What is an Au Pair or Mother's Help?
An Au pair is a single person between the age of 17 and 27, without dependents who wish to travel to the United Kingdom to live with a family so they can learn English and improve their understanding of British culture.
The Au Pair should be treated as a member of your family and will usually stay with a family from 6 months to 2 years....which will give you great continuity in developing a good relationship with you and your children. Some au pairs are drivers, but we encourage you to give them some lessons to see how well their driving skills are first.
Subject to his/her nationality, some Au Pairs may need to register at a police station within the first couple weeks of arriving in the UK - this will be stamped into their passport and is normal procedure.
There are two types of Au pair available. These are: Au Pair and Au Pair Plus.
- An Au pair will work 25 hours per week and do two evenings of babysitting each week. Exactly how the hours are spread over the week are up to you, but normal practice is 5 hours work a day with 2 full days off. The Au pair will need their own bedroom, privacy and food that they need. Government guidelines on weekly pocket money is a minimum of £70 a week.
- An Au pair PLUS will work up to 35 hours per week and also do two evenings of babysitting each week. Government guidelines on pocket money are said that any hours worked in addition should be paid at an hourly rate of £3.50 per hour, however paying between £90 -£95 a week is not unreasonable for this. Please ask us about this so that we can discuss the matter further.
- An Au Pair is not allowed to have sole charge of a child below the age of 2 years.
- We also supply mother's helps who have already had previous experience in being an Au Pair or, they have some qualification and whose average age is between 24- 27. please contact us to discuss this further. Mother's Helps are also usually willing to work more than Au Pair Plus but please do remember that Tax & NI will need to be arranged.
- The host family and/or Au Pair/Mother'sHelp is required to give at least two week's notice when the time arises and circumstances change.
He/She will help care for the child/children and is expected to help with the house work such as cleaning, vacuuming, dusting, ironing.
Au pairs should be allowed to attend English classes. Depending on the working hours and days you wish he/she to work and depending on the colleges in your area, he/she can attend one lesson per week or daily attendance. Some families also offer to help contribute with the cost of English lessons depending on costs, especially if you live in a more rural area.
Mother's Helps may also be able to study childcare at NVQ levels - please ask us for more information.
Everyday life can be full of non stop activity. Children add yet more things to plan and organise. Arranging an au pair is an ideal way to allow you to ensure the children are well looked after even while you are busy. Accommodating an au pair can be fun and a very rewarding and enjoyable experience for you, your child/children and the au pairs themselves.
To the left hand side of this page, you will see the links that allow you to learn about the au pair process and how it would work for you. Registration on this site is free, we look forward to hearing from you soon and working with you to locate an au pair.What is an Au Pair or Mother's Help?
The Process
We recommend that you register as early as possible for an au pair or Mother's Help as our rigorous selection process limits the number of applicants available. If at any time you are uncertain about anything or would like to ask further information, then please do not hesitate to contact us...
- The first step required is for you to contact us to discuss your requirements (if you agree with our terms and conditions). This can be done by calling us on the telephone or by completing the 'registration page' below
- Once we have received your requirements we will liaise with our partner agencies to find suitable applicants that can fit in with your needs, all applicants will have been carefully screened.
- We will send detailed information on the potential applicants to you by e-mail, post or fax, whichever is best for you. Once you have selected an Au Pair or Mother's Help from the selection we will then arrange for you to telephone the au par to discuss placement and suitable start dates.
- On confirmation that both you and the au pair are happy we will then require a letter of invitation/introduction from you so that we can forward all your details onto our partner agency. At this time of confirmation we will require payment of our agency fee. Only once we have received your payment will we confirm the start dates of the au pair to you.
- Travel to the UK and visas (where necessary) is organized by the au pair.
- We provide you with all their travel dates time and arrival.
You will be required to meet your au pair at an airport/bus station or port on their arrival into the UK. Please confirm this with your new Au Pair/ Mothers' Help or contact us so that we can do this for you.
General Advice
The word "Au Pair" means "on par" or an equal. Au pairs are young people who live with a British family so that they can learn about the English Language and culture. To get the best out of your relationship with your au pair it does help to take the following steps in order:
- Before the Au Pairs arrival keep regular contact via e-mail or telephone so that the Au Pair can feel assured that they will be going to a warm and welcoming family. (The Au Pair will be just as anxious as you but it is they who are leaving loved ones and friends behind)
- Once the Au Pair has arrived, it's a good idea to go to the supermarket together so your au pair can show you what foods that they like.
- Treat your au pair as you would as a family member or friend and encourage them to talk about their home life as much as possible i.e. ask if there are any photos that you can look at.......
- Be sympathetic and compassionate they could very well be feeling homesick.
- Have a guideline of expectations ready for them so that when they arrive they can familiriase themselves of duties and tasks required and house rules... this can help immensely if there are language restrictions at the very beginning on arrival
- Always be patient, let your au pair ask questions and let them interact with your children instantly.
- Encourage your au pair to explore, make friends at their college classes and invite them on days out from time to time.
- A welcome pack will be sent out by us to your new Au Pair/ Mother's help.
- A Family Handbook is available to all families by request - please ask.
The majority of au pairs (all from within EU countries) will be entitled to free medical treatment from the NHS if needed. It is advisable to get your au pair registered with your doctor soon after they arrive just as a precaution in case they may fall ill with flu or an infection at any time your family may be ill.
If an au pair is required to drive in England it is advisable to take them out for some lessons first so that they can gain confidence and experience with the English way of driving i.e. driving on the left, road signs, speed limits and speed cameras! You must also have adequate insurance to cover your au pair in case of any accidents.
Remember that communication is the key to a successful relationship with your au pair and that having an au pair is a good way to resolve child care needs as your children can be cared for your own home. Likewise it is a great experience for the au pair to learn about our culture and way of life and to study English to further their education.
