Nature of the Programme: the au pair programme is a cultural exchange programme and not a contract or work. Au pairs must be welcomed as a member of the family.
Traditionally, an au pair is aged 17 - 27, and have some experience in looking after children and light household work. You have to speak at least a little English (other language for the european programme) and in order to succeed as an au-pair you need to be flexible and easygoing.
Becoming an au-pair is a great opportunity to improve your language skills and experience a new culture. The most important reason of all is that it will provide you with an excellent life experience and independence. Just the things your future employer will see as a great advantage.
The idea is for you to go abroad and work for a family in exchange for room,
food and a pocket salary.
Families prefer au-pairs who do not smoke and like animals. If you are willing
to drive, it is a definite advantage and some families will provide a car
for your use.
Hours on duty: Au pairs can be on duty from 25 - 35 hours per week if they
are from an EU country. This is limited to 25 hours per week if the au pair
requires a visa. These hours can be spread out over 5 days per week. Longer
hours are usually referred to as 'au pair plus'.
We welcome candidates from all countries in EU/EEC and those with valid aupair
visas from all other countries and we have got families all year around looking
for au-pairs so you are welcome to register at anytime you wish.
Placement
Once we have received your application we will immediately start looking for
a host family and send suitable families your application. To get a better
idea of how to write your application, click on Application guidelines in
the menu. Once a family is interested, you will hear from us with some details
about the family. Sometimes the families will e-mail or call you directly.
if you like the sound of each other you will receive a Letter of invitation
that will include information about your duties, salary and a brief description
of the family (number and age of children etc.). Be ready for a phone call
from an English (or other) speaking family at any time! Once you accept an
invitation you need to contact us so we can inform them about the good news
as soon as possible and go ahead with the travel arrangements.
Families
We try to choose only top families for our program. Every family has to provide
us with the phone number to a previous au-pair or someone they know well for
our reference before an au pair is placed with them. If you are their first
au-pair we do our best to explain to them the basics they need to take in
to consideration before hiring you. We have a lot of professional families
as our clients and it is common that men work very long hours and therefore
it is mostly the mother and the children who you will share your day with.
It is important that you, the new member of the family, is honest, reliable
and genuinely like children even if you haven’t got much experience
with them. Children look up to the au-pair as an elder sister or brother and
someone fun to play with when mother is busy.
The work of an au-pair is not always easy and requires a great deal of patience
and flexibility on both sides. However, the work is very rewarding and exciting
and will be one of your greatest experiences in life. Click on Testimonials
in the menu to read about other au-pairs experiences.
Problems
Although we do try to match you with your perfect family, there will be times
when a miss match occurs. If you have any problems you should talk about them
to your family. We know how much fun being an au-pair is but we are also aware
of it sometimes being difficult. If the family behaves badly towards you or
if you feel you have been treated unfairly, please tell us so that we can
try and find out what has happened and sort it out. The family also has the
right to dismiss an au-pair who behaves incorrectly. The agency will try and
assist in case of misunderstandings. If you feel you have been treated unfairly,
please tell us. In those cases where we cant resovle a problem, we will of
course do our best to find you a new placement as soon as possible. We are
always here to help you! If you have a problem please call 020 7600 9880,
0870 067 1664 (Emergency out of office line)
Duties and hours of work
Hours of work au-pairs usually care for school-age children 5 - 7 hours per
day before and after school and help with light housework such as dusting,
ironing, washing up etc. A lot of families have a cleaning lady who takes
care of heavier house hold duties. Free time will be given daily for study
or to pursue personal interests and you will have two days a week free.
Most families do not usually ask an au-pair to work weekends apart from babysitting.
You should expect about 2 babysitting evenings per week. (any more evenings
they should pay you extra). Au-pairs should not be asked to baby-sit every
Saturday, although one evening per weekend is not unreasonable. If there is
additional work during school holidays, reasonable additional pocket money
can be expected in return for this. Please ensure that you are able to comply
with all the familys requirements before accepting the position. If there
is anything at all that you do not agree with, it is imperative that the host
family be made aware of this and you will find that in most cases some compromises
can be made.
Length of stay
Most families will want you to stay for at least 10 months. Occasionally we
have opportunities for shorter placements. Please consider carefully how long
you want to stay before applying. Most placements are made for the period
from the beginning of September until the middle/end of July but we always
have families looking. Please do not let the family down by leaving early!
Studies
A lot of au-pairs decide to attend language classes. Most classes begin in
September and January, although there are opportunities at other times. You
will normally be expected to pay for your own language course. An indication
of what the course might cost is £200-£500 in England and usually
a bit cheaper in the rest of Europe. This is for a 10-12 week course of 6
hours study per week. There are free courses at local colleges for EU members
but these can be tricky to find and may not fit in with your work schedule.
Ask your host family to help you to find a suitable language school in your
area. You can also find out what courses are available by going to your local
library or search on the internet. There is often more than one to choose
from. Language schools are excellent places for making friends in the area
so it may be worth your while to sign up for a course when you arrive.
This link to English classes across the UK is excellent http://www.englishuk.com
If you are applying to the european programme we will advice you of local
language courses.
Travel arrangements
Au-pairs must arrange their visas (not EU/ECC members) and normally pay their
own fare to the family. You have to inform us and the family of your arrival
details, so that they can meet you at the airport or station. When you have
an offer, please agree the arrival date and time with the family to ensure
it is convenient for them to meet you. The agency will pleased to advise you
with regards to any difficulties in the travel arrangements. Make sure you
bring out telephone number 020 7600 9880, 0870 067 1664 (emergency) and the
familys phone numbers and address in case you get lost or cannot find the
family.
Insurance, health and safety
It's important that you get your own insurance for personal effects, but most
au-pairs will be able to use the National Health Service in case of accident
or illness. There is a small charge for each item of medicine. Au-pairs not
from the EEC must enquire their home country if separate medical insurance
is required before coming to the UK. Before you travel, please ensure that
you are fit and in good health. If you need any dental treatment, you are
advised to do this before you go. Also, make sure that your family give you
telephone numbers where they can be contacted in case of emergency. Make sure
that you know how to contact police, fire and ambulance. For other European
destinations or Australia please ask us about details.
Salary/Pocket money: A minimum of £70 per week. Most our families pay
at least £80 per week.
These are guidelines for the UK only and the European Programme pocket money
rates vary a great deal but if you ask us we will advice you.
Sometimes a contract is written between the family and au-pair. A lot of families
chose not to since the agreement is an informal one and the au-pair is looked
upon as a family member rather than an employee. We will provide the family
with an agreement that you can fill in with them.
Your notice period if you wish to leave the family is 2 week unless otherwise
agreed.
We hope your stay will be a good one. Good luck!
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Feel free to Contact us
Telephone: 0207 600 9880
