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| Information
for families / AU-PAIR
service |
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Do I
need an Au-Pair?
Do you need help at home with looking
after the (child)ren and doing the housework?
If yes, then an Au-Pair may be just what
you need.
What
does “Au-Pair” actually mean?
The word “au-pair” derives from
the French expression “at par”,
which means “equal to” or “on
equal terms”. An Au-Pair comes to live
as part of the family, and is treated as
a family member, in the sense that they
eat with the family, have their own bedroom
and take part in the occasional family outing
and sometimes holiday. In return, the Au-Pair
is usually expected to take on certain duties
to help out the family.
What
are Au-Pairs?
An Au-Pair is generally a young, unmarried
person aged between 17 and 27 inclusive,
with no dependents and coming from abroad,
usually to improve their knowledge of a
foreign language and to experience a new
culture and way of life.
A1 KidsCare UK deals with the following
countries: Andorra, Australia, Austria,
Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland,
Guadeloupe, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia,
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia,
Malta, Morocco, Monaco, New Zealand, Netherlands,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino,
Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, and Turkey, UK and USA, and
we are constantly expanding our operations
into new countries.
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What
are the general duties of an Au-Pair?
The day-to-day work of an Au-Pair depends
on the nature and lifestyle of the host
family.However, their duties generally include:
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looking after children, which may involve
supervising and accompanying them to
nursery, school or certain events;
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going for walks or playing with them,
as well as occasional evening baby-sitting;
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light housework and help with keeping
the apartment tidy,
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for example help with washing and ironing,
vacuuming, dusting and bed making;
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preparing breakfast and simple meals
for children looking after pets.
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Au-Pairs’ working hours,
leisure time and pocket money
Standard Au-Pair working hours are 5 hrs/day, 5 days/week for
which the Au-Pair should receive min. £55/wk. If,
for some reason, more hours are required, this must be indicated
on the application form and discussed with the Au-Pair prior
to acceptance. The overtime must be compensated for by extra
time off and/or extra pocket money (ie £2/hr).
The division of working time is organised according to the conditions
and needs of the family. However, the Au-Pair must be allowed
to attend English classes if they wish to do so, and they must
have at least one and a half days off a week. If the Au-Pair
is accepted by the family for a full year, a holiday of 4 weeks
is due to her. When the family goes on holidays, the Au-Pair
often accompanies them and is responsible for carrying out certain
duties, such as looking after the children.
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Application
process/Service fees
Upon receipt of the family’s Application
Form, the details and requests of the
applying family are thoroughly assessed
and carefully matched with those of our
Au-Pairs, with the aim of ensuring that
the placement is pleasurable for both
the family and the Au-Pair.
The family is then offered
portfolios of Au-Pair candidates who match
their requirements. The Au-pair's information
normally consists of the candidate's application
form, baby-sitting references, an essay
of themselves, their hobbies and interests,
and some photos of themselves. As soon
as the family selects a candidate(s) whom
they consider to be most suitable, a telephone
interview is arranged so that the family
can speak to and interview the candidate.
This also gives the candidate an opportunity
to ask the family questions relevant to
their vacancy.
Once an Au-Pair is accepted,
A1 KidsCare UK sends documents required
for finalising the placement and an invoice
to the family. When the documents and
payment are received, the Au-Pair's travel
arrangements are made. A1 KidsCare UK
informs the family of the Au-Pair's travel
arrangements and the Au-Pair is met by
the family at the point of arrival. Alternatively,
the family pays the Au-Pair's transport
from that point to their home. From that
moment on, as long as the Au-Pair appreciates
that this is not a paid holiday and that
the family is accepting them into their
home and offering full board and pocket
money, and that the family members appreciate
that they are engaging a student and not
a domestic servant, this is an excellent
arrangement which usually ends with warm
memories and often a friendship that last
a lifetime.
A1 KidsCare UK offers highly competitive prices
which start from £90 for a one-off service fee,
depending on the type and length of Au-Pair service you require.
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AU-Pair
category/Placement period (up to)
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6 months & over
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£267 inc. VAT (cca 387 EUR inc. VAT)
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5 months
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£239 inc. VAT (cca 347 EUR inc. VAT)
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3 months
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£150 inc. VAT (cca 217 EUR inc. VAT)
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1 months
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£90 inc. VAT (cca 130 EUR inc. VAT)
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What’s more, the service fee is due only
after the selection of a suitable candidate by
the family.
Until we actually find you
an Au-Pair, no money will leave your account!
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| APPLICATION
FORM |
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Customer
testimonials
The
Au-pair package was everything we hoped it would be. We thoroughly
benefiitted from it from the beginning to the end. We are
still in touch wiith the girl who was our fiirst au-pair and
are getting on brilliantly with the new one.
We
regret not using your service much earlier.
Mr
& Mrs CARTER, Essex, UK
Thank
you for making a special effort, we had never had an Au-Pair
before. In the past 18 months Ana made such a dramatic change
to our lives that we now can't imagine life without an
Au-pair again.
Mrs
Cecille MAGALI, Rennes, France
We
hesitated for a long time about using an agency, until a friend
recommended you to us. We have been so impressed with your
approach and then Marija's work that we will definitely use
your company again.
Mrs
Joan MASON, West Midlands, UK
You
are to be congratulated on your professionalism.
Mr
Klaus SCHWARZ, Berlin, Germany
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Customer
testimonials
The
Au-pair package was everything we hoped it would be. We thoroughly
benefiitted from it from the beginning to the end. We are
still in touch wiith the girl who was our fiirst au-pair and
are getting on brilliantly with the new one.
We
regret not using your service much earlier.
Mr
& Mrs CARTER, Essex, UK
Thank
you for making a special effort, we had never had an Au-Pair
before. In the past 18 months Ana made such a dramatic change
to our lives that we now can't imagine life without an
Au-pair again.
Mrs
Cecille MAGALI, Rennes, France
We
hesitated for a long time about using an agency, until a friend
recommended you to us. We have been so impressed with your
approach and then Marija's work that we will definitely use
your company again.
Mrs
Joan MASON, West Midlands, UK
You
are to be congratulated on your professionalism.
Mr
Klaus SCHWARZ, Berlin, Germany
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