Au Pairs

The term au pair means 'on equal terms.' Raquel Camarasa asks, how often is that really the case, really, for young migrant women who come to live with families as au pairs today?

First Raquel hears about the Ayahs home in Hackney. The home provided accommodation for Indian Ayahs and Chinese Amahs, who were nannies that cared for the children of British colonial families on the long voyages between India and China and Britain.

Raquel shares her own experiences as an au pair, both positive and negative, and speaks to people working as au pairs in London now. Why, they ask, is this form of childcare not regulated? Why are there few protections for au pairs?

Check out the Nanny Solidarity Network: https://nannysolidaritynetwork.co.uk/ and the IWGB Nanny and Au Pair Union Branch - https://iwgb.org.uk/en/page/nannies-and-au-pairs/

This episode contains:

* An interview with Niti Acharya from Hackney Museum recorded by Rosa Schling and Veronica Deutsch for On the Record

* Interviews with Aleja, and Lily and Inma recorded by Raquel Camarasa

CREDITS:

Episode produced by Raquel Camarasa

Artwork by Eva Freeman

Sound design by Hannah Kemp Welch

Image caption: Ayah takes Grace and Paul Friesen, brother and sister to John, for a walk in the go-cart. India, M.P.

Citation: Mennonite Board of Missions Photograph Collection. India MP, 1951-1963. IV-10-7.2. Box 4, Folder 24, Photo #23. Mennonite Church Archives. Elkhart, Indiana.

This podcast is part of the Grow Your Own oral history project, run by On the Record and funded by Trust for London. Find out more at https://on-the-record.org.uk/projects/grow-your-own/ or follow us on twitter @growyourown_ohp and instagram @on_the_record_stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People on the frontline of the childcare crisis share their stories and investigate the historical roots of the problems they face. As they look into the past, will they find solutions to the problems of today? 

Hear from campaigners for single parents' rights, migrants with no recourse to public funds, parents of disabled children, breastfeeding mothers and parents of teenagers about their childcare experiences.

Childcare Voices won the silver Grassroots Production Award at the Audio Production Awards, 2024.

This podcast is part of the Grow Your Own oral history project, run by On the Record and funded by Trust for London.

Find out more at https://childcarehistory.org.uk/ or follow us on twitter @growyourown_ohp and instagram @on_the_record_stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

• No. of episodes: 13
• Latest episode: 2025-04-15
• Kids & Family History Parenting

Where can you listen?