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 is an Au-Pair?
An Au-Pair is generally a young, unmarried person aged between 17 and 27 inclusive (EC applicants can occasionally be accepted over this age), 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.

Legal requirements
Some nationalities must obtain entry clearance (visa) before travelling. A1 KidsCare UK provides all the necesassary documents for obtaining the visa.

In principle, an Au-Pair who arrives with a visa should be admitted without more than cursory check. The Au-Pair should have a letter from the family for whom they are going to be an Au-Pair, inviting them to live as a member of the family whilst they are studying the language. The letter should include details of what the Au-Pair’s household duties will be and what payment the Au-Pair will receive. This information is also included in the documentation provided by A1 KidsCare UK.

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Where are Au-Pairs placed?
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, Turkey, UK and USA, and we are constantly expanding our operations into new countries.

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:

looking after children, which may involve supervising and accompanying them to nursery, school or certain events, going for walks or playing with them, as well as occasional evening baby-sitting
light housework and help with keeping the apartment tidy, for example help with washing and ironing, vacuuming, dusting and bed making
preparing breakfast and simple meals for children
looking after pets.

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Au-Pairs’ work and leisure time
The day-to-day household duties should generally not exceed 7 hours, with the addition of occasional baby-sitting (see table below). If, for some reason, more hours are required, there must be prior consultation. The overtime must be compensated for by extra time off and/or extra pocket money. 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 (see table below). 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.

How much does an Au-Pair get paid?
At A1 KidsCare UK we differentiate three categories of Au-Pairs, which are paid pocket money according to the number of hours and type of work they are prepared to do for their host family. Please read the following information carefully because in case of applying, the category you choose will be of crucial importance for successful matching.

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Application process
Upon receipt of the Au-Pair’s Application Form, the details and requests of the applying Au-Pair are thoroughly assessed and carefully matched with those of our families, with the aim of ensuring that the placement is pleasurable for both, the Au-Pair and the family.

Once accepted, the Au-Pair’s travel arrangements are made and the family is informed. The Au-Pair is met at the point of their arrival, or alternatively, the family pays for the Au-Pair’s transport to their home.

Do I need to pay the Agency?
NO! We look for a suitable family for each Au-pair at no cost. We only charge families, so our service to YOU is COMPLETELY FREE!

And that’s not all! At the end of your placement you will be awarded an AU-PAIR CERTIFICATE.