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This page provides some background to the au pair programme. If you would like us to help you find an au pair please see our au pair service.
What is an au pair?An au pair is a single person aged between 17 and 27 years of age who will come to the United Kingdom to improve their English and learn something of our culture.
An au pair should be treated as a family member.
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.
If you need a higher level of childcare than can be provided by an au pair then a childcarer from overseas might be a good option for you. They broadly fall into two categories.
Nannies from Overseas
Candidates from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan are able to work in the UK under Tier 5 on the Youth Mobility Scheme. They are available for live-in posts in all areas. They offer a wide range of experience and childcare qualifications: from experienced, qualified professional childcarers suitable for solecharge care of babies and young children to younger childcarers with sound babysitting experience more suitable for the care of school age children. They are able to work a full working week and many will undertake general household chores as well as childcare.
Mother's Help From Overseas
Candidates from the new Accession countries: Poland, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia now have full rights to work in the UK and are now available to take up these positions. Their employment status will depend upon their country of origin and the Agency will advise separately and supply all necessary pro-forma contracts. Candidates will be expected to have a higher level of English than an au pair and will be available to work a full working day. Candidates will have a combination of good skills. They will have a good level of English, many will have good driving skills and they will have some related childcare training or experience. They will be entitled to receive salaries based on the minimum wage, less the deduction allowed for accommodation. Salaries should also reflect their level of childcare experience.
These childcarers from overseas will expect salaries ranging from £120 nett to £280 nett a week.
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
An au pair’s primary role is childcare; light housework should be a lesser part of duties and we recommend that up to 20% of the au pair’s hours is spent on household duties.
An au pair should be given adequate time and opportunity to attend language classes if required. The au pairs stated hours are to include any evening babysitting that is required. BAPAA does not recommend that an Au Pair regularly babysits or is solely responsible for a child or children overnight, for example, parents cannot leave the au pair regularly in charge overnight, whilst they are away on business/holiday or working night shifts. If the au pair is required to do this, a responsibility payment should be given. An au pair should have 2 free days per week including the evening.
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.
We recommend that the au pair is paid a completion bonus equivalent to at least 1 week’s pocket money on completion of their agreed length of stay with the family (for placements of 6 months or more).
This completion bonus should be agreed in advance.
An au pair will expect to:
As from September 2010, BAPAA recommends 4 weeks per 12 month period. Pocket money will be paid during this time. If the au pair placement is for a shorter time, holiday is calculated pro-rata at the rate of 1.66 days per month plus 8 Bank / Public Holidays. The au pair should not be forced to take holiday to coincide with the family holiday.
Au pairs should have the opportunity to attend language school and families should give every assistance to make this possible.
BAPAA recommends that the host family contributes at least £20 per month towards language school costs or equivalent benefits.
Au pairs requiring to register with the police upon arrival will be advised to do so at immigration. Their passport will be stamped instructing them to register within 7 days of 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.
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.
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.
Standards of driving and the requirements for obtaining a Driving Licence vary considerably throughout the different countries. It is the responsibility of the host family to satisfy themselves that their au pair is competent to drive the car or to have the responsibility for driving the children in their care. It is possible that some au pairs may need driving lessons in this country before the family can consider them competent to drive in the UK. An au pair should not be held responsible for the payment of any insurance excess in the event of any accident. It is the responsibility of the host family to check that their car insurance policy will cover their au pair. 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 to the UK - after 12 months they will need to take the UK driving test (practical and theory) to allow them to continue driving in the UK.
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.
Maybe you don't require an au pair for day to day help with childcare and light household duties but you would like someone who has an area of specialism so they can help you children with their music practice, a hitting partner for a child who likes tennis, a horserider who can ride with the children and doesn't mind helping out around the horses during the day, an au pair who has good experience with special needs children? This is an option that an increasing number of families are starting to use.
If you need a specialist au pair then contact us and we will help you find a suitable candidate.
