Information About Au Pairs

An au pair is typically a single person aged between 17 and 27 years of age (18 – 30 from 2008, if coming on a visa) who will come to the United Kingdom to improve their English and learn something of our culture.

Au pairs will live for up to two years as a member of an English-speaking family with appropriate opportunities for study.

An au pair should be treated as a family member.

Au pairs are mainly girls (90 percent) but nowadays more boys are wanting to come and be au pairs in the UK.

Au pairs must be nationals of the following countries: European Union (including the new accession countries Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Romania), Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan.

Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan have signed up to the Tier 5 on the Youth Mobility Scheme and will need to apply for visas.

An au pair should be prepared to:

Help care for the children and light household duties.

List of housework duties accepted as light housework:

List of duties considered unsuitable for an au pair

*these duties can be included where there is less childcare and the children are out of the house for most of the day

The sorting of dirty underwear is not the task of the au pair as well as the cleaning of the loos, unless the au pair is the only person who uses it. Many au pairs do not know how to cook. If this will be necessary in your household, you should point this out beforehand.

An au pair should be given adequate time and opportunity to attend language classes if required. In addition they may be asked to baby-sit for up to 2 evenings per week. An au pair should not work more than 5 days a week (usually 5-6 hours per day and never more than 8) and have 2 free days per week including the evening. Au an pair should have one weekend free a month.

Duty hours for an au pair are regarded as those hours during which they are required to be available and are not free to leave the house or pursue their own activities. They are considered to be on duty if they are required to be in the home or with the children even if they are not actively involved in caring for the children, for instance if the children are sleeping.

Pocket Money for the Au Pair

We ask families to provide pocket money of at least £70 per week plus at least £3.30 per hour for hours worked in excess of 25 hours per week.

The amount of pocket money will be agreed during discussions and will be detailed in the invitation letter prepared by the family.

An au pair will expect to:

Receive food, accommodation and a weekly payment.

An au pair should have their own bedroom and be treated as a member of the family and participate in family outings.

Have sufficient time off to attend English classes and to receive help from the family to find suitable classes.

Holiday

Families must pay their au pair for 2 consecutive weeks a year (when the au pair stays 12 months).

Who pays the au pair's travel costs?

Au pairs are responsible for their own travel costs to and from the UK. It is essential for an au pair to ensure they have a return ticket or enough money to pay for their return journey home.

The family will pay for the au pair one trip home to visit their family after the first 6 months of stay and at a time agreed by both the family and the au pair with a maximum of £140 (or 200 Euros) a year.

Au Pair Selection strongly advises that host families do not send money (or tickets) to the au pair prior to travel and arrival. If you feel it necessary to help the au pair with their travel costs then we advise that you reimburse the travelling expenses once the au pair has arrived safely.

Language School

Au pairs should have the opportunity to attend language school.

The host family needs to help the au pair to find a suitable language course if the au pair wishes. The host family must pay at least 50% of the selected language course with a minimum of £140 (or 200 Euros) a year.

Au Pair Selection strongly advises host families to find out which colleges in your area provide suitable English courses for au pairs. The au pair will want to know: the name of the course, is there an exam to be taken at the end of the course, how many days and hours a week, cost of the course and how much you are prepared to contribute.

Car Driving

Standards of driving and the requirements for obtaining a Driving Licence vary considerably in different countries. Therefore it is the responsibility of the host family to satisfy themselves that their au pair is competent to drive the family car and drive the children. It is advisable that au pairs are given some driving lessons when they first arrive in this country. This can either be given by a family member or a local driving school. An au pair should not be held responsible for the payment of any insurance excess in the event of any accident. The host family must check that the car they will be driving is covered adequately for insurance. Au pairs from countries within the EU are able to drive indefinitely in the UK with their original driving licence. Au pairs from countries outside the EU are limited to 12 months from their date of entry into the UK. After 12 months an au pair will need to take the UK driving test (practical and theory) to allow them to continue driving in the UK.

Au Pair Selection advises host families that if you need your au pair to drive your children once they arrive then ask them the following questions during interview:

Host families should assess the driving ability of the au pair before allowing them to drive the car or drive the children. Host families should fund any driving lessons which are considered necessary.

Be clear about any restrictions on the use of the car:

Medical & Insurance Cover

Au pairs from the European Union can receive medical treatment in the UK under reciprocal Health Care Agreements.

Au pairs from other countries should confirm with the embassy prior to their departure to the UK of the reciprocal Health Care Agreements available, but in any case will be entitled to receive emergency treatment from Family Practitioners or Hospitals in the UK but may be charged a fee in some situations.

We strongly advise that all au pairs ensure that they have adequate personal and medical insurance prior to their departure from their home country.

In the event of illness or injury, the consultation fees of a doctor are covered, although prescriptions will need to be paid for (approximately £7.00 per item). In the event of hospitalisation as a result of accident or illness, all surgery, medical care, drugs and food etc. are paid for by the National Health Service. Au pairs should register with the host family doctor upon arrival.

Au pairs will not be covered by our National Health Service for Dental care in the UK. An au pair should consult with a dentist in her own country prior to departure and should consider taking out private insurance to cover dental treatment whilst in the UK if it is felt this may be needed.

Police Registration

Au pairs requiring to register with the police upon arrival will be advised to do so at immigration. Their passport will be duly stamped instructing them to register within 7 days upon arrival. The host family will need to contact their local police station where they will be directed to the closest registration centre. Police registration costs £34.

Use of Telephone

Families need to make clear to au pairs the “house rules” for the use of the telephone, whether the au pair needs to ask for permission to use the telephone for all calls or for long-distance or international calls only.

Visas

All au pairs must have a valid passport, and, if they are from a non EU country, must have a letter of invitation from the host family to be allowed an au pair visa. This must be given to the au pair before arriving in the UK as this type of visa cannot be granted after an au pair is already in the UK (i.e. as a visitor)

© The Childcare Company Au Pair Agency 2009