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Minimum wage here is $19.49/hour. What you're suggesting is: * Pay $739 weekly * Provide all food, plus cook for them * Provide their own room in the accommoda
by MaximumYComb 7y ago
Minimum wage here is $19.49/hour. What you're suggesting is:
* Pay $739 weekly
* Provide all food, plus cook for them
* Provide their own room in the accommodation
* Cover the costs of all their utilities (water, gas, electricity)
* Take them on all holidays, etc
I know your suggestion means well but it would mean Au Pairs cease to exist. It's lose-lose. The Au Pairs here aren't coming for a poor nation to earn money from back home, they're coming over for cultural exchange. For example, my sisters Au Pair was from a wealthy German family. Maybe it's different in other countries, the article talks about Columbian Au Pairs.
- fred_is_fred 7y agoYes. I am suggesting that you stop hiding behind "they're family" and follow the law. It may be cute to you but it won't be cute when WalMart starts calling its employees "family" as well.
- MaximumYComb 7y agoHow does Walmart come into this? I've never even seen a Walmart in my life. I suspect the difference here is due to you being American, everything is capitalistic there. In Australia, the LAW actually allows for cultural exchange of Au Pairs. The recommendation is that an average Au Pair works 30 hours per week at the minimum wage but that the host family subtracts $350 per week for room and board (reasonable costs in Australia) and that pocket money is $200-250. So the Au Pair has in fact been paid the minimum wage. If you cannot fathom how a human could host another human and you can only see transactions then I feel sorry for you.