frustrated and tired she got towards the end, and that's not fair on the children. An unhappy carer makes for unhappy children.

ejmaztec

The German girl in the previous programme was in paradise compared to this week's set-up. All that this mother with the unbelievable attitude wanted was an ultra-low-paid skivvy. As has already been said, it wasn't the au-pair who didn't know what an au-pair's job was.

After the first negotiations, where the mother tried to convince her that she wasn't really overdoing the hours, she told her to cut back on the housework, then started bellyaching about the washing up not getting done.

I'm not surprised the French girl was soon back in Paris, the Rathfarnham family having cured her of ever wanting to be an au-pair again. She's probably still having nightmares.:eek:

murraymarmalade

caught the programme by accident this eve.
The cameroons didnt want an au pair they wanted a slave.
my,how the tide has turned:)

Elmo

ejmaztec wrote: »

All that this mother with the unbelievable attitude wanted was an ultra-low-paid skivvy. As has already been said, it wasn't the au-pair who didn't know what an au-pair's job was.

There are many Irish girls who have done similar work abroad. But I agree Au Pair generally means slave. I know my sister did it years ago in France, she stuck it out but she found it hard.

The show should be called,

When the Irish don't want to pay
Or
When the Slave comes to stay
Or
How to make yourself look like an ass
Or
How to raise your children on the cheap.

Posy

Yeah, I couldn't believe this programme. The weekly 'wage' they get wouldn't even be enough for a night out in Dublin! Ridiculous.
Next week's kids look like posh spoiled brats but at least the au-pair for the next show is supposed to be 22 so she might be able to handle it better.
Around €100 a week for getting up at 7am, making breakfast, getting children ready/bringing them to school, cooking an evening meal every evening, doing the house-work and laundry.. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. Add in that the poor girl may be homesick and is in a totally foreign environment, speaking a different language and I think fair play to any of them that stick it out because I'd be gone running home like that poor French girl!

mikom

Elmo wrote: »

The show should be called,

When the NEW Irish don't want to pay
.

Fixed your post.

They forgot what it was like so quickly.

Elmo

mikom wrote: »

Fixed your post.

They forgot what it was like so quickly.

"NEW"????

joey54

I watched the first programme and thought the girl was poorly paid and that the kids were rude to her. But this was nothing compared to what the poor French girl had to put up with.

Shocking doesn't even begin to describe the way that she was treated. She was completely being taken advantage of, to call it slave labour is a gross understatement!

The worst thing about it was the fact the Mother knew she was working the girl over and beyond what was in her job description and had the cheek to suggest to the au pair that she was making a big deal out of nothing. i.e the ''it's not rocket science'' bit! The mother was also studying law so should know exactly what a contract is!

You can see as filming progresses Marion begins to look shattered. Watching it I felt so sorry for her, I just wanted to tell her that not all families are like that! For the Mother to say she treated her like family is a complete lie! Do you treat your family members like a live in slave? I wish their new au pair luck, they will need it!

I really wouldn't fancy working as an au pair, it's hit and miss as to what kind of working conditions you'll get.

Chinafoot

4 au pairs in a short space of time? They'd do well to acknowledge the common denominator there.

JONJO THE MISER

On Just now, a 22 yr old spanish girl comes to a family in Dalkey(oh la la:rolleyes:) who have had about 8 Au Pairs in the last few years.

Elmo

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

On Just now, a 22 yr old spanish girl comes to a family in Dalkey(oh la la:rolleyes:) who have had about 8 Au Pairs in the last few years.

RUN, RUN NOW! :pac:

Elmo

Do people who get Au Pairs actually think that they should cook?

The Voice Over even thinks that they won't last.

130 for 35 hour, really 35 hours!

€3.71 per hour! I suppose they pay for flights and everything.

If your getting an Au Pair don't be so ****ing fuzzy.

These girl's are 12 and 14 surely they can get their breakfast and go to school themselves.

I have to stop watching!

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

On Just now, a 22 yr old spanish girl comes to a family in Dalkey(oh la la:rolleyes:) who have had about 8 Au Pairs in the last few years.

What, all at the same time...?

JONJO THE MISER

120 a week, mmmm i might hire a hot Au Pair to cook and clean for myself.

amdublin

Fair play to Lucia she is well able to handle the bold teenager.

Nice girl.

Poly

The father seems like a langer, "chirzo and wilted spinach"- fcuk right off!

JONJO THE MISER

Poly wrote: »

The father seems like a langer, "chirzo and wilted spinach"- fcuk right off!

Its far from chirzo and wilted spinach he was rared.

amdublin

OMG the poor girl next week.

That child!

And Murroe is in the middle of NOWHERE!

Derryleigh

The dad seemed to lap up the attention he was getting on national TV.

Richard Dower

Stop watching crap tv like this people...it rots your brain.

Elmo

Richard Dower wrote: »

Stop watching crap tv like this people...it rots your brain.

While I agree with I just wonder!

Anzac_11

Missiechan wrote: »

I just saw it myself, and I'm pretty shocked. I'm a nanny, I make around twice what that girl made and my boundaries within the family are clearly defined. She was doing my job for scullery maid wages.

She's only nineteen, and in a different country. It was very unfair of the family to expect her to do the work of a professional within a day of arriving on Irish soil. I could see how frustrated and tired she got towards the end, and that's not fair on the children. An unhappy carer makes for unhappy children.

:mad: I have a small Au Pair Agency myself and was catching up with this series as I had it taped. I could not believe what I saw. So much was wrong with that placement.

First of all paying the Au Pair 85E per week is against the IAPA regulations and it should never be allowed. You are so right to say that they were looking for a scullery maid or more likely a slave. If any of my families apply and I see that they have a weekly pocket money under 100E, I don't even bother placing an Au Pair with them, as it is very clear in my regulations what is expected and allowed. That is the first warning sign.

This poor girl was getting 15E below the allowed pocket money, dumped in a tiny box room and expected to work 50 hours per week which is way over the allowed 36 hours. That is one of the reasons I started my own agency. As you said, an unhappy Au Pair makes unhappy Children. It was a good idea for the agency to suggest the Host Mom and Au Pair have a chat, but from what I saw, the Host Mom had no intentions to come to an agreement. She treated the Au Pair like a fool and had the cheek to say she does not know what an Au Pair is supposed to be. First of all I would have never placed an Au Pair in that family (even if they were Irish) and secondly, if I found out they were treating her like a slave, I would have taken the Au Pair home to me. That is why I have a guestroom for them, just in case something like this happens.

Luckily I choose my families well (same with my Au Pairs) and my failure rate is down to 1 out of 10 placements that don't work out. I'm very strict with my regulations and if a family treats the Au Pair as the one for the French Au Pair, they would be struck off my books in a flash. Same goes for Au Pairs.

The families are people who should be willing to accept the Au Pair into their home as a 'daughter' and free time is very important. They should have 2 free days per week and only work 36 hours. This does include 1 evening baby-sitting and although it's included, most of my families give their Au Pair a little 'thank you' gift.

I'm absolutely disgusted with what happened to this young lady. Au Pairs usually do this once in their lifetime and although it's not the easiest job on this world, they should go home with good memories. That's why my motto is - 'I'm not in this to make million, but millions of memories'.

Most of my families have their Au Pair come back for holidays year after year, and that's how it should be. This poor French Au Pair thinks she's a failure, but I take my hat off to her that she even tried to reason with the Host Family.

Have taken note of the name and come hell or high water, that family will never be on my books.

Please excuse my ranting, but it's a black mark on all the other great families who have a cop on about Au Pairs.

Aidric

That family weren't Irish though were they?

Anzac_11

Aidric wrote: »

That family weren't Irish though were they?

No, the family for the French Au Pair were not Irish. Although I've tried many times to match an Au Pair to none Irish families, they prefer the 'Irish accent'. I do have a German family who speak perfect English and have never had a ounce of problems with them. So I think, it's down to how a family treats the Au Pair, not to where they come from. This family really had no idea what an Au Pair is all about. Felt so sorry for the young girl. Should have been a great experience but she had no chance.

Our man in Havana

Cameroon was a French colony. I wonder was it pay back time for the young French girl?

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Richard Dower wrote: »

Stop watching crap tv like this people...it rots your brain.

I read the comment before seeing who posted it and then I laughed... Of all the people...

Haven't seen the show, but may give it a look on the player...

Morgans

Thought the french girl was treated disgracefully and paid a ridiculous amount of money, and maybe that experience put her off for good, but she only lasted ten days with a second family (according to the very end of the program IIRC) Maybe au pairing wasn't for her.

ejmaztec

Richard Dower wrote: »

Any sexy time?

CaptainNegative wrote: »

I read the comment before seeing who posted it and then I laughed... Of all the people...

Haven't seen the show, but may give it a look on the player...

Dickie Dower was only being critical because he was disappointed that the programme didn't get down and dirty.:eek:

A girl I know got a job as an au pair in Switzerland, and she lasted two weeks, solely because the lecherous father wanted to be her best friend:pac:. Had that been televised, I'm sure that Mr Dower would have recorded it for posterity.

syklops

Morgans wrote: »

Thought the french girl was treated disgracefully and paid a ridiculous amount of money, and maybe that experience put her off for good, but she only lasted ten days with a second family (according to the very end of the program IIRC) Maybe au pairing wasn't for her.

Thats a common human trait. You fight against something for as long as you can, sometimes you win sometimes you lose. The next time you meet a similar sort of challenge you dont last half as long and give up early thinking its going to be a similar long drawn out battle as the first.

You see it everywhere.

I used to work in a call centre and part of my job was to monitor calls and see how agents were handling the calls. It was a very common occurrence for an agent to get a real bastard or bitch on the phone complaining about everything, giving out to the agent, saying their incompetent etc. and the agent politely accepts it, solves their issue and gets rid of them. The next call they get is a sweet little old lady who casually mentions that she was waiting for a few minutes before the call was answered and the agent snaps.

After the ordeal the au pair got in the first place, sticking it out as long as she could, she probably should have taken a weeks holiday before going to a new family. She went to the new family, and mistook a piece of advice as criticism and freaked. Either that or the next family was as bad as the previous lot(if not worse).

Morgans

Yes. Or decided that au pairing wasnt for her or was called home for some emergency. You are only guessing at the reason.

syklops

Morgans wrote: »

Yes. Or decided that au pairing wasnt for her or was called home for some emergency. You are only guessing at the reason.

As are you.