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*What's the role? *
We're looking for an experienced au pair to join our growing family. They will primarily support Charlie (5) & William (3) in their afternoon routine, maintaining a warm, loving, stable & stimulating environment for the boys, while the family welcomes their third baby, due at the end of November.
While we've set the minimum hours at 15 a week to start, we see this increasing to 20 from mid-January, when our eldest moves to a new school & two school pick-ups are required.
Additional flexibility for overtime is also needed to support our family when Dad is overseas on business (±1 week a month), including an hour in the mornings 07h00-08h00 to help Mum with school drop-off.
*What's involved? *
Daily duties will involve William and Charlie's school pick-up - currently from the same school, a 5 min drive from home - taking responsibility for the teacher communication between home & school (either with au pair's own car or the family car). This will be become a double pick-up from 2 different schools from mid-January, both within a 5min radius of home
After school, managing the prep of school lunchboxes for the next day & healthy afternoon snacks, and William's nappy-changes as required (& potty-training support).
Plenty of active, stimulating playtime at home (imaginary play, ball games in the garden, reading, arts & crafts) will be enjoyed, plus afternoon playdates with friends, trips to the park & indoor play centres, to keep them busy while Dad is working & Mum focuses on Newborn routine & care.
Where time allows, helping Mum with some household chores - from prepping school snack boxes & family dinner to packing away the children's laundry & tidying up Playroom & Bedroom toys.
Once baby is bigger & settled into a sleep routine, occasional evening babysitting would be helpful (usually Thursdays) allowing Mum & Dad a date night dinner or trip to the movies.
*Who are we looking for? *
We'd prefer candidates to have had a minimum of 2-3 years childcare experience with young children (international experience, especially in the UK, is a plus), but personality & cultural fit with the ability to seamlessly integrate into our family life is probably the most important factor.
Our ideal au pair will be smart, confident, energetic and creative - taking initiative and keeping busy to support our family will be highly valued. Experience with children the same age is essential, being comfortable with managing siblings, disciplining consistently & instilling firm but fair boundaries.
Someone with whom we can build a strong, trustworthy relationship to keep our little guys safe, happy and entertained when Mum and Dad are not available for them.
Coming from British/South-African parents, English as a first language is an absolute must. A strong cultural fit with our family is essential. As we'll all be under the same roof, an easygoing integration into our home is really important to us - someone who can become part of our family.
As all the boys' grandparents are overseas, we'd see our au pair becoming an important part of their extended family unit.
A natural, fun-loving affinity with young children must be demonstrated as well as strong and open communication skills. We'd like to meet candidates who are happy to take our direction and to learn our ways of doing things, but that also have the confidence to take their own initiative for decision-making when required.
We're excited to see candidates either with an interest in, or who are studying towards Foundation phase education, early childhood development, child psychology or a related field, though this is not essential as long as they can demonstrate a clear passion and capacity for expanding their knowledge of childcare principles.
An au pair who understands how to encourage independence whilst maintaining firm and consistent boundaries is our ideal. Broadly, we raise our children along the principles of Respectful Parenting and the Montessori ethos of freedom within limits, and follow the Babywise baby routines for the first year - so either prior experience of these or a willingness to learn on the job under our guidance will be expected.
Non-smokers only. A clean, current driving licence is essential - own, reliable, private transport is a must to guarantee attendance every day (on-street parking is available right outside our house).
While we'd consider au pairs with their own children from an experience point of view, we'd need assurances that their own childcare provisions would enable full-time commitment to our family. We aren't a religious household so are open to all faiths. Local candidates, avoiding the need for lengthy commutes, would be preferable.
If this sounds like the family for you, we really look forward to hearing from you. |