A LOCAL education consulting company was told to refund 41,000 yuan (US$6,642) to a woman after the au pair she had paid for left without notice, the Pudong New Area People’s Court said in a verdict yesterday.
Au pair usually refers to a young foreigner who does domestic work for a family in exchange for room and boarding and a chance to learn the local language. In China, it often includes helping local children pick up a foreign language and helping them with their school tasks and other household work.
The woman, surnamed Wang, had a British woman, who was not identified, staying at her place as an au pair. But they quarreled frequently over trivial matters. The British woman approached the company to break the contract and left two weeks before the deal ended without informing Wang.
Wang demanded a replacement but the company was unable to find another one for a month. It also refused to refund part of the 126,000 yuan she paid as service fees.
Wang wanted to provide her 3-year-old daughter an English-speaking environment. She signed a contract with the company on April 15 last year for a 15-month au pair scheme.
The British woman, who was not named, was supposed to stay with Wang from May 29 to August 29. But she told the company she wanted to travel and left Wang’s family on August 14 without informing her. An upset Wang complained to the company, which admitted there were communication problems but could not find a replacement for her.
After waiting for a month, Wang demanded a refund and a termination of the contract. When it was refused she approached the court.
The company argued in court that Wang’s inability to provide a good family environment to the au pair forced her to quit early. It offered to find her a replacement but it was delayed due to visa hassles.
But the court said even though Wang was wrong in her behavior with the British au pair, the contract should have been terminated by the company.
Besides, the company was unable to provide high-grade services equivalent to its charges, and ordered it to refund part of the fees paid by Wang.
Au pair is gaining popularity among parents who want better English education for their kids. It works out much cheaper than hiring a professional teacher or sending their children abroad for studies. A local au pair agency, YLingo International Studies & Communication Inc, told Shanghai Daily yesterday that it was a legal education organization with a certificate.
“Our au pairs are all foreign graduates or undergraduates who want to learn Chinese culture and come with a J1 exchange visitor visa,” YLingo said. “They provide children at least 30 hours a week of English studies.”
The au pairs also benefit from the program because the agency arranges Mandarin classes for them. YLingo charges 60,000 yuan a year that pays for the flights, visa and tuition fees.
Zhejiang-based au pair agency LoPair Education has different rates. The center said the flight costs for a student from South America was US$1,800 for a three-month program, but it was half for a student from Europe or USA.