Frequently asked Questions
Q.
What is an au pair placement?
A. In the UK
An
au pair placement is an arrangement where a single person between 17 and 27
comes to the United Kingdom to study English and lives for up to two years
as a member of an English-speaking family; and helps in the home for up to
five hours a day with at least two full days off a week, in return for a
reasonable allowance and their own room. (The current recommended amount for the
weekly allowance is £55.)
A. In Europe
"Au pair" placement is the temporary reception by families, in exchange for
certain services, of young foreigners who come to improve their linguistic and
possibly professional knowledge as well as their general culture by acquiring a
better knowledge of the country where they are received. Placement "au pair" which shall initially be for a period not exceeding one
year, may, however, be extended to permit of a maximum stay of two years. The person placed "au pair" shall not be less than 17 or more than 30 years
of age. Nevertheless, exceptions to the upper age limit may be granted by the
competent authority of the receiving country in individual cases when justified.
A. In Switzerland. Nannies from any EU States, North
America (USA & Canada) are accepted.
South Africans are still blacklisted. All relevant documents
that the family need can be found at
http://www.geneve.ch You can
work as a nanny in Switzerland for a maximum of 18 months. You
will receive room and board with a host family in exchange for
approximately 30 to 40 hours of weekly work (housework,
baby-sitting, etc.). You have the
right to one day off per week (at least one Sunday a month) and
4 weeks vacation per year (5 weeks if you are less than 20 years
old). You will be paid at least 700 Swiss francs net per month
(this may be more, depending on the canton). Your employer is
also obliged to enroll you in a language school.
Employers pay your health and accident insurance, as well as
your language courses, although they can deduct up to 10% of
your salary to cover the costs.
Q.
Which
countries can au pairs come from? Au pair exchanges are
generally from within the EU or one of the following countries.
| Andorra |
Faroe
Islands |
Monaco |
|
Bosnia-Herzegovina |
Greenland |
Republic
of Poland |
|
Republic
of Bulgaria |
Republic
of Hungary |
Romania |
|
Croatia |
Republic
of Latvia |
San
Marino |
|
Republic
of Cyprus |
Republic
of Lithuania |
Slovak
Republic |
|
Czech
Republic |
Macedonia |
Republic
of Slovenia |
|
Republic
of Estonia |
Republic
of Malta |
Turkey |
If you are from the
commonwealth you can act as an au pair under the
working holidaymaker scheme
-
an arrangement whereby
a person aged between 17 and 30 (inclusive) can come to the
United Kingdom for an extended holiday for up to two years, with
the intention of taking paid work here as a part of his working
holiday.
Q.
A.
You can use this link to find out if you need a visa, or entry clearance to
enter or transit through the UK.
Entry clearance is now mandatory for nationals of the following
countries who intend to stay in the UK for longer than six months: Australia,
Canada, Hong Kong (special arrangements for BN(O)s applying in Hong Kong),
Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea and the USA.
In addition - with the exception of the ten EU accession countries:
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland,
Slovenia and the Slovak Republic - all UK Work Permit holders staying for
more than six months will require entry clearance.
Q. What sort of agreement should I have in place? A.
This is the text of the standard Council of Europe Au Pair
agreement.
Au pairs: Just Register
here as an
Au Pair. It's
Free and Easy.
|
