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Draft Au Pair Manual Kindly Provided by Host Family to needu

Au Pair Manual for the XXXXXX Family

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Contents Basic Family Information 3 Emergency Numbers 4 Montessori Contact Details 4 Weekly Household Routine 4 Monday to Thursday 4 Housework 6 Laundry 6 Rubbish Collection 7 Friday 7 Saturday 8 Sunday 8 Car 8 Food Preparation and Hygiene 9

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Heating 11 Your Own Room 11 House Security 12 Environment 12 Trips Away 12 Grocery Shopping 13 Personal Purchases 13 Telephone 13 Things to Do 14 For Aurora For You Summary 15 What About You? 15 Departure Checklist 15

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Purpose The intent of this manual is to provide guidance in the day to day operation of our household.

This manual should be used as an addendum to the employment contract, and wherever there is a conflict between your employment contract

and this manual, the employment contract takes precedence. In New Zealand it is a legal requirement that you have an employment contract with us, and

you will be pleased to discover that, unlike Australia, au pairs are protected by New Zealand employment law, just like any other resident employee.

This means you have entitlements, such as a minimum wage and days off on public holidays.

Basic Family Information

Address Birthdays Phone Numbers Home (if calling from overseas) If calling from within New Zealand If calling from within the XXXXX area Cellphone numbers Email and WIFI passwords

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If you need something its fine to call either of us during work hours, 24 hours a day. Text or leave a message if we don’t answer. Emergency numbers Fire, Police, Ambulance – dial 111. The operator will ask which service you require (Fire, Police or Ambulance) and will then connect you to that service. Doctor – we tend to use XXXXXXXX. For non-urgent matters there is a wait of about 2-3 days, but if you tell the receptionist the matter is urgent they can usually get you in the same day. His number is XXXXXX and he is at School Contact Details PH Hours are Monday to Friday, 9 am to 3 pm. Our Weekly Household Routine This is the usual routine. Note that there will be exceptions based around short weeks due to public holidays, school holidays, or during our absence from Nelson.

We hope that you will be flexible and help out when needed as a family member and a member of the household. Our contract with you is for up to 40 hours a week but we can be flexible within these times if needed. There will be times and days that are busier than others (like school holidays) when we may expect a little more but this should be balanced out by times which are not so busy. This is the general routine - there is a lot of information but hopefully this makes it easier for you.

Our main priority of course is the safety and health of Aurora and then your positive relationship with her. If you have any concerns please talk to us, we will always try to be fair.

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XXXXXX is a self-employed midwife. She has a structured day, which can be distorted by on-call work.

XXXXX sells real estate for the company XXXXXX.

Monday through to Thursday As a household we are usually up by 7.30 am – 7.45 at the latest. This allows XXXXX to dress, have breakfast and get ready in time for XXXXX to take her to school by 8.50 am XXXX and/or XXXX will prepare XXXXX for the morning. XXXX will usually make breakfast for whoever wishes him to. Our breakfasts will either be fresh fruit and unprocessed cereal, or eggs in some form – usually omelette with vegetables or scrambled eggs. We will have freshly brewed coffee and sometimes toast, from wholegrain bread. Generally XXXX takes XXXXX to school and the two of them will be out the door before 8.50 am. XXXXX takes a bag with a piece of fruit, a sunhat, and a spare change of knickers, top and trousers or shorts. XXXXXX hours vary because she works on call so this is hard to predict. If she has been called out overnight she may still be in bed asleep. At midday be ready to start work. As we require grocery items we will all write them on a shopping list in the dining room. If you use something all up, or require something from the groceries, write that item on the list yourself. Between midday and 3 pm your duties will consist, as required, of housework, grocery shopping, and preparing the evening meal.

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At 3 pm you pick up XXXXX from school. It is quite Ok to take XXXXX grocery shopping with you. Please occupy her from 3 pm until dinner, by which time either XXXXX or XXXXX should be home. We would like you to cook dinner on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. We will cook on Friday and Saturday nights and on Sundays we will discuss who will cook that night. If we manage to have dinner, clean up the dining area and the kitchen prior to 8 pm, then your work day has finished. Otherwise it finishes at 8 pm XXXXX and/or XXXXX will spend time with XXXXX until her bedtime, which we aim to have at about 7 – 7.30 pm On very rare occasions neither of us has arrived home by her dinner time, in which case please prepare her for bed – brushing teeth, into pyjamas, and into bed. Read her a story for 5 minutes or so. Once you’ve left her, please remain upstairs until one of us gets home. Most nights after XXXXX is in bed XXXXX and XXXXX will watch a movie or spend time in the lounge. You are more than welcome to join us there, but it is up to you what you do. This house goes to sleep at around midnight. If you have been out late in the evening or until the early morning hours, we don’t want to hear a lot of noise when you come home, nor can you expect us to be quiet while you are sleeping off a hangover. Our home is not a student flat. Housework

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Wherever possible this is done between midday and when you pick up XXXXX, Monday through to Thursday. You do not need to do the entire house on any one day, and may wish to spread it out over a number of days. At first this might seem overwhelming but within a few weeks you will develop a routine that suits you best. Vacuum the house at least once a week....more if required. When vacuuming please vacuum any dead flies off window sills and in the corners of ceilings. Also when vacuuming please vacuum the area of the garage just beyond the sliding door so that we don’t bring any dirt up the stairs on our socks, slippers or shoes. Clean bathrooms at least once a week. Please clean all chrome fittings including the shower chrome...don't worry about the shower head itself, and don’t worry about doing the en-suite shower door – XXXX will do that once a week when he showers. Toilet bowls need to be cleaned with the toilet brush, which is next to each toilet. The chrome plug surrounds need to be cleaned when basins are cleaned. The vacuum cleaner, cleaning products and scrubbing brush are kept in the laundry. Empty all rubbish bins once a week, preferably on Sundays because rubbish collection is the next day. There are 6 including yours and the garage bin. If the black rubbish bin outside the laundry door fills up before rubbish day, there are two other black bins you can use – one by the pizza oven and one outside by the garage door. When main housework is done please do the things that don't need everyday attention, for example cleaning the fridge, wiping down inside of drawers and cupboards, dusting all surfaces, keeping the microwave interior clean Bathrooms need to have attention paid to the corners of floors Laundry

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All clothes are washed in the machine in the laundry, apart from a few items that XXXXX takes to a drycleaners. We wash most days and you are welcome to put your clothing in with ours when we wash. Set the COLD wash option at all times. We are very reluctant to ever use the clothes drier (also in the laundry), except in extreme emergencies (rain for 2-3 days in a row might possibly constitute an emergency). If you do use it, please open the outside laundry door to allow moist air to escape, and close the internal laundry door so moisture doesn’t come inside the house. In most cases the clothes will be hung on the washing line outside the master bedroom en-suite in the morning, and taken in before dark if they are dry. Generally if they are not dry leave them out until the next day. Sometimes, if rain is forecast, we can bring them in and then hang them out the next day. Once a week there will some ironing to do. The ironing board and iron is kept in the laundry, but you can iron in whichever room you wish to. It’s nothing too complicated – napkins, handkerchiefs, pillow slips – that sort of thing. Rubbish Collection There is rubbish collection on Monday morning and recycling...glass one week and paper, plastic and tins the other week. For recycling, all but the glass goes into the large blue bin outside the laundry door. Cans must be rinsed to remove food residue otherwise it will attract vermin – rats, mice and flies. The glass goes into a red bucket next to the blue recycling bin, and the same rinsing applies to any glass that contained food. Rubbish goes into blue rubbish bags kept inside the black plastic bin outside the laundry door. Keep the lid on to keep out vermin. Green kitchen waste goes into the plastic ice cream container at the kitchen bench and when full goes into any of the black worm farm bins outside the laundry door. Waste that will not easily rot down such as walnut shells, large bones etc should just go in the rubbish bin. Friday

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This is the first of your two days off per week. The day is entirely yours and you have no obligations to us. XXXXX or XXXXX will prepare dinner

If you are not going to be home for dinner please let us know that morning if possible so that we don’t cook for you. If you are home it would be expected that you assist with setting the table and cleaning up after meals the same as you would as a family member.

In the evenings in your free time and on weekends if you are at home we are happy for you to stay upstairs and watch TV or be with the family. If we have gone to bed you are welcome to watch TV or movies in the living room but we usually don’t go to bed before 11.30 pm. We expect that most weekends you will want to get out and about and see friends, the city, the beach and lots of other places to enjoy your time in Nelson. We also appreciate that it is difficult spending a lot of time with people who are not your own family and that you may want some time to yourself and away from the family.

Saturday This is your second day off. Same applies – its yours to do with as you wish. We often go to the Saturday market in town in the morning. You are very welcome to come with us. XXXXX or XXXXX will prepare dinner. Sunday This is the start of your working week. If you go to church there are plenty to choose from that have morning services. We are not church goers, and if you are, we respect that but please don’t try and convert us. XXXXX is very likely to be working the entire afternoon and will usually be out of the house by midday and may not return until after dark.

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If XXXXX has to work or is called out, please look after XXXXX for as long as required this day, from midday. Car You will have a car for your exclusive use. Please keep the car tidy, inside and out, and make sure that when you refuel it the water, oil and tyre pressure is checked. There are car cleaning products in the garage, and a vacuum cleaner in the garage for that purpose. We will provide $20 per week for petrol, and any additional private use will need to be covered by you. The car takes unleaded, standard petrol. We take care of insurance premiums, and all other on-road costs. If you have an accident that is your fault, you will need to pay the insurance excess. Any traffic fines, including parking tickets, are to be paid by you. The Police are more strict about speeding in New Zealand than they are in some northern hemisphere countries. There are often traffic speed radar outside schools. If you are even 1 kilometre over the speed limit driving past a school, you will receive a traffic ticket. At 50 kilometres per hour, you must be a minimum of 3 car lengths behind the car in front of you. At 100 KMH you must be at least 6 cars lengths behind. If you accumulate too many traffic tickets, you are automatically disqualified, at which point your employment would be terminated with us. At home, park your car on the gravel area outside your bedroom. In the event of a traffic accident, you must stop, and ascertain if anyone is injured. If someone is injured, you must render assistance. The most appropriate way to do this is to call an ambulance (dial 111), and then render physical assistance where possible.

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Failure to take these steps is illegal and you could be arrested for either failing to stop, or failing to render assistance. If there is no injury, but you have damaged another vehicle, you must provide that driver with your details, and you must obtain theirs. In the event of an accident, you are not to admit any liability to anyone, except us. When driving your vehicle you must have your driver’s licence with you at all times. We will make available to you a book on the road rules, commonly referred to as The Road Code. When driving with XXXXX in your car, she must be buckled into the car seat at all times. When you stop and both get out, you must insist that you hold her hand as she comes out of the car. If necessary ask her to put her hands on the car if for some reason you cannot immediately hold her hand. Always cross the road holding hands, but as a matter of good training, ask her to look both ways and tell you if there are any cars coming. If there are none, cross the road. If there are cars coming, train her to wait until they have passed, check again, and if clear, cross the road. Texting or using your phone when driving is against the law and absolutely forbidden. If you must use the phone, pull over to the side of the road SAFELY, and stop. Drink driving - the rules in New Zealand are very strict and you can expect random roadside breath tests at any time of the day or night. As part of your employment with us driving within 12 hours of drinking is absolutely forbidden. Leaving XXXXX in the car while you go shopping, even if at the supermarket, is not done. Please don’t. Even if she wants to stay in the car, please take her with you. Food Preparation and Hygiene Please always wash your hands before preparing food, and please always rinse vegetables and fruit before they are eaten or prepared for a meal.

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Anytime you are preparing raw chicken, there is the risk of salmonella poisoning unless care is taken. Wash any knives or other utensils, and the chopping board, all with hot water before using the board or the utensils for any other type of food. Please don’t rely on dishwashing liquid to kill bacteria, but hot water definitely will. This last paragraph is important so please go back and read it again. With very few exceptions, any evening meal should include vegetables of some kind. It is unusual for us to have the same meal twice within a month – we eat a lot of variety but most meals will contain salad, or veggies, and usually meat, poultry or fish. When you cook, feel free to cook your favourite dishes – we are adventurous eaters - and when we cook please do give us feedback – what you like and don’t like. We won’t be offended. Timing – on the days when you are cooking and also picking up XXXXX from school – we recommend you do as much preparation as possible between midday and 3 pm, so that you are not having to divide your time between XXXX and cooking. You have access to every food item in the pantry, refrigerator, freezer, and the downstairs freezer. We do not make special meals for XXXXX – she eats what we eat. As a basic food rule we avoid where possible foods with extra sugar (for example fizzy drinks, cake), high fat content (for example chips and deep fried food), or highly refined foods (for example biscuits, cake, white bread - unless crusty bread to accompany a meal which is OK – we usually have olive oil and balsamic vinegar available) The green olive oil bottle by the stove has locally pressed oil, available from XXXXX. We use this for cooking. There should always be two full spare bottles of the same oil in the pantry. Please use the extractor fan whenever cooking on the stove top Tea towels and hand towels in the kitchen have different uses. We use the dark green towels to dry or wipe our hands.

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We use the tea towels to dry anything else – dishes, the table or bench after it has been cleaned. Once tea towels have been used they can be put in the wash. The yellow dishcloths can be put in the washing machine at any time. Please keep cupboards tidy – have a look at how we have them now. There is usually a reason for things being where they are and so in order for us to be able to find things when we cook, please leave the cupboards how they are now, not how you think they should be. Some of our pans and our rice cooker have a Teflon coating. Ask us if you are not sure which ones these are. To ensure the Teflon does not scratch, we never use metal cooking implements in those pans, and do not use a scouring pot mitt when cleaning them. When cooking we use plastic implements, and to clean them only the kitchen scrubbing brush. Heating XXXXX summer weather means heating is not generally required from October to March. From about April to September we are most likely to use the heating as required. For your room there are two upright electric heaters. Because your room and lounge are double glazed this will be sufficient to keep you warm. If using the main central heating upstairs heating, all the windows of the house must be closed - if you want to heat the lounge only, just use the gas fire. In winter (about 4.30 pm) close up the house (by closing all the windows including your top windows) and put heating on before the house gets too cold. Upstairs there is the gas fire for the lounge. This is usually used in the mornings to take the chill off the dining room and is turned off as everyone leaves the house. In the evenings we are more likely to use the central heating, and this is operated by pushing the yellow wall switch on or off. Temperature is controlled by the up or down buttons next to the yellow switch.

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Ventilation during the day is very important. Please open windows in the morning to clear any moisture from the house interior, including in your own room, bathroom and lounge. In the heat of summer it may be necessary to leave windows open overnight for cooling and ventilation. Your Own Room You have the exclusive use of the downstairs rooms – lounge, bedroom, bathroom. You will have a key for the ranch-slider door. Please keep your room well ventilated during the day and curtains open to assist such ventilation (except when required for privacy). This is important not only for your health but also to avoid the build-up of moisture in the room, which will create mould on the walls, ceiling and curtains. Let us say that again to emphasise an important point…your room must remain well ventilated during the day, by you keeping the curtains open and the top windows open. The top window in the bathroom should be perpetually open. There is a tint on the window glass which helps retain your privacy when the curtains are open and you will discover that it is difficult for people that are outside to see inside, not that there’s ever anyone outside your windows during the day anyway. You have a refrigerator in your lounge. This is for keeping your own food in, although in most cases we would expect that food is stored and consumed upstairs in the kitchen and dining room. Please keep your room tidy, and at the end of your time with us we expect that it will look the same as when you began. Water is remarkably cheap here so XXXXX and I usually shower twice a day. What you do is up to you but don’t feel that you have to conserve water. House Security Whenever leaving the house, if no-one remains at home, please secure all windows and doors throughout the house (apart from the top windows which can be left open).

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Please do not give our home address to anyone except family/friends in your home country for whom you wish to receive correspondence or to au pairs that you have met and trust who may visit or pick you up.

Do not give our address to new people you meet, companies requesting your address, any “sweepstakes” unless you ask our permission in advance, or anyone conducting surveys by telephone. Our address is not published in the telephone book.

I have supplied a card with our address and phone numbers for you to carry with you in case of emergency. Please keep this in your purse or wallet.

Visitors and Guests During work hours, please do not have any guests over to the house without talking to us about it first. Generally, we do not want guests in the house during your work hours unless they are other au pairs or friends caring for children, who come over for a play date that has been organised by you or us as a family. Do not give our address to anyone you meet, unless they are family/ friends for correspondence or other au pairs you meet that need to pick you up, for instance. During non-work hours, you may have friends come over whenever you want. We like to know who is coming to our home so please check with us first. If they are locals we may know them. We want you to feel like this is your house, too – and we will look forward to meeting your friends. Please talk to us in advance if you wish to have a friend stay overnight. There is a large couch as a bed for visitors. We are security conscious and just like to get to know who is staying in our home. Please understand that we do not allow male guests to stay overnight. We understand that as a single girl it is nice to meet young men. But please do not give our address to anyone you meet on Tinder or any dating sites that you do not know personally. While we understand that love can blossom and relationships develop we expect you to treat this home also as a place of employment. Boyfriends are not welcome while you are 'working'. While we like to make sure you feel like this is your home, please remember XXXXX is impressionable and at no time are you to have boyfriends into your bedroom. There are a number of reasons that we now care for XXXXX and this requirement of ours bears some relationship to those reasons.

Once we get to know your boyfriend and we are comfortable with him we would very much like him to join us for family meals occasionally. Please understand we employed you as a single person and this was an important part of our interview process, we employed you without a partner. Essentially

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this was because we need you to remain flexible with hours and to stay focused. It is important to us as a family and for us to continue a happy relationship that you respect our family values and act appropriately.

Environment

We feel we live in an environmentally friendly house and try to be very environmentally aware. Please be conscious about unnecessary hot water, gas and power use.

Although the kitchen has a garbage disposal we prefer to compost food scraps which in turn becomes fertiliser for our vegetable plants. (see page 7 under the heading Rubbish Collection)

Always make it a habit to turn off lights in the room when leaving the room/bathroom, etc. Avoid using the heating and clothes dryer unnecessarily. Keeping doors and blinds closed at night will stop the house getting cold in winter. However in the morning it is important to open windows to ventilate rooms that might otherwise get a build-up of moisture, leading to mould on curtains and walls and general ill-health.

In winter we try to limit the heating use to the evening and morning except on really cold days.

In summer good use of the windows for ventilation will ensure the house stays cool without the use of the air-conditioning.

Trips Away

We are more than happy for you to come away with us on family trips. In fact we are very excited to show you around our country! We are happy to show you tourist sites and make sure you see anything that you have in mind or find in a guide book. Whether we travel overseas or within New Zealand, if we have paid for your travel and accommodation we expect that your duties will continue, although there might be more flexibility around work hours. If however we negotiate to share the cost of your travel, then a different arrangement could apply, where we would expect that you would contribute to meal times, preparation or tidy up the hotel or place we stay. It is just the same as if you were going away with your own family or friends, we all share the load. If you prefer not to help out when on holidays, then you are welcome to book your own travel, in your own free time. Grocery Shopping

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We will provide you with a XXXXXXX credit card for grocery purchases. With most supermarkets if you spend over $40 you will receive a fuel discount voucher. Please keep these upstairs by the shopping list. Make use of them yourself when you top up your own fuel, but we also wish to use them too. There will be enough for us all. There will be a total of $2000 per month available for grocery shopping. That is usually sufficient for the four of us. Please retain the receipts from each purchase. Both you and us will write shopping items that the household requires on the shopping list in the dining room. As a matter of good housekeeping we would expect you to be as frugal as us when shopping. Learn what are seasonal fuit and vegetgables here and please buy accordingly. Fruit and vegetables bought from the supermarket out of season come from overseas and never taste as good as when they are grown locally and in season. Out of season produce is also more expensive. At the end of the month if the total spend of groceries and petrol is less than $2000, we will give you – tax free, in cash – half of that saving.

The $20 per week petrol can be paid for by this card as well, but is not part of the $2000 grocery spend. Personal Purchases The provision of your own toiletries such as shampoo, tampons, soap, toothpaste is your own responsibility. We are happy to supply toilet paper – just grab what you need from the packs in either of the upstairs bathrooms. We are also happy to provide bathroom towels and hand towels for your use. Telephone You have unlimited access to our WiFi. The connection details are – Modem – XXXXX; Password – XXXXX

You have unlimited access to our landline phone. Local calls are free of charge to us, and so to you.

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Toll calls – any call where you have to dial a 0 prefix e.g. 03,04,06,07,09, or cellphone calls e.g. 021, 022, 027, 029, or international calls where the prefix is

00, attract a charge for which you can reimburse us when the account arrives each month.

We will provide you with a prepay New Zealand SIM card for your cellphone.

For $20 per month you will have 500MB of data, free calling any NZ landline or mobile up to 100 minutes, and unlimited texting minutes.

We would expect that you do not spend time on any kind of social media, texting or calling friends during working hours, unless that is on a task required as

part of your work duties.

Things To Do For XXXXXX XXXXX Beach here is very safe. You can comfortably swim from October through to about the end of March. Always take sunscreen and apply it to XXXXX when you get out of the car. Founders Park – there is a play area, a train and lots of other things to do here. Its also safe for her to ride her bike around Founders Park. The Myatzu Garden just along the road from Founders Park – feeding ducks and eels occupies a lot of her time. Queens Gardens in Bridge Street – same thing here as Myatzu – ducks and eels. The beach – over summer this is a good activity – XXXXX beach is very safe – play in the non-dog area. There are two playgrounds within 10 minutes walk from our house.. This is a very good sunny-day activity after school. Natureland zoo – this is a child’s zoo near XXXXX Beach. The climbing wall – this is an indoor facility and very safe – minimum age limit is four years old. Keep track of your expenses when out and we will reimburse you for anything for which the credit card was not able to be used.

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Baking – XXXXX loves to be involved and we are not going to be too concerned if her involvement means the baking doesn’t come out too well – practise makes perfect for all of us. As mentioned earlier, food hygiene is very important Singing songs and/or dancing– sometimes in your own language if you both enjoy that. Important Do’s and Don’t’s Please don’t give XXXXX any soft drinks, or drinks with food colouring in them. Food colouring makes kids hyper-active and soft drinks have very little dietary benefit. If you need to give her snacks, only on rare occasions should she have anything like chips, and almost never lollies. Preferred snacks are fruit, nuts, crackers. For You Gyms – there are a selection to choose from – XXXXX belongs to City Fitness and there are two – in Quarantine road near the airport, or next to the Countdown supermarket at the end of Hardy Street. World of Wearable Art. This is a good rainy day activity and you can spend several hours here viewing the displays and cars. There’s also a good café there.

For your own safety, when you are going out we ask that you be considerate and let us know roughly where you are going, who you are with and if you are staying out overnight so we don’t worry about you and know you are safe.

If you come in late make sure that you lock the door and turn off any lights that we have left on for you.

Summary There will be times when the care of XXXXX is very draining and please remember that we don’t expect you to do everything. We expect to pitch in with everything and we see ourselves as working together towards the smooth functioning of our household. We encourage XXXXX to say “Please” and “Thank you”. Don’t let her get into the habit of ordering you around – although she probably doesn’t perceive that she’s doing it, stand your ground until she comes out with Please and Thank You. You have our support.

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What About You? We would love to know more about you. Its important that we get to know your likes and dislikes and expectations. Please tell us. What’s your favourite food? Is there anything you don’t like to eat? Do you have any allergies to either food or medicine? Who is your next of kin in case of emergency? How can we contact them? What is your favourite time of year? Are there any hobbies or sports that you enjoy, that you would like to continue while you are here? Do you know anyone in New Zealand already? Do you have any plans for any visitors while you are here? What are you hoping to get out of your time with us? Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your family or your home? Please ask if there is anything you don’t understand or would like more information. Departure checklist On your final day with us, please could you attend to the following – Clean room (including fresh sheets and pillowcases), lounge and bathroom. Return it to the condition it was when you arrived. Return to us the garage remote, car keys, telephone SIM card, XXXXX visa card

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You took over the use of the car clean, with a full tank. That’s how we’d like it back – thanks.