Considerations When Hiring Your Au Pair

Choosing the perfect Au Pair to welcome in to your family home isn't a decision to be taken lightly and will require a great deal of research before handing over a contract. As you trail through respectable agencies and word of mouth recommendations, it's important to be totally clear about the role you are recruiting for and what you will be expecting from your au pair.

Typically au pairs tend to be young single women who arrive in the UK from overseas, and as part of their contract, will agree to live with a family for up to a year to help look after their children and complete various household chores. Living in the family home doesn't mean they are always on call; scheduled working hours are usually around about 25 hours a week, or about 5 hours a day.

In exchange for their hard work, an au pair will be provided will full board accommodation at the family home, their own bedroom and a small weekly allowance. Some families will even contribute to the cost of language classes if their au pair isn't fluent in English, or even perhaps their airfare. Like any other working job, an Au Pair will be entitled to two totally free days a week, which can be agreed between the family and the au pair depending on work and personal commitments.

In addition to looking after the children during the day, many au pairs will be required to babysit a few evenings a week too. Au pairs should receive at least three weeks paid holiday per year, to be taken at a time agreed in advance convenient to the host family. If the family decide to take a holiday or go away for a few days, and do not require the services of the au pair, 'pocket' money will be expected to be paid and if the au pair is expected to remain in the family home to house-sit, then additional living money will also be expected for food and essentials.

Different families will be able to offer different kinds of accommodation, and there are no specific requirements of what to offer, as long as the au pair's room is clean and tidy and of a liveable size.
Some families prefer to offer a month's trial, so both family and au pair can be sure they are happy with the arrangements before getting too involved.

It is a relationship based purely on mutual goodwill and respect and you can only really measure this once she has moved in. It will of course take the au pair time to find her feet and adapt to a completely new environment but you'll know pretty quickly if it's an arrangement that will work or not. Hopefully, based on excellent references and recommendations, you won't have too many problems.

If the arrangement works out, you will be able to request the au pair not only looks after the children but also prepares light meals for the children and is involved in tidying, washing and ironing, light housework (such as dusting and ironing) and cleaning the kitchen or bathroom. However you shouldn't expect more than 1-2 hours cleaning a day. The main priority will be the childcare.

While it's not always a quick process, finding the right au pair will be worth your time and money invested. Remember she could well be in your family home for up to a year so it's important to find someone who is not only supported by glowing references, but also who you and your family feel totally comfortable with and will be able to slip right in to your family unit.

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