The myth of the 4 hour break...

I've heard from so many au pairs about a mythical "4 hour break" that is supposed to be worked into work days for AP's who work a "split shift", so I decided to investigate. It was a short investigation as I found out - when the myth was debunked.

Unfortunately, it didn't take snopes.com but a call to the head office to confirm what is already in the au pair and family handbooks... there is no rule at all about how long of a break should be given to an au pair. As long as au pairs are not working more than 10 hours per day, and no more than 45 hours per week, and getting the required weekends - the day can have a break put into it that is only one or two hours long.

So - for au pairs, track your hours - and if you get a break during the day - revel in that time. Be sure to use it for yourself and not do additional work if the family is not counting it towards your hours. And, if they have scheduled time in for things like laundry, picking up, when kids aren't around - you have a great chance to get efficient - and maybe get some extra time to yourself!

For the host families - use the ability to "split shift" with some common sense. 20 minute breaks aren't really breaks - and it can just tick off an au pair. Be sure that if you require additional work such as kids laundry, dishes, etc - that those kid-related chores can be done in the course of the scheduled work time, and should not be completed when the au pair is off duty.

And for everyone, remember to phone your LCC if you have questions. But for now, please note and share within the rumor chain, that the 4 hour break is a myth and nothing more...