Being an Au Pair in the UK

Do you dream of waking up with an English breakfast waiting for you, calling your friends from a red phone box, having tea in the afternoon, or diving into the past in Stonehenge? Then the United Kingdom is the place for you!

Au pairing in the UK is a great opportunity to improve your English and discover English culture living with your host family. As long as you’re between 18 and 30 years of age, without children and some level of English, you can be an Au Pair in the UK. 

In the UK there is no specific programme for Au Pairs, but you would usually earn between ₤70 and ₤85 pocket money for around 25-30 hours work per week. Your main duties would be looking after your host family’s children and doing some light housework in exchange of food and lodging.

When it comes to holidays and spare time, you will be entitled to 2 days off per week, which should be a full week-end once month, and 4 weeks of paid holidays per 12-months.

Travel expenses, English classes and medical insurance are not covered by your host family, so please make sure you have enough money to bear the costs of your trip and your language school. If you’re an EU citizen and have a European Health Insurance Card, you are already entitled to receive some health treatments for free in the UK, but if you are a non-EU citizen, you should get private medical and travel insurance that will cover you for the length of your stay. 

Non-EU citizens coming from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Korea, Taiwan, British Overseas citizens, British Overseas Territories citizens and British nationals can apply for a Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) visa which has a validity of 2 years. In order to apply for this visa you should be able to prove that you have access to at least 1,890 GBP and have already a copy of your Au Pair contract signed by you host family.

Citizens from Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan need to have a certificate of sponsorship issued by their government. It's important that you request it in advance as the number of places and sponsorship certificates is limited. After receiving the certificate you need to apply for your visa within 3 months.

Please note that you cannot apply for a Tier 5 Youth Mobility scheme if you are already in the UK or if you have already participated in the Youth Mobility scheme or in the Working Holiday Maker scheme before.

Non-EU citizens coming from different countries than those mentioned above can still apply for other visas, such as the Tier 4 (General) Student Visa.

We suggest you contact your local UK Embassy or Consulate to check what type of visa programme you should apply for to enter the UK. 

For more information about being an Au Pair in the UK, take a look at the British Au Pair Agency Association.

Au pairing in London: visa requirements

What do I need to be an au pair in the UK?

In order to be an au pair in the UK you will need to be one of the following:
1.An EU citizen
2.An EEA or Swiss citizen
3. a British overseas territories citizen
4. a Commonwealth citizen with permission to enter or stay in the UK because at least one of your grandparents was born here eg you hold an Ancestral Visa

Au pairs from non-EU countries can apply for a UK Youth Mobility Visa if they are a citizen of one of the following countries:
Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco and New Zealand, South Korea and Taiwan. These nationals must obtain a Youth Mobility visa in order to be an au pair and must be aged 18-30 inclusive to qualify. For details of how and where to apply visit the following UK Border Agency webpage: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/working/tier5/youthmobilityscheme
The UK government imposes limits on the number of applicants per year who can come to the UK with a Youth Mobility visa.

For further information on visas and nationalities not covered here please refer to www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/

Other requirements:
An au pair must be an unmarried person aged between 17 and 30 who is without dependants. An au pair comes to the UK to learn English and live with an English-speaking family to work as an Au Pair. Au Pairs assist with housework and take care of any children in the household. The Au Pair normally receives pocket money and lodgings and would be expected to attend an educational institute at least twice a week to gain further English language skills.

For more information about visa regulations see http://www.kangarooaupair.com/au-pair-visas-and-regulations