Extra work with no pay? French nanny needs help!?

I'm currenlty working as an au pair in France, and the family has been having me babysit a couple nights a week with no extra pay-- my contract is for 30 hours/week, but the parents tell me it's normal to have an au pair stay with the kids a couple times a week while they are sleeping.. I'm used to babysitting jobs where I'm paid no matter if kids are sleeping or awake.. and since this "free childcare" was never mentioned in the contract, I find it unfair they ask me to be responsible for the kids an extra 5 hours/week! Each au pair/family situation is unique, right? so if they expected me to babysit for them, they should have put it in the contract, or at least forewarned me, right? I'm planning on talking to the family and explaining that I will not babysit for free anymore, but is this unfair of me? or is it just them being unfair? as a 25 year old with limited work experience I don't know!

Repsonses from people with knowledge of French culture/law would be especially appreciated

I might add that I'm paid 300 Euros/month for 30 hours/week (it averages to about $4 U.S. dollars per hour)... so I'm paid almost nothing for rather demanding work (I look after 4 children).. and I don't feel I should be asked even more!

plus, legally French au pair contracts must be settled by the end of the au pair's first week in the family... so I believe what they are asking me is also technically illegal. But it's hard to be sure.

5 hours is nothing, if you like the family then don't make a stink about it because they'll send your ungrateful lazy butt home.

They are taking advantage of you...no way you should be asked to watch the children over your regular hours with no extra pay. You are under no obligation to sit for the kids if it is past your regular hours but if you do you should state that there is an extra charge for your services. They should not expect you to give up your free time to sit for free.

Welcome to the working class. Sometimes you have to give a little in a profession that may be out of the confines of your duties. It is an extra five hours, use that time to your advantage and read a book or get a heads up on your studies, so you don't feel as if it's only about work, and you'll in return be giving yourself an extra 5 hours.

Either way, let this be a lesson of growing up and careers, so your not having any false ideas of what a job really is. Trust me there are people who donate way more time to their jobs, than they are payed for.

If you feel strongly about this and you are willing to stick up for yourself and possibly lose the job then tell them. You have to decide what is more important, you being a person that is not a push over or the job. If you like the job then you probably should not say anything.

Culture is irrelevant here! I think you should sit down and have a talk with them regarding this matter. Mention the fact that being responsible for the kids for those extra 5 hours was not in the contract.

All the best!

PS. However, I loved Tanya's response! Like she said, on the other hand you can choose to use that time wisely and do something valuable in those hours! think of it as " YOUR TIME"!!

its called the working world im afraid its your full time job you do not have any other right?

Its like if i was a live in nanny i would expect a few hours here and there if i didnt have another job

If i did and i still did a little babysitting then that would be different

Heck if i demanded getting paid for the extra hours i do at my office job id sure be rolling in it