Au Pairs

This page provides some background to the au pair programme. If you would like us to help you find an au pair please see our au pair service.

What is an au pair?

An au pair is a single person aged between 17 and 27 years of age who will come to the United Kingdom to improve their English and learn something of our culture.

• Au pairs will live for up to two years as a member of an English-speaking family with appropriate opportunities for study
• An au pair will help in the home for up to five hours a day with at least two full days off per week.

An au pair should be treated as a family member.

Au pairs must be nationals of the following countries: European Union (including the new accession countries Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Romania), Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Macedonia, Monaco, San Marino and Turkey.

Nationals from the following countries will need visas: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey.

An au pair should be prepared to:

Help care for the children and light household duties.

List of housework duties accepted as light housework:

• Washing dishes, including loading and unloading dishwasher
• Preparing simple meals for children
• Keeping kitchen tidy and clean, including sweeping and mopping floors
• Loading and unloading laundry into washing machine
• Ironing for children
• Putting washed clothes away
• Vacuuming
• Dusting
• Making and changing children’s beds
• Cleaning children’s bathroom
• Everything to do with keeping their own room/bathroom clean and tidy
• Light shopping (not the household shopping)
• Walking and feeding pets
• Emptying bins

List of duties considered unsuitable for an au pair

• Gardening
• Window cleaning
• Spring cleaning
• Cleaning the oven, other than simple wiping out
• Washing carpets
• Washing the car
• Weekly shopping
• Pet training
• Clearing up after untrained pets
• Making parents bed*
• Ironing for parents *
• Cleaning parents’ en-suite bathroom*
• Polishing silver and brassware*
• Cooking the family meal, unless the au pair enjoys cooking and has chosen to do this for the family

*these duties can be included where there is less childcare and the children are out of the house for most of the day

An au pair should be given adequate time and opportunity to attend language classes if required. In addition they may be asked to baby-sit for up to 2 evenings per week. An au pair should have 2 free days per week including the evening.

Duty hours for an au pair are regarded as those hours during which they are required to be available and are not free to leave the house or pursue their own activities. They are considered to be on duty if they are required to be in the home or with the children even if they are not actively involved in caring for the children, for instance if the children are sleeping.

Weekly payment for the au pair

• £60 minimum for 25 hours per week.
• £70 minimum for 30 hours per week.
• £80 minimum for 35 hours per week.
• £3.50 minimum per hour for extra babysitting.
• For full time hours, for example during school holidays, it is recommended au pairs should receive a minimum of £120 per week.

An au pair will expect to:

• Receive food, accommodation and a weekly payment. Some families also make a contribution towards language classes and travel. An au pair should have their own bedroom and be treated as a member of the family and participate in family outings.
• Have sufficient time off to attend English classes and to receive help from the family to find suitable classes.

Travel to and from the UK

Au pairs are responsible for their own travel costs to and from the UK. It is essential for an au pair to ensure they have a return ticket or enough money to pay for their return journey home.

Language School

Au pairs should have the opportunity to attend language school and families should give every assistance to make this possible.

Whilst au pairs are responsible for the cost of their own language courses it may be appropriate for families to make a contribution.

Car Driving

Standards of driving and the requirements for obtaining a Driving Licence vary considerably throughout the different countries. It is the responsibility of the host family to satisfy themselves that their au pair is competent to drive the car or to have the responsibility for driving the children in their care. It is possible that some au pairs may need driving lessons in this country before the family can consider them competent to drive in the UK. An au pair should not be held responsible for the payment of any insurance excess in the event of any accident. It is the responsibility of the host family to check that their car insurance policy will cover their au pair. Au pairs from countries within the EU are able to drive indefinitely in the UK with their original driving licence. Au pairs from countries outside the EU are limited to 12 months from their date of entry to the UK - after 12 months they will need to take the UK driving test (practical and theory) to allow them to continue driving in the UK.

Medical & Insurance Cover

Au pairs from the European Union can receive medical treatment in the UK under reciprocal Health Care Agreements.

Au pairs from other countries should confirm with the embassy prior to their departure to the UK of the reciprocal Health Care Agreements available, but in any case will be entitled to receive emergency treatment from Family Practitioners or Hospitals in the UK but may be charged a fee in some situations.

We strongly advise that all au pairs ensure that they have adequate personal and medical insurance prior to their departure from their home country.

Police Registration

Au pairs requiring to register with the police upon arrival will be advised to do so at immigration. Their passport will be stamped instructing them to register within 7 days of arrival. The host family will need to contact their local police station where they will be directed to the closest registration centre. Police registration costs £34.

Use of Telephone

Families need to make clear to au pairs the “house rules” for the use of the telephone, whether the au pair needs to ask for permission to use the telephone for all calls or for long-distance or international calls only.