WHAT  IS AN AU PAIR?

An au pair is generally a young person between the ages of 18 and 30, who travels to a foreign country for a defined period of time to live with a host family.
As an au pair you take on a role as a member of the family and help your host family with childcare and light housework. In return, your receive free room and board plus pocket money.

WHAT IS A HOST FAMILY ?

A host family is a family (this term also includes single-parent families) raising at least one child who is 16 years of age or younger and lives permanently in their household. The family hosts an au pair for a defined period of time, treating the young person like a member of the family.

WORKING HOURS OF AN AU PAIR

In many host countries, the working hours of an au pair are set by public authorities. We recommend that au pairs should not work more than 30 hours per week (including babysitting).Both contracting parties should be flexible when it comes to the working hours of the au pair. 

BOARDING AND LODGING

Being considered a family member for a defined period of time, the au pair is entitled to his or her own room in the host family's home. The room should have a size of at least 9 square metres, be lockable and have a window. It should, of course, also be furnished and heated. The au pair should be given free access to food and drink in the home and share meals with the host family. The au pair continues to be entitled to board and lodging in case of illness.

POCKET MONEY

In addition to free board and lodging, au pairs receive pocket money from their host families. The amount varies according to the relevant host country. Some countries do not have official regulations concerning the au pair stay and the amount of pocket money au pairs should receive. In this case, au pairs and host families may consult our pages to compare the amounts of pocket money paid in other countries and agree upon the amount the au pair should receive in their own case. This financial support is important to au pairs. Many of them use it to pay for their language courses and could otherwise not afford such activities as going to a café, to the cinema or discovering their host country in other ways. The au pair continues to be entitled to his or her pocket money in case of illness.

TRAVEL EXPENSES

In most cases, au pairs pay their own travel expenses. Please consult our Info Host Countries to find more information on your particular host country. As a courtesy to their au pairs, many of the families refund part of the travel expenses or pay the return trip for their au pairs.

LANGUAGE COURSE

Au pairs must be given the opportunity to participate in a language course in their host country. Normally, the au pairs pay for their courses by themselves. Should they wish to do so, host families may of course support their au pairs financially with these expenses. In certain countries, however, it is compulsory for host families to pay for the language course of their au pair. Please see our Info Host Countries to find more information on this topic.

HOLIDAYS

If there are no official regulations concerning holiday time granted to au pairs in a particular host country, au pairs who wish to stay with their host families for 12 months should get four weeks off during this time with payment of the agreed pocket money. If au pairs stay for a shorter period of time, they need to agree with their host families on a correspondingly shorter period of holiday. If a host family wishes to travel away from their home during the au pair stay, they need to clarify in advance if their au pair will accompany them or whether the au pair will make other arrangements. In any case, the au pairs continue to be entitled to their pocket money during their host family's holiday away. If an au pair stays at the host family's home while they are away on holiday, they need to provide the au pair with an adequate amount of housekeeping money for this period of time.

FREE TIME

Au pairs surely need some time off to see friends or discover an unfamiliar part of the country. Therefore, they should be given at least one day off per week to do something on their own. Once a month, this day should be a Sunday. Official public holidays in the corresponding host countries count as bank holidays for the au pairs as well and they are not required to work on these days.

TICKETS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT

We recommend that host families pay a monthly ticket for public transport for their au pairs. Should au pairs need to take the bus, tram or train to pick up the children from a nursery or school, the host families should pay for the transport accordingly. Should there not be any public transport available, the au pairs should be allowed to use the family car to attend their language courses for example.

CONTRACT AND PERIOD OF NOTICE

We recommend that au pairs and host families write down all important agreements (such as the tasks to be performed by the au pair, the working hours, the amount of pocket money and the arrangements for time off) in an au pair contract. This ensures more security for both contracting parties and helps to avoid misunderstandings. There are standard contracts for some countries, which we will provide. Should a host family live in a country in which no standard contract is provided, they may use the English version of the European standard contract, which we will also provide. There is usually a minimum two-week period of notice for au pairs and for host families for early termination. This allows host families to find a new au pair and au pairs to search for a new host family or organise their trip back home in such cases. Contracts should only be terminated without notice on serious grounds.

COMMUNICATION IS KEY

Both the au pair and the host family will be well informed about the conditions of the au pair stay, as well as about the requirements both parties must meet, to ensure a successful stay. If both the au pair and the host family gather the necessary information on requirements in advance and frankly communicate their various expectations and wishes, the au pair stay is sure to have great results for all concerned.