Prečo majú britské matky au pair a čo sa na tom slovenských au pair nepáči
Why the British families employ Slovak au pairs and what the Slovak au pairs criticise on it

Summary/Abstract: This paper draws on larger ethnographic research on an experience of Slovak au pairs living in London. After examining reasons why British families employ au pairs the author will introduce ways how the Slovak au pairs interpret this kind of childcare. Author will argue that the families‘ decisions for an au pair scheme were based on an uneasy compromise, trying to combine their economic conditions, ideas on motherhood, childcare and female identities with the available alternative forms of childcare and the state’s political and economical conditions. On their part the Slovak au pairs viewed both the families‘ choice of an individual paid childcare and the concept of quality-time as the lack of parental love and care. This analysis enables to show that criticising British families the Slovak au pairs condemn the concept of childcare they find unusual. This data reveal the clash between two different concepts of childcare as well as the ways how these concepts can be changed within the life of an individual.

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