Today’s Sunday Independent carries two case studies of anonymous Brazilian students who are working as au pairs with Irish families to subsidise their study in Ireland. Their experiences paint a shameful picture of the lives lead by vulnerable woman working in a sector that is largely unregulated.
Aoife Smith of the Migrant Rights Centre of Ireland (MRCI) told the Sunday Independent of her concerns “about the silence surrounding the au pair system in Ireland and the amount of work and kind of work that is being carried out for very cheap labour. The situation has definitely gotten worse.”
The subject of childcare costs in this country has come up again and again in recent times, with Ireland estimated to be the most expensive country in Europe for childcare. In January, the Irish Independent reported that on average Irish parents would need to earn €30,000 a year to cover childcare costs for two children. Despite some creches offering a reduction in fees for the care of a sibling of a child currently in care, many families are opting for the live-in au pair option, particularly in light of last year’s shocking Prime Time which exposed bad practices in a number of childcare facilities.
The whole situation is problematic. Currently, the Irish government is not investing enough in childcare which is forcing Irish parents to seek out cheaper options leading in turn to workers in the childcare sector not earning enough themselves. This week saw childcare professionals gathered outside Leinster House in protest. They maintain that a government-backed pay scale is necessary for the childcare workforce in this country.
Pressured working parents are seeking live-in au pairs through services like Au Pair Ireland, but the role of an au pair appears to be becoming increasingly skewed as families appear to be keeping au pairs on for longer stretches of time. Traditionally the au pair set up was intended to be a short-term arrangement, a cultural exchange with both parties benefitting. The au pair would have an opportunity to learn English, experience family life in a new country and receive accommodation and meals in exchange for caring for the children of the household. According to aupairireland.ie the understanding is “the au pair is intended to become a member of the family, albeit a temporary one, rather than a domestic servant. In the best circumstances, both parties benefit from learning about the other’s culture”.
One girl said she earned just €120 per week for five eight-hour days – an hourly wage of just €3 an hour – and while her family treated her well she felt the remuneration for caring for children was not acceptable and appealed to Irish families to “look at their conscience more and ask if it is fair to treat another human being like that”.
“All women are not working 60 hours. But I think it is fair to say in extreme cases it is akin to slave labour,” says Smith of the Migrants Right Centre of Ireland (MRCI).
The other au pair who was profiled described the long list of housework she was expected to complete on top of looking after the children and all for €150 per week. As a live in au pair, she found the family took advantage of her being in the house at all times and relied on her to work far more than her prescribed working week of 49 hours.
These hours and rates are a far cry from what is recommended by Au Pair Ireland who offer the following guideline:
“Traditionally, the role of the live-in au pair involves light household work, and a 20 hour work week, for this you can expect to pay your au pair between €80 and €120. If your au pair works more than a 20 hour week, you might consider paying a salary proportional to the extra duties and hours they are working. So for example, if you expect your au pair to work a 25 hour week, a wage proportional to that standard au pair wage would work out roughly between €115 and €155.”
It is clear that the au pair system is not intended to provide families with long-term childcare solutions. As Irish families are struggling more and more with additional taxes and charges, it is up to the government to support the nation’s workforce. Both in making it financially viable for parents to work, and keep childcare options at a reasonable rate that also respects the financial needs of those working in that sector.
