Au Pair placements

New services from Kangaroo Au Pair

1. Summer Au Pair placements Available!

 We are currently piloting a program of au pair placements.

We have a number of European au pairs who are available and looking for families in Ireland and the UK for the summer months. All au pairs have been reference and police-checked and all have childcare experience and are ready for interview. They range in age from 18-25 and come from Spain, France and Italy. Please be quick as the more experienced au pairs are getting placed quickly. For more information please contact us on info@KangarooAuPair.com

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE: The cost of summer au pair placement is €89 (or €60 if you are already a premium member on Kangaroo Au Pair). Best wishes the Kangaroo Au Pair Team Kangaroo Au Pair Team

Win a KangarooAuPair.com Premium Membership!

COMPETITION! 10 FREE PREMIUM MEMBERSHIPS TO BE WON

We are offering 10 free premium memberships.  Simply send us a testimonial or story about your au pair experience. 

Good Luck! Winners will be contacted on 15th February! Terms and conditions apply.

Au Pair Salary / Pocket Money Survey

We asked our au pairs and families the following question:

"On our website, Kangaroo Au Pair recommends €80-€120 in Ireland and £70-£80 per week in the UK. How much pocket money to pay an au pair? We'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this."

What au pairs said...

Jules, au pair in the UK  "i think 70-80 is really low... i have had two jobs in the uk now as an au pair and both paid 125..."

Marion, au pair  "I think it all depends on the situation, what your costs are (for example language courses and getting there - bus, train etc) and of course in which country you are (what the usual salaries are in that country) how many children, how much hours you work etc etc, think it's difficult to generalise."

Yaheli, au pair in the UK  "I was paid 60 pound for 12 hours at day and the lady wanted me to clean as well!! pff please girls careful!".

Nives, au pair   "I think au pairs are underpaid... but i also have to say that i'd also make it up to the hours they work... i worked a lot more hours than i was supposed to... but never got anything in return... other au pairs were luckier got the same amount that i got but had to work a lot less..."

Freya, au pair  "I agree with Nives, the pay should be worked out by amount if hours to e.g. 70-80 pounds for 25hrs and then 80-10 pounds for 30 hrs for example. Also making a set amount is difficult because some people have more kids, and kids can have different ages, some families require more housework than others and some require none. So I think even if you have a set average pay you need to state what the average pay is based on e.g. age of kids, how many kids, how many hours per week etc. That might make it a bit more clear and also give a guideline to families and au pairs when looking so the au pairs aren't under paid if their circumstances are different to those stated in the average pay for an au pair. :).

I don't work in England or Ireland but based on au pairing in general I believe that the recommended pay is sometimes quite low, I remember getting offered when I was searching for jobs pocket money offers that were a lot lower than what to her families were recommending. I find that the recommended pay is just enough to live by. I believe being an au pair you should get paid in order to have enough to get to go around and visit places etc

and also be able to afford language lessons as not all families pay for it and also health insurance. I understand food and accommodation is payed for but once you also take these factors (language lessons, health insurance etc) out of the pay there is only enough to live by and I thought it was so the au pair could experience new cultures and see new places and learn a new language while helping out the family and get a bit of pay in return. Au pairs can work lots of hours/week so I think it should be based on your hours but I do believe in some cases (not all) we are under paid ( I surely am not under paid). 

And I think it is only fair that we get paid for the work we do because accommodation isn't really that much more with one extra person in the house when you already have the room there in your house you are really just adding water (which I believe in England you pay a set amount for?? correct me if I am wrong though) and not much more. In saying this I just believe that if you actually added how much the family pays for food and water for the au pair and then add their pocket money the family will in most cases if not all work out to be on top and be getting a good deal and I doing believe it would hurt to pay a little bit more. Your au pair will be a lot more at ease not having to worry about pay all the time and therefore will be happier and you will find probably a lot more willing when asked for extra task to be done and just a lot happier in general. 

I know that I am paid above average for an au pair so when my family asked me to do something extra that say isn't directly in my contract I know I don't mind because I am happy with the deal we have.

I hope this makes sense and I haven't gone on too much but from an au pairs point of view this is what I believe :)

thanks :)"

Rosi, au pair in Ireland  "‎100 € a week. and if i have to work a few hours more i get also some money more. i know a lot other au pairs who also get just 100 €. so id say that's the normal pocket money for that."

  

Sandra, au pair in Ireland  "First family, €110/week, 3 children and light housework. Close to (dublinbus) busstop with cheap busfares, so money was very good.

Second family, €100/week, two little children, money would be ok, but living in the countryside I spend around €50 a weekend on returnticket bus eireann fares (with student card), so sometimes it's very hard to get it right... :)"

Vanessa, au pair  "I will get 110€ per week, i am in Ireland. But i have 3 little kids under 5."

Monika, au pair in Ireland  "I´m in Ireland as an aupair and my family give me 100€ plus extra money for gym,pool,school,flight to my country, etc..."

Karine Novaes, au pair in Dublin Ireland  "Honestly YES, families should increase the pocket money of Au pair, after a few months. If people show a good au pair and fulfill all its obligations!

I always do much more than me is requested, then the parents are happy, why not increase?

Being an au pair is a job that requires a lot of responsibilities! and this should be rewarded!"

Martina, au pair in Ireland  "When i worked as an au-pair, i got 130 euro (10 euro/ hour for overtime)... plus money for phone and bus and flights home..."

Saskia, au pair in Ireland  "€120 a week. They pay also the taxi and top up for the phone."

Jules, au pair in the UK  "i think €70-€80 is really low... i have had two jobs in the uk now as an au pair and both paid 125..."

What families said....

Clare in London England "We live in London and are currently looking for our first au pair. We are offering £80 per week for 25hours per week. We have interviewed 3 au pairs, 1 said that she wouldn't consider the job unless the money was better and another said that she wanted £130 as her friend was getting this amount!! Most of the au pairs I have come across want more money than we are offering. Anyone else come across this problem?"

Louise in London England "We give our au pair £90 but this is for 35hours per week."

Lynn from Hampshire England "I tend to offer at the bottom range of the au pair wage as I don't want someone who is only interested in money. We offer a good package: a separate apartment beside our house as well as a car, mobile phone and we bring her on holidays with us 3 times per year. I usually renegotiate the wage upwards after 3 months if the au pair is really good."

Susan from Wexford Ireland (2 children aged 5 and 3) "We pay our au pair €100 per week for 30hours of work plus 1 evening of babysitting (Children are usually in bed by the time we leave the house so it isn't really extra work for our au pair. For any extra hours beyond this we pay her €5 per hour."

Horacethecheese, family from Ireland "Well from what I saw people are offering more than that plus holidays etc I was hoping to get one for the recommended price but when there's more offered they're gonna go with that. They're usually very well to do in their own country and eighty euro is pittance really. They are well shod young women."

Roisin from Galway Ireland "We pay €125 per week. Our priority is that the kids are well looked after and are happy. We also ask the au pair to do cleaning duties related to the girls such as getting them dressed, giving them lunch, sweeping floor after mealtimes, tidying toys as well as filling dishwasher and hanging out washing. If we find the au pair is very good we increase their wages after a few months, usually to €140."

Au Pair and Nanny - What is the difference?

An au pair is often considered to be the same as a nanny or a childminder, but there are some important distinctions between the two, here are some of them!



1. Demographic profile

Au pairs are usually aged between 18 and 30 years and are not from the country in which they are au pairing (au pairs who are from the country in which they are au pairing are known as 'a mother's help').  Au pairs travel to another country to improve their foreign language skills and/or to gain a new cultural experience.  

An au pair lives as part of a host family and will take on a share of the day-to-day duties of the family in exchange for board and pocket money. Nannies (sometimes refered to as childminders*) usually have a background qualification in childcare and have chosen childcare as their chosen career. Nannies will usually not live with a family and maybe considerably older than an au pair.

2. Material conditions

An au pair lives in a host family’s home and has a separate bedroom. A host family is responsible for supplying her meals and providing pocket money and usually provide her with internet access. They also ensure that she has time to attend language classes.

 The pocket money that an au pair receives is not considered to be a salary and is not subject to taxation. Nannies usually come by day. They aren’t entitled to meals or accommodation. A nanny will work for a family as an employee in accordance with the employment regulations of that country.

Standard labour laws govern a nanny's employment, and their salary is subject to taxes and other statutory deductions.

 3. Purpose

A nanny will probably consider her work to be her long term career. A nanny's primary responsibility is taking care of the children but will probably not undertake household chores that are not related to the children. 

The primary goal of an Au pair is usually continuing their education and participating in a cultural exchange. Au pairs are often undergraduate students travelling to a different country during their summer break from college or post-graduate students wishing to improve their language skills or travel before beginning their career in their chosen field. Au pairs often teach the children their language, a little bit about their culture or even enlighten them about their chosen college course. 

Au pairs often have a background in a caring profession such as teaching, childcare or nursing.

4. Costs

Au pair pocket money is paid to an au pair weekly. 

In the UK pocket money of approximately £75 per week. They may have come to the UK as part of the Youth Mobility Scheme or as a temporary worker and as long as they fulfil UK Border Agency requirements. Guidance as to their treatment is outlined by the Home Office who stipulate that they should be regarded as an equal member of the family and not as an employee. In Ireland they usually receive pocket money of approximately €100 per week. For more information about au pair costs see here.

In the UK a nanny works for a family as an employee and as such has a contract detailing her terms of employment. The family are her employers and are legally obliged to pay their nanny an acceptable wage in accordance with employment regulation and are responsible for paying her tax and National Insurance. Nanny positions are fully subject to employment law. Nannies expect to be earning between £18,000 and £20,000 per year for a live-in position or £22,000-£25,000 for a live-out position. In Ireland a nanny is sometimes referred to as a childminder* and is also considered to be an employee of the family. The family must pay a nanny's taxes and PRSI and can expect to pay their nanny either an hourly rate of approx €10-€12 per hour or €400+ per week.


Full-time Vs Part-Time
Most nannies work full-time or for two to three full days per week. Their hours tend to be longer than standard jobs with many working regular 10-12 hour days. This is in contrast to au pairs, who work a standard 25 hours per week in the UK and 30 hours in Ireland, and who are free the rest of the time to attend language classes, meet friends or explore the area. Some au pairs, known as 'au pair plus' and mother's help work more hours. Some au pairs,  known as 'demi au pairs' work shorter hours. Pocket money is alterred to reflect these longer or shorter hours.

5. Work experience and qualifications

A nanny is likely to have several years of childcare experience, some form of childcare qualification or practical training such as montessori qualifications or may have worked in a nursery or creche for a period of time. 


Whereas au pairs are often undergraduate students travelling to a different country during their summer break from college or post-graduate students wishing to improve their language skills or travel before beginning their career in their chosen field. Au pairs often teach the children their language, a little bit about their culture or even enlighten them about their chosen college course. Au pairs often have a background in a caring profession such as teaching, childcare or nursing.

Most nannies work full-time or for two to three full days per week. Their hours tend to be longer than standard jobs with many working regular 10-12 hour days. This is in contrast to au pairs, who work a standard 25 hours per week, and who are free the rest of the time to attend language classes, meet friends or explore the area. Some au pairs will work more hours, but these tend to be called an ‘au pair plus’ or a Mother’s Help.

* In Ireland a nanny is often referred to as a childminder. A childminder can also be a person who takes care of children in her own home and may mind children from a number of different families.

Tags: aupair, babysitter, childcare, contract, employment, home, nanny, salary, au pairs, babysitters, differences, nannies, childminder, mother's help

© KangarooAuPair.com 2012. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to KangarooAuPair.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Five great reasons to hire an au pair!

In today’s modern world Au Pairs are becoming more and more popular. There are a hundred and one reasons to hire an au pair and bring them into your home but this article will tell you about the five that are the most compelling and beneficial to anybody thinking about hiring an au pair.

Affordable childcare

Au pairs are a lot more affordable than people generally believe. The ongoing costs of having an au pair in your home are incredibly low, especially considering the benefits you will gain from the experience. They are much more than a mere babysitter, but the savings in childcare costs alone more than justify the decision.

Experience different cultures

Au pairs are in this country for often manifold reasons. One of the most prevalent of which is the opportunity to improve their language skills. Whilst their interaction with an Irish or British family helps them to improve their English they also help to educate family members, young and old in the culture and language of their home: generally creating a mutually beneficial and exciting environment of learning.  Above all the experience is not only educational for all but also fun!

Schedule planning

With the help of an au pair you as a mother or father will be able to plan your weeks with much more accuracy, flexibility and freedom, as your au pair will generally, upon agreement with yourself make him or herself available to collect your children from school, take them to after school activities and many more activities as you see fit allowing you greater freedom to plan in time for yourself. Not only does an au pair enrich family life, but also allows you and your other half to escape the house a night or two a week for some quality time, safe in the knowledge that the little ones are safe and happy.

Help with the house work

This isn’t a written rule but the more you offer out to an au pair the more you will get in return.  In return for their weekly fee au pairs are generally expected to help out with household chores.  Not to be mistaken for a servant au pairs will help out with household chores (but obviously, not do all of them on their own).  Running round after children and managing all of the household duties can be a tiring job so having even a little bit of help in this area could be a great time saver. An au pair can serve as that ‘extra pair of hands’ busy parents are often in much need of, especially during those particularly stressful times!

In home care

When your children are sent to a registered child minder you are generally at their mercy with regard to location and methods of entertainment, interaction and discipline, as such limiting your control with regard to how your child is looked after.  By hiring an au pair you can be safe in the knowledge that your children are being looked after in a familiar environment (your family home) and have greater control of the activities they undertake during the day. It is more like having the children looked after by an honorary family member, who will take on board house rules and personal childcare preferences. 

Besides these benefits and the numerous others you receive by inviting an au pair into your home, you are also making a great difference to your au pair.  In return for assisting yourself and your family in all manner of daily chores, activities and events, they are learning a new language, culture and way of life…which is after all the reason they have left their home country to become an au pair.  In short, everyone benefits!

Anna's Au Pairing Experience

Here is a story from one of our au pairs and her experience in Dublin, Ireland last summer.

Hello Kangaroos!

I am sending you my success story.

As my first full year of being an au-pair in Ireland was coming to an end, I knew that I don’t want to go home yet. That’s why I started looking for a new family for the next and final year. I spent hours on the internet until I finally found a family in Dublin.  We really “clicked” in the emails. The only problem was that I had to leave my current hostfamily in June, because they had another girl coming. This Dublin family needed someone to start in September.  That meant that I have to find somewhere to stay for the three months. I was lucky and found a family with four boys in Kilkenny, they needed an aupair just for the summer time and were fine with the fact that I will leave in September.  Summer in Kilkenny was wonderful and if you ever come to Ireland, the Kilkenny castle is a must-see for you.  Nothing but one thing could ruin my summer -the Dublin family sent me an email saying that their aupair decided to stay longer so they won’t need me.

And there I was, back in the cold waters of the internet. I don’t know how, I don’t know where it came from, but all of the sudden I saw a little kangaroo smiling at me from my computer screen. I didn’t know this website, but I decided to give it a try. And it was a good decision I must say. It didn’t last long until I found a message from Bettina.  They had one baby to look after and lived in Cork city. I replied to her message and not so long after that we met in person.  And because we both had a good feeling about each other, by the end of October I was already moving to Cork.

I was really nicely surprised that they came all the way to Kilkenny to collect me so I didn’t have to carry all my bags on the bus. I got a lovely room and my very own bathroom.

It’s been four months since I started in this family and I can’t complain at all. I met lots of new people and made some really great friends. I even found a boyfriend here! Me and my hostparents became really good friends and baby Aileen is like my little sister.  We have loads of fun together.  We often go to the ZOO or just down to the shopping centre for a smoothie. I wouldn’t change my hostfamily for the world.

If you are considering becoming an aupair, don’t hesitate.  It’s a great experience that you’ll remember forever. You’ll meet new people from all around the world (Ireland is full of aupairs!) and you will see new places and learn the language as a bonus.  Don’t be afraid and don’t wait for tomorrow. I am sure that the perfect hostfamily is waiting for you right here.  Good luck!

Thanks a lot for being on the internet, without you I wouldn’t find this family and I wouldn’t start my life over

Anna

Czech aupair Anna, 23