Proposed Au Pair bill Ireland

URGENT – au pair bill- we need your help!

Recently there has been a lot of talk in the press regarding au pair legislation. Back in

March an au pair brought her host family to court for under payment of salary. In this

case the judge deemed that the au pair was an ‘employee’ and as such was entitled to

minimum wage. The au pair was awarded just under €10,000. This case has left

approximately 20,000 au pair host families open to being sued by their au pair also.

Internationally an au pair placement is considered to be a cultural exchange programme

between a young foreign person and their host family. In the past this programme

worked well in Ireland as Irish people are warm and welcoming and are for the most

part, wonderful hosts to their au pairs. In the past, young men and women have come

to Ireland to learn English and take time out before beginning their professional career

or time out between their formal education. In exchange for living as part of the family

and help with integration into society, cultural learning, room, board and pocket money,

the au pair helps the family with some childcare. The courtcase in March has thrown this

au pair programme into disarray.

Recently Fianna Fail TD, Anne Rabbitte has proposed au pair legislation to govern the au pair programme in Ireland. As part of this legislation, an ‘aupair’ would be defined in Irish law as a cultural educational programme. If her bill became enacted, then au pairs would no longer be deemed to be employees and would be legislated for outside of employment law. This is really very good news but we need your help. 

We hope that this bill will be proposed to the Dail within the next few weeks. Following the legislation being presented to the Dail, TDs may then be asked to vote on this bill. In order to be enacted the majority of TDs in the Dail need to vote in favour of this bill.

We need your help!

Please email your local TD and request that them to vote for the au pair bill proposed by Anne Rabitte TD. Below is a template email which you can use:

Dear …..,

My name is ……. I am writing to you regarding a bill that is due to be proposed to the dail by Fianna Fail TD, Anne Rabbitte. I would urge you, on behalf of Irish families, to vote to enact this bill into being. This bill will not only ensure and safeguard the au pair programme in Ireland but it will also ensure fair treatment for host families and au pairs into the future. For the sake of approximately 20,000 Irish host families I sincerely request that you vote for this bill.

Your sincerely,

To find the contact details of your local TDs please click the following link:https://www.whoismytd.com/

If you have any other questions regarding the above please get in touch.

Kind Regards, 

Corinna Duke

Kangaroo Au Pair

Au pair wages and working hours

Au pair employment status-Ireland

Au pair programme- Ireland

Au Pair Employment Status- Ireland

Following a court case in Ireland in March 2016 there has been a lot of confusion regarding the status of au pairs in Ireland. In this court case the judge awarded the Spanish au pair more than €9,000 because the family weren't compliant with aspects of the Minimum Wage Act, and other aspects of Irish employment law. For a more detailed analysis of this courtcase see the complete article published in lexology.

Status of au pairs
There is currently and never has been specific legislation governing au pairs in Ireland. As such there is no specific law governing the work and conditions of au pairs. According to the Council of Europe an au pair is a young foreign person who comes 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. 
As Ireland has not ratified the 'european agreement on 'au pair' placement and protocol, the status of au pairs may not be defined under a cultural exchange programme in Ireland, even though it is accepted to be a cultural exchange programme in other countries in Europe and throughout the world.


What does this mean for families and au pairs in Ireland?

Unfortunately the relevant decision of this court case is not available for review, as the adjudication was conducted in private. As a result we are not aware of the what relevant factors influenced the Adjudication Officer's decision in this case. For this reason it is not possible to know what the outcome of any future similar court cases would be.
However from our understanding of this court case, it is likely that au pairs are going to be deemed to be employees until such time as au pair-specific legislation is established. Families with au pairs are encouraged to review their own arrangements in order to consider whether or not they may be exposed in terms of a complaint by their au pair to the WRC.

Current situation of au pairs in Ireland
In recent times, there have been a number of articles in the national press and radio stations stating that Fianna Fail have proposed an au pair bill to govern the au pair programme in Ireland. This legislation would outline conditions including au pair working hours, household duties, money and obligations of the host family. Details of what would constitute household duties would be decided by an Au Pair Accreditation Council. The bill is also aimed at cracking down on the "less regulated elements" of the au pair agency sector. According to an article in the Sunday Independent newspaper if the legislation is enacted, au pairs could only be hired through accredited au pair agencies. 
As always if we are made aware of any other developments in the au pair situation in Ireland or in any other country, we will keep you informed.

Other related articles:

au pair programme Ireland 

Petition for au pair legislation in Ireland

What is an au pair?

What is an au pair?

An au pair goes to another country to embrace both a cultural and for language acquistion while living as part of a family.  An au pair arrangement is considered to be a cultural exchange rather than an employment. An au pair will carry out some of the day-to-day duties of the family in exchange for pocket money and board. An au pair will usually eat meals with the family and go on some of the family outings.
Au pairs travel to another country to improve their foreign language skills and to gain a new cultural experience. Typically au pairs are young women between 17 and 27 years old, and up to 30 years of age in certain circumstances.
An au pair must get time off to attend English classes if they choose to do this. For more information please see Kangaroo Au Pair

Au Pair Definition:
We got this definition from the ever-brilliant wikipedia, the title comes from the French term au pair, meaning "at par" or "equal to", indicating that the relationship is intended to be one of equals: the au pair is intended to become a member of the family, albeit a temporary one, rather than a traditional domestic worker. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Au_pair

For our au pair agency service please contact KA Au Pair Agency

Other related stories:

WRC ruling on au pairs in Ireland March 2016

What to look for in an au pair?

Do I need to sign a contract with my au pair?

What is a live-out au pair?

My Au Pair Summer in Spain

For all our budding au pairs, please read on. The following is Irish Siobhan Costello's recollection of her amazing summer in Spain as a kangaroo au pair! We hope that her account inspires you as much as it has us. Thank you Siobhan for writing such a wonderful piece about life as an au pair, Corinna and the Kangaroo Au Pair Team

 My summer of being Spanish!!! 

In typical Irish fashion being a young adult mainly consists of spending the summers working 

hard abroad on a visa or something, but did my summer consist of hard work? Let me 

think… most definitely not!! I spent my entire summer working (having fun) as an au pair for 

an amazing Spanish family. 

Let me give you some background, for those that don’t  know me,  it’s always been a dream 

of mine to be an au pair for a summer, to experience a new culture, look after children and 

enjoy my summer hols all at the same time. So going through the application process last 

January my expectations were moderate to say the least. Within a couple of weeks I had 

come in contact with my ideal host family. A Spanish family with two young kids who live in 

a small village just outside Barcelona. What could sound more perfect? A summer with 

plenty of sunshine, in Antoni Gaudi famous city of Barcelona and for a bonus learning bits of 

Catalan (main language in Catalunya) and Spanish, I was most certainly convinced! 

In what only felt like a short space of time I was saying goodbye to the wind and rain and 

jetting off to the tropical Mediterranean.  Within the first week there was definitely some 

aspects of home sickness, I had brought some of my Lyons teabags with me, however the 

host family didn’t have a kettle so had to resort to the old fashioned way of boiling water in 

a saucepan.  Thankfully the homesickness didn’t last long as I began to become fonder of 

the Spanish food, culture and the beautiful city life. 

The host family welcome me with open arms, basically becoming the fifth member of their 

family. Each day consisted of new adventures with the children. Some days we spent the 

afternoons in the pool, going to a chocolate museum, the zoo and going on picnics. Once 

again I kept my Irish element with me and decided I would teach them some Gaelic. It 

started off as a challenge for them to pronounce it but once they started there was no 

stopping them. I’m proud to say I’ve created international Mayo supporters!! 

Having evenings and weekends off gave me plenty of opportunities to meet new people and 

be a proper tourist doing some sightseeing. My host family took me one weekend to a small 

village just outside the city of Lleida, it’s a village that is quite similar to typical Irish ones 

apart from a few small things like the weather and how their Sunday roast consists of Paella 

compared to our spuds, meat and vegetables. 

One ambition of mine whilst being in Spain was to truly experience how the Spanish people 

lived. So one day I took the opportunity to travel to Monserrat. Monserrat is seen as the 

most important religious retreat for the Catalan people. It is about 40 minute outside the 

city and you get cable cars up to the mountain. On the mountain there is a small village with 

breath-taking scenery, a monastery and so much more. It’s not just a pilgrimage it felt like 

Throughout my stay in Barcelona I consider myself so privileged and lucky to have met some 

extradinary people, I became friends with so many au pair from around the world from 

Scotland all the way over to America.  It made every weekend a new adventure travelling 

around being typical tourists with our cameras. I have so many highlights it so hard to 

mention them all.  Me being my normal sporty self it was my mission to go to camp nou to 

watch a match despite the fact I don’t even support Barca.  Trying to be a neutral at a 

Barcelona home game was quite a challenge especially when you know well who is going to 

win before the game even began. The atmosphere was absolutely incredible, if you think 

screaming the fields of Athenry at an Ireland game is thrilling then you have seen nothing. 

Barcelona have their own special chant before each game where the whole stadium gets 

involved, even some fans bring along their own instruments to play. 

As many of you know Barcelona has some amazing sights, so here’s a bit of tourist 

promotion for you. The Magic Fountain of Montjuic is most definitely the one place I miss so 

much about Barcelona now. There’s a few fountains with one main one in the centre, every 

weekend it displays magical and breath taking colours with music playing in the background. 

I could have stayed there for hours upon hours, if you ever go to the city the magic fountain 

is a must see attraction. 

Summer 2015 is a summer I will never forget I now have a second family and home in 

Barcelona and have made best friends for life from all around the world.

 by Siobhan Costello, Ireland

For other related stories about being an au pair see:

Au pair programme Spain

Being an au pair in Italy

Spanish au pair Elena's video about being an au pair in Ireland

For more information about being an au pair in Spain see also Rachel Ward's article 'The realities of au pair life abroad' from Transitions abroad

For more information about being an au pair, see our au pair programmes. To become a summer au pair, please register a profile on kangaroo au pair.

Au Pair Responsibilities UK

 What can I expect from my au pair? 

 Depending on the country you are based in you can expect different things from your au pair. In the UK a standard au pair will usually work for 25-30 hours per week. An au pair may have some childcare/babysitting experience but does not have formal childcare qualifications. Standard au pairs cannot take sole charge of children under the age of 2.

• Au pairs are aged between 17-27 and their chief purpose for being in the country is to learn the language and assimilate the culture.
• An au pair lives with you and should be treated as part of the family. Au pairs earn board and lodging and a small amount of money each week in return for childcare and light housework.
• Many people tend to lump nannies and au pairs into the same category but they are totally different. Au pairs are NOT nanny-substitutes, and usually have no formal childcare training. R.E.C (Recruitment and Employment Confederation) stipulates that au pairs should never have sole charge of children under the age of two.
• Au pairs are often seen as the 'Cinderellas' of the childcare industry. Agencies are often faced with problems of au pairs being treated as cheap labour by people who should be employing qualified nannies. Frequently they are left alone with young children for long hours and given heavy housework duties far in excess of what they should be asked to do.
• An au pair should have their own bedroom and be allowed proper time to study English.
• Visit The British Au Pair Agencies Association for more information

Duties:
Assist with light housework, help in the kitchen and care for school age children. They should also be available for babysitting one or two evenings per week.
Qualifications:
Au pairs have no formal training in caring for children and may have little or no experience.
- See more at: http://www.bestbear.co.uk/childcare-information/au-pairs.php#sthash.f6lpfsDk.dpuf

 An au pair is often called an older sister in their host family as the au pair lives as part of the family during the time that they stay with the family, rather than being an employee.

A standard au pair can be expected to:
-Work 25-30 hours per week but au pairs from the EU can work up to 35 hours per week.
-one to two evenings of babysitting per week (with a maximum of one of these to be at the weekend).
-To have one full day off at the weekend and one full weekend off per month.
-Have 5 free evenings per week.
-A standard au pair is most suitable for a family with school going children (a mother's help is more suitable for families with very young children).

What do I need to provide my au pair with?
An au pair should have their own room and have all meals provided. An au pair will pay for their own travel expenses and language classes unless otherwise agreed with their host family. Au pairs often study English classes and should be allowed to attend these.

What  housework can I expect my au pair to do?
An au pair's main responsibility is childcare but an au pair can be expected to carry out some household duties. We usually recommend that an au pair does approximately 1 hour of housework per day. Duties include housework related to the children such as keeping the children's toys and bedrooms tidy, giving them snacks. An au pair can also be expected to keep the kitchen tidy, the children's laundry and some hoovering. An au pair is not usually expected to cook the family dinner but in some cases an au pair will enjoy cooking dinner for the family on occassion. We usually recommend that an au pair does approximately 1 hour of housework per day.

Insurance
An au pair from the EU does not require additional health insurance as they are covered under the National Health System. 

What holidays does my au pair get?
The BAPAA recommends 4 weeks holidays per year as well as all bank/public holidays. British Au Pair Agencies Association

Pocket money
Pocket money of between £75-£85 per week (depending on hours) should be paid on an agreed day each week.

For more information please contact us at info@kangarooaupair.com or call us on  0044 203 1511660

Duties:
Assist with light housework, help in the kitchen and care for school age children. They should also be available for babysitting one or two evenings per week.
Qualifications:
Au pairs have no formal training in caring for children and may have little or no experience.
- See more at: http://www.bestbear.co.uk/childcare-information/au-pairs.php#sthash.f6lpfsDk.dpuf

• Au pairs are aged between 17-27 and their chief purpose for being in the country is to learn the language and assimilate the culture.
• An au pair lives with you and should be treated as part of the family. Au pairs earn board and lodging and a small amount of money each week in return for childcare and light housework.
• Many people tend to lump nannies and au pairs into the same category but they are totally different. Au pairs are NOT nanny-substitutes, and usually have no formal childcare training. R.E.C (Recruitment and Employment Confederation) stipulates that au pairs should never have sole charge of children under the age of two.
• Au pairs are often seen as the 'Cinderellas' of the childcare industry. Agencies are often faced with problems of au pairs being treated as cheap labour by people who should be employing qualified nannies. Frequently they are left alone with young children for long hours and given heavy housework duties far in excess of what they should be asked to do.
• An au pair should have their own bedroom and be allowed proper time to study English.
• Visit The British Au Pair Agencies Association for more information

Duties:
Assist with light housework, help in the kitchen and care for school age children. They should also be available for babysitting one or two evenings per week.
Qualifications:
Au pairs have no formal training in caring for children and may have little or no experience.
- See more at: http://www.bestbear.co.uk/childcare-information/au-pairs.php#sthash.f6lpfsDk.dpuf

How to keep your au pair

There was an interesting article in the Irish Herald about au pairs and how treating them well would ensure that they will stay with a host family. Click here to see the article.
Do you think that how an au pair is treated will determine whether they stay with a family or not? Or are there other factors that matter more?
We would love to hear your opinion:
What is the most important thing for you when deciding whether to stay with a family or not?
Is it how the family speaks to you and their attitude?
Is it the amount of pocket money you receive?
Is it the number of children that they have?
Is it the location of their house?
Or is it something completely different?
Please let us know by commenting below

www.kangarooaupair.com

Summer Au Pairs Available

What is a Summer Au Pair? 
A summer au pair typically lives with a host family for a short period of time during the summer holidays. The duration of the stay is usually between one and three months. Summer au pairs perform the same tasks as long-term au pairs: they support their host families with child care and light housework. Both long- and short-term au pairs receive the same pocket money and have the same number of working hours. Just like long-term au pairs, summer au pairs strive to improve their language skills and get to know a new culture whilst living abroad. Very often they will study language classes during their au pair stay. Sometimes, they can also accompany their host families on holiday, taking care of the children during this time.
Interested in find a Summer Au Pair - please contact us KA Au Pair Agency or call 01 887 03 10 today!! Summer Au Pairs for €150 For more information see www.kaaupairagency.ie

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

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