A friend of mine had an au pair but found she got frustrated by having someone else in their home 24/7, especially when her husband was home (FIFO). She stuck it out with the au pair for 6 months but then got a full time nanny instead who was at the house three weekday mornings at 8am and left anywhere from 3.30pm to 8pm depending on the needs of the day. The nanny was also pretty available for evenings and weekends for babysitting when they went out as a couple. SHe looked after the kids and did basic housework, washing etc. Worked pretty well for them, and at only $15 odd an hour it was much cheaper than day care for a couple of kids, getting a cleaner etc.