Who am I looking for?

Many people get confused over the concepts au-pair, nanny and mothers help. On this page we are explaining the differences between the three. Hopefully by doing this you will get a better idea out what type of carer suites your family’s specific needs.

Please note: These are only guidelines to help you choose your family's match. You and your carer will personally come to an agreement on how you would like to work it. Please phone us on 020 7600 9880 for a more in-depth assessment.

Please scroll down for nanny and mothers help section

Au-pairs
A typical au-pair is a female or male carer who is between 18 - 27 who has got a genuine interest in children and has got a bit of childcare experience. She/he will at least have finished compulsory education and has a desire to go overseas to experience a new culture and learn a foreign language. An au pair should be treated as part of the family. The idea is for them to stay and work for you in exchange for a pocket salary, room and board. They will in general stay for 3 - 12 months.

An au-pair is not a trained nanny and should not be left in sole charge of babies or young children. An au-pair is not a domestic servant or House keeper.

A typical au-pair works 5 - 7 hours per day, Monday to Friday - usually caring for school-age children before and after school, and doing some light housework. In addition she/he will do about 2 babysitting nights per week. Free time should be given daily for study or to pursue personal interests and they must have two days a week completely free. Au pairs are considered to be working if they are required to be available and are not free to leave the house even if the are not actively working, for example if the children are in bed asleep. Most families do not usually ask an au-pair to work weekends apart from babysitting. 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, this should be made clear at the time of making the offer and reasonable additional pocket money can be expected in return for this. We also have au-pair + girls that are happy to work more hours for more money.

It is important that the au-pair is agreeing to the suggested duties of the family before he/she accepts the job. If there are any disagreements make sure you talk to the au-pair about this and you will both find that a successful compromise can be reached.

Most our candidates will already speak English since they will most likely have studied the languages for a number of years in their home country but some are interested in a deeper knowledge of the language and will be interested in attending a course in English on their spare time.

Peek-a-boo Childcare specializes in Swedish and Scandinavian au-pairs, who have got a great reputation and a very good level of English. We also have great Germans, Spanish, French, Slovak and Romanian au-pairs. We and/or our local representatives overseas interview all candidates over the phone or in person. The candidates will provide us with at least two references plus thie full applications before we admit them to start working for a family.

Family's responsibility
To welcome the au pair into your family and treat him/her as part of your family. To make it a happy and safe environment for everyone in the family. To register the au pair with your GP. You need to inform the au pair of his/her duties, free time and pocket money in your letter of invitation. Give your au pair a little time to settle into his/her new way of life and for your family to have a stranger in your home, therefore a little patience and understanding is required by both the au pair and the family.

Visa procedure:
Most au-pairs we place are from the EU and they do not need a work permit to work in the UK. We place Romanian au-pairs as well as Turkish au-pair. Romanian's are EU citizens as of the 1st January 2007 but there are special regulations for them to work in the UK.

Romanian Au-pairs needs an Accession worker card in order to be registered as a worker in UK.

To obtain an Accession Worker Card, they must apply to the Home Office. They need to complete an application Form (the home office website will provide them with one of you can obtain one via the agency) and return it with an acceptance letter/letter of employment from her employer. The au-pair must also enclose her/his identification documents such as a passport etc.

You can get more information on the Au-pair programme from the UK visa government site. Click on the below link: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate /ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1018721068281

We also place Turkish au-pairs and we will assist with the visa procedure for these applicants. They need to attend an interview at the UK embassy/consulate in Turkey and will need to provide proof of employment/letter of invitation and/or agency agreement plus Id documents and complete an application form.

Both the above nationalities will be handed this information by their local agency in their home country and if we need any further information from the family we shall inform you of this.

The Turkish girls also need to register with the police at their arrival to the UK.

Peek-a-boo's Sara and Lina are Swedish and are always very happy to make the au-pairs from Scandinavia and all other countries feel more than welcome in the UK.

An au-pair might be an option for the busy mum who needs an extra hand on a daily basis.

Salary/pocket money:

We suggest a minimum of £70 per week for 20-25 hours, £80-100 for 30-35 hours. £100-200 for 35-45 hours.

Salaries are dependent on the au-pairs age and experience and Peek-a-boo will advise on a realistic remuneration obtainable by each individual applicant.

Some families choose to give additional benefits, such as help with language tuition, use of a car or travel pass. Some families pay for the return flight if the au-pair stays for the full agreed time.

No contract is normally written between the family and au-pair since the agreement is an informal one and the au-pair should be looked upon as a family member rather than an employee. We do however supply you with an agreement that you might wish to use.

Read more about au-pairs in Useful tips in the menu to the right.

Mothers help
This is a carer who is in general not qualified but has got a genuine interest in children who works under supervision on the daily running of the household. The mothers’ help will have at least 1 year relevant experience. Duties regarding children will be according to their experience, the type of household and the ages of the children. An extra hand rather then someone who takes charge.

Depending on the childcare responsibilities expected, they will be able to help around the house with light housework and run errands. If she's experienced and confident enough she can take sole charge of the children at times. Unlike most nannies, mothers’ helps will normally do some light housework (dusting, hoovering etc).

A mothers’ help can be either live-in or live-out. A live-out mothers’ help should not work for more than ten hours a day with one or two evenings per week babysitting paid on top of her wage (or as otherwise agreed). A live-in mothers’ help should not work more than 12 hours per day (not taking into account evening babysitting). Live-in mothers’ helps work up to two evenings babysitting per week (included in the wage). It is usual for both live-in and live-out mothers’ helps to receive two full days off per week (possibly working an occasional half or full day at the weekend by mutual arrangement, for extra money) and holidays are negotiable although two to four weeks a year is standard.

This might be an option for the mother who works from home.
We have got Mothers’ helps from Sweden, UK, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and from around the globe who hold valid work visas.

Salary ranges between £200-£350 net per week.
Salaries are totally dependent on the mothers’ helps age and experience and whether the position is live-in or out live-out. Peek-a-boo will advise on a realistic remuneration obtainable by each individual applicant.

Nannies
This is a person who looks after you child(ren) in your own home. She has a genuine interest in children. Normally they have some form of childcare qualification (NVQ Level 3, NNEB, NAMCW, BTEC) or relevant experience (at least 2 years) which equips them to provide a stimulating, safe and positive learning environment in which your children can develop.

A Nanny can be either live-in or live-out. In general both parents are working and she/he will be able to take full charge over the house during the day, keep the fridge stocked and call the plumber if the pipe breaks. Nannies will be flexible but in return they will expect you to be fair to them by sticking to the agreed hours as much as possible.

We have a wide range of nannies from Sweden, UK, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and from around the globe who hold valid work visas.

Live-in nannies
Working hours are upon agreement but generally hours are breakfast time until bath time. The nanny will have her own bedroom (Bathroom). These nannies are very popular and are looked at as a family member and should be treated as one. They will normally do 1 - 2 babysitting nights a week, upon agreement. It is usual for the live-in nanny to receive two full days off per week and holidays are negotiable although, as with mothers’ help, two to four weeks a year is standard.

Salary: £250-£450 net per week.
Salaries are totally dependent on the nanny's age and experience and Peek-a-boo will advise on a realistic remuneration obtainable by each individual applicant.

Some families choose to give additional benefits, such as use of a car or travel pass.

Live-out nannies
Many families looking for a permanent nanny are now choosing a daily nanny in preference to a live-in. Some parents feel that their life style is better suited to having a nanny who works set hours.

Normal hours are 8am - 6pm with some small variations. Babysitting is paid overtime and holidays are upon agreement, although the standard is 4 weeks per year.

Salary: £7.50-10 per hour net
Salaries are totally dependent on the nanny’s age and experience and Peek-a-boo will advise on a realistic remuneration obtainable by each individual applicant.

Some families choose to give additional benefits, such as use of a car or travel pass.

Temporary carers
Qualified or experienced Child carers who are available on a short notice to help parents with emergency childcare needs. A temporary carer is normally flexible and can be both live-in/live-out, nanny or mothers’ help. Temporary positions can last from 1 day up a few months and are employed if you need temporary help during holidays or whilst your permanent carer is on holiday or sick leave.

Salaries are dependent on the type of carer. See above for going rates. Peek-a-boo will advise on a realistic remuneration

Baby-sitters
Qualified or experienced nannies are available for baby-sitting all over London for our registered families. They charge £7-£10 per hour and you have to pay them for at least 4 hours at the time. The will also charge you for 50% of their travel costs.

Good luck!

Feel free to Contact us
Telephone: 0207 600 9880