Agency Au Pair
An Au Pair is a single person without dependants aged 17-27 who comes to the UK to learn English language/cultural skills and live as part of an English speaking family. Their maximum stay is two years. An Au Pair works between 25-30 hours per week, (including evening babysitting) and is paid at least £60.00 per week (Au Pair+ is £80 per week where the Au Pair does additional cleaning / ironing) in addition to the provision of his/her own bedroom and meals. As far as possible, the Au Pair should be treated as a member of the family.
An Au pair is a single person between the age of 17 and 27, without dependents who wish to travel to the United Kingdom to live with a family so they can learn English and improve their understanding of British culture.
The Au Pair should be treated as a member of your family and will usually stay with a family from 6 months to 2 years....which will give you great continuity in developing a good relationship with you and your children. Some au pairs are drivers, but we encourage you to give them some lessons to see how well their driving skills are first.
Subject to his/her nationality, some Au Pairs may need to register at a police station within the first couple weeks of arriving in the UK - this will be stamped into their passport and is normal procedure.
There are generally two types of Au pair available. These are: Au Pair and Au Pair Plus.
- An Au pair will work 25 hours per week and do two evenings of babysitting each week. Exactly how the hours are spread over the week are up to you, but normal practice is 5 hours work a day with 2 full days off. The Au pair will need their own bedroom, privacy and food that they need. Government guidelines on weekly pocket money is a minimum of between £60-£70 a week.
- An Au pair PLUS will work up to 35 hours per week and also do two evenings of babysitting each week. Government guidelines on pocket money are said that any hours worked in addition should be paid at an hourly rate of £3.50 per hour, however paying between £85 -£95 a week is not unreasonable for this. Please ask us about this so that we can discuss the matter further.
- An Au Pair is not allowed to have sole charge of a child below the age of 2 years.
- We also supply mother's helps who have already had previous experience in being an Au Pair or, they have some qualification and whose average age is between 24- 27. please contact us to discuss this further. Mother's Helps are also usually willing to work more than Au Pair Plus but please do remember that Tax & NI will need to be arranged.
- The host family and/or Au Pair/Mother'sHelp is required to give at least two week's notice when the time arises and circumstances change.
He/She will help care for the child/children and is expected to help with the house work such as cleaning, vacuuming, dusting, ironing.
Au pairs should be allowed to attend English classes. Depending on the working hours and days you wish he/she to work and depending on the colleges in your area, he/she can attend one lesson per week or daily attendance. Some families also offer to help contribute with the cost of English lessons depending on costs, especially if you live in a more rural area.
Mother's Helps may also be able to study childcare at NVQ levels - please ask us for more information.
Everyday life can be full of non stop activity. Children add yet more things to plan and organise. Arranging an au pair is an ideal way to allow you to ensure the children are well looked after even while you are busy. Accommodating an au pair can be fun and a very rewarding and enjoyable experience for you, your child/children and the au pairs themselves.
At the top of this page you will see the links that allow you to learn about the au pair process and how it would work for you. Registration on this site is free, we look forward to hearing from you soon and working with you to locate an au pair.What is an Au Pair or Mother's Help?
Duties
Duties include, helping with the children, cleaning, washing-up, helping at meal times and ironing. Au Pairs are not trained nannies. They cannot be expected to take full responsibility for the children but at times may work unsupervised when, for example, collecting children from school.
Free Time
Time should be provided by the host family for the Au Pair to attend language classes. The Au Pair should have two complete days free per week.
Social Life
The Au Pair should be given the opportunity to visit friends and go sightseeing. The host family should also try to provide information on local events and clubs in order to make his/her stay a rewarding experience.
Insurance
The host family should check that the Au Pair is covered by their insurer.
Health
The Au Pair should register with a Doctor and Dentist as a temporary patient. This should be encouraged by the host family as soon as possible.