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?

5 reasons to become an Au Pair in Italy

Dreaming of doing your au pair placement in the sun, surrounded by art and culture and eating some of the most amazing food in the world? Becoming an au pair in Italy and your dream can come true!

More and more Italian families are now looking for an au pair to come and live with them and mind their children. And luckily for you the demand is growing by the day! So let’s find out the top 5 reasons to become an au pair in Italy and the requirements needed to do so.

1. Cultural enrichment. The au pair experience is already an enriching life experience in itself, but in Italy it just reaches a whole new height! Being an au pair in a foreign country means you get to know a different culture, different traditions, a different language and lots of new people. For this very reason, the au pair placement is usually considered a life-changing experience. Italy is such a varied country that every time you travel to a different region, you’ll feel like you’re visiting a different country!


2. Italian families. Fancy, spending the afternoon on the beach while speaking English to your host children? Unlike the au pair placement in other countries where families are looking for an au pair mainly to get some help with the children and to expose them to a different culture, more and more Italian families look for au pairs who can teach a new language to their children. This means the au pair placement is usually very pleasant and easy and more focused on the language and cultural exchange than on any household chores. Also, Italians families are very friendly, welcoming and love to spend time together and talk. You’ll feel part of the family straightaway!


3. Arts & History. Anywhere you go in Italy, you’ll be surrounded by art and you’ll feel like you’re going back in time. From the Colosseum and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, to the Dome in Milan, the beautiful museums and churches in Florence, the breath-taking Five Lands (Cinque Terre) in Liguria, the ancient Greek temples in Sicily, or the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The list is endless, so if you love art, you won’t be disappointed.


4. Outdoor activities. Thanks to its great longitudinal extension, Italy’s climate and landscape is very diverse. The North of Italy is the perfect choice for those who love skiing, trekking or cycling and for those who don’t like temperatures that are too hot. The Centre-South is perfect for the sea and heat lovers, giving you the chance to practice sports such as sailing, surfing, windsurfing, etc. In the summertime temperatures can go as high as 40 degrees, but if this is too hot for you, you can take a refreshing dipping in the sea.


5. Food. Needless to say the Italian cuisine is one of the best in the world. Even in this case dishes can vary a lot from North to South and there’s something to suit every taste. Italians love food and love to spend time at the table, so a nice way to interact with your host family and their children would be to cook for them some typical dishes of your country. This way they can learn a bit about your own culture and traditions.

Au pair working hours and pocket money in Italy.

Au pair placements in Italy are partially regulated by law. Au pairs’ have to be between 17 and 30 and they cannot work over 30 hours per week (ideally no more than 5 hours per day for 6 days a week). The amount of pocket money is around €300 per month, but can vary according to the amount of working hours and the number of children.

For more detailed information about the au pair programme in Italy, we advise you to check our Au Pair Programme in Italy and to check out the video of one of our Italian host families.

Au pair and host family support

Here at Kangaroo Au Pair, the safety and well being of our au pairs and host families is our primary concern. If you have any issues or concerns that your host family or au pair is not treating you in a way that is acceptable, please get in touch with us and we can advice you. You can contact us at support@kangaooaupair.com or on 01-6966036(Ireland) or 020 7060 4877 (UK). Below is a list of the main conditions and guidelines of an au pair placement.

1. The au pair arrangement is first of all a cultural exchange rather than an employment. Au pairs are young foreigners who decide to move to a different country to learn and experience a new culture and language and that’s why they decide to live with a host family. As such, au pairs have to be treated as part of the family during their stay. They will have meals together with the family and will take part in some family activities. Au pairs will look after the host family’s children and will take on a share of the family’s household duties, primarily childcare, in exchange for free board and lodging and an appropriate amount of pocket money paid weekly on an arranged day. An au pair must be provided with all their meals and should have their own bedroom.

2. The amount of pocket money can vary slightly from au pair agency to agency. Kangaroo Au Pair recommends pocket money between €100 and €120 per week in Ireland and between £70 and £100 in the UK for a standard au pair.

3. Working hours- A standard au pair can work between 30 and 35 hours per week as well as 1 evening of babysitting (consisting of up to 5 hours) in Ireland. In the UK a standard au pair can work between 25 and 30 hours per week and 1 evening of babysitting. Babysitting consists of an evening, minding children when they are either in bed or will be going to bed within an hour or 2 of the host parents going out. 

4. Days off- Au pairs should have no less than 1 full week-end off per month and a minimum of day and a half off per week. Au pairs are entitled to 1 week of paid holidays for every 6 months placement and holidays should be agreed upon commencement of the au pair stay. Should the family decide to go on holiday without bringing their au pair, they cannot ask the au pair to leave their house* and must ensure that suitable arrangements are made for the au pair during this time. Many families organise for their au pair to stay with a friend or relative while they are on holidays.

4. When it comes to the type of housework required from an au pair, the au pair’s main duty is to look after the children and that the au pair should only carry out housework that is related to the children or everyday tasks such as filling the dishwasher, sweeping the kitchen floor after meals, tidying up after the children and giving the children snacks and light meals etc. 

5. Au pairs hours, working schedule and duties should be listed in an au pair contract and agreed to by both the host family and the au pair at the beginning of the placement.

6. If things are not working out and an au pair or family chooses to end an au pair stay. A 2 week notice period is required. During this time an au pair must be allowed to stay in the family's home. If the family do not want the au pair to continue to stay in their home during the notice period, they must provide alternative accomodation for the au pair. The only time that no notice period is acceptable is in the case of gross misconduct by either the family or au pair. In this case the au pair placement can be broken without any notice period.

7. An au pair must be paid every week on an agreed day. An au pair should still be paid weekly pocket money, even if she has been sick for 1 or 2 days of a given week.**

8. Lastly, being the au pair placement a cultural exchange programme, au pairs should always be granted enough time off to attend their language classes. Host families are not required to pay for the language course as au pairs should bear this cost themselves, but they must ensure the au pair will be able to attend all classes if they so wish. Families cannot ask an au pair to babysit on an evening when she does her English classes.

If you feel that your host family or au pair are not abiding by the guidelines of an au pair placement, please do not hesitate to contact us and we can advice you what to do. We are here to support and we are happy to help you with any of your concerns. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

* Unless the host family and au pair have agreed that the au pair will take their holidays during this time. 
**An au pair should provide a family with a doctor's letter, at the beginning of the au pair placement, stating that she/he is in good health and that she/he has no underlying condition which would ensure that she/he is not capable of minding children or entering into an au pair placement.

For other related stories see:

 what is ‘light housework’?

au pair stay in the UK

au pair contract

 au pair pocket money 

Kangaroo Au Pair News

WHAT SHOULD BE IN MY AU PAIR CONTRACT?

Au pairs and host families regularly contact us to ask about an au pair contract. Do I need an au pair contract? And what should be in an au pair contract?

We always recommend that au pairs and host families have a number of Skype calls before agreeing to an au pair stay. During these skype calls you should discuss, hours of work, light housework, working schedule, English classes and holidays. It's really important that you discuss and agree on everything from hours to agreed light housework, working schedule etc. This way you can both talk about your own expectations and iron out any potential issues. This is an invaluable opportunity for you to understand if you and your potential host family/au pair will be a good match for each other or not. 

Do I need an au pair contract?
We recommend that every family and au pair sign an au pair contract before agreeing to an au pair placement. An au pair should not book their flight before this contract has been signed and agreed to by both the au pair and the family.

In the au pair contract you should include all aspects concerning the au pair placement. These include:

1. working hours and time off
2. weekly pocket money including the day that this will be paid
3. working schedule
4. paid holidays (an au pair should receive 1 week of paid holidays for every 6 months)
5. required notice if the placement needs to be terminated* 
6. the date of commencement and end of the au pair placement

These are the most important conditions of your placement, so you should make sure that you and your family/ au pair agree upon them from the beginning. For example, if the au pair chooses to attend English classes, they mist be given enough time off to attend these. An au pair should never be asked to mind the children when they have to attend English classes.

Time off

Discussing the days you are available and your time off is very important too. Usually au pairs are entitled to a full weekend off per month, one full day off at the weekends and 5 free evenings per week. Anything different than this should be agreed upon in advance and it should be written down in the contract.

Pocket money

Once you have agreed on the number of hours you are available for your family, then you should discuss the pocket money with them. We recommend that you check beforehand what the average pocket money is in the country that you chose to move to, so that you have an idea whether your family is offering you a fair amount of money or not. Please see our recommended pocket money here.....

Duties & responsibilities

Au pairs main priority is to mind the family’s children. This could mean picking them up from school, helping them with their homework, playing with them in their spare time and generally anything that related to the children. Au pairs would usually help the family and stay with the children during the day, but families are allowed to ask for 1 or 2 nights babysitting per week depending on the au pairs hours. Again if you need babysitting, this should go into the au pair contract.

In addition to minding the children, au pairs are usually required to help their host families with a few household chores, such as: making snacks and ironing for the children, vacuuming the children’s room, washing dishes, etc. Even in this case, if there is any particular light housework that you have agreed to do with your host family, you should include it in the contract.

Start and end date of the placement

These dates have to be discussed in advance and have to be included in the agreement. Should the au pair or the family terminate the placement before the agreed terms, both parties are due to give at least a two weeks’ notice. Also, the contract should state the family’s right to end the agreement immediately in case of gross misconduct (such as theft, forgery, deceit, violence, etc.).

Terms & conditions

Other important details that should be made clear on the agreement are:

• Travel costs: au pairs have to provide for their own travel expenses
• Behaviour: host families should clarify how they expect their au pair to behave (be punctual, respectful, etc.) and what is not acceptable behaviour for them (such as what time the au pair needs to be home if they are minding the children the following day)
• Language spoken in the house: the au pair will participate in the family’s life and speak their language with the kids, unless otherwise required (for example, the family might request that the au pair teach her own language to the children, because they want them to learn a second language).

To see Kangaroo au pair's au pair contract, please click the following  link. Please feel free to download and print off.

*There are certain specific occasions when an au pair placement can be terminated without notice.

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 Placement Service- KA Au Pair Agency

Let us do the work of finding your next au pair for you!
Kangaroo au pair are now doing an au pair placement service! With this service we will take your family's details and then send you, only the au pairs that best suit your needs. In conjunction with our partner agencies across Europe we can offer au pairs from Spain, Germany, Austria, Italy and France. Y6u will then get the opportunity to Skype/phone the au pairs who are of most interest to you.
With all our placement au pairs we will provide the following:
Criminal record check
Medical check
reference checks
au pair form
copy of drivers licence (if available)
*Placement fee €250 (including €50 registration fee) or summer au pair placement €150 (including €50 registration fee).
For more information please call Marta on 01-8870310 or see www.KAaupairagency.ie