housework

Should Au Pairs be expected to do chores on their Day Off?

by cv harquail March 12, 2013
au pair chores

In our earlier conversation about what chores are appropriate to ask an au pair to do, AussieAuPair raised an interesting question– When an au pair is officially having a day off, should s/he still be expected to do household chores? We need to make two sets of distinctions first, between — family member household chores […]

87 comments Read the full article →

If you have a housecleaner, does s/he clean your Au Pair’s room?

by cv harquail December 14, 2009
200912141155.jpg

I admit, I was a little surprised to learn that some of us who pay to have our houses cleaned include the au pair’s room in the housecleaner’s duties. Probably it’s because I’m always trying to save money and have needed to have the housecleaner’s energy all on the main parts of the house, but […]

35 comments Read the full article →

Your Au Pair’s Room: How much mess can you take?

by cv harquail December 14, 2009
_2226_1763208598_89a0d43bf0.jpg

A host mom sent me a few photos of her au pair’s bedroom (taken with the au pair’s permission). The host mom was agonizing, because the room was a freaking mess. This family’s au pair was following the two most important bedroom-related rules: No dirty dishes and no candles/incense. But otherwise the place was a […]

52 comments Read the full article →

What skills has your Au Pair learned… from You?

by cv harquail June 20, 2009
_images_content_web_features_feature3_ft_linencloset07_m.jpg

I was downstairs early this morning, in quiet reverie folding laundry. When I dragged the fitted sheets out of the dryer and started the elaborate and effective semaphore choreography that gets them folded into tidy piles, I was reminded of all of the crazy little things that I have taught my au pairs over the […]

13 comments Read the full article →

How much cleaning do you ask your Au Pair to do?

by cv harquail January 6, 2009
victoria chan Housework hero on Flickr

Housework. The contested terrain. Just what housework tasks are appropriate to ask your au pair to do? "The rules" say that your au pair is in charge of things related to the kids. BUT since the kids shared the house with at least one adult, there is always some overlap as well as jointly-created mess. […]

73 comments Read the full article →