“I came to The Netherlands to be an au pair. I was placed in a family with two children. Because the parents were often absent I was responsible for all kinds of extra domestic chores like cleaning, laundry and cooking. I worked much more hours than we agreed on. Because I wanted to make a good impression I didn’t say anything. When eventually I did say something about it, they replied: ‘But we are like family!’ After a while the kids became very attached to me. I noticed their mother could not appreciate this. She kept comparing me with the previous au pair. She would say things like: ‘Laura, didn’t mind to work extra hours’ and ‘Laura never complained.’ Whenever she said that, all I could think was: ‘Why is she not around anymore?’