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Do you want to be an Au Pair?
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THE AGENCY
This introduction explains what being an Au Pair in the UK means. If everything goes well,
you will be able to spend a year in England in a pleasant and useful way -- at the end you
should speak English pretty well, and you will certainly know more about British life. The
Agency is there to help ensure that everything turns out all right.
Basic requirements
To be accepted by us, you must be a single person between the age of 18 and 27; you must
be competent at housework; if you want to work with children, you must show that you have
some previous successful experience of looking after children. You must prove you can
speak at least basic English. Most families expect an au pair to be a young woman - young
men are also allowed to be au pairs but it is more difficult to find a placement. It is
also possible to be in a family without children, or helping elderly people. If you have a
car driving licence this can be a very useful advantage.
The UK au pair scheme applies only to certain countries (see Your
Nationality, below). There are also some variations
to the general guidelines.
How it is arranged
When an English family which has seen your details offers you a place, the Agency will
contact you and tell you about the family. It is important to be able to respond quickly.
Once everything is agreed you will be sent a formal Letter of Invitation. After coming to
England you will be treated as a member of the family (not an employee). You will have
your own room, you will get full board and from £60 pocket money a week. The au pair's
duty is to work 25 hours a week in the home of the family. Your working hours will include
light housework - hoovering and cleaning, ironing, cooking, or helping in the kitchen -
and usually looking after the children.
Are you right for the job?
Generally the two most important requirements of the families are the following: when you
arrive in England, you must already speak some English, and, above all, you must be good
at handling children - playing, helping them to learn, it's never a passive job. Very
often you will be asked to take the children to school or kindergarten in the morning, and
pick them up in the afternoon, and do some cleaning while no-one is at home. Beyond the 5
hours working a day au pairs are completely free to enjoy their own time. You are entitled
to have two free days a week, usually at weekends. Two or three evenings a week you can be
asked to babysit, when the parents go out.
Studying English language
One of the most important purposes of your au pair stay in England is to improve your
English. Almost all the au pairs placed by our Agency go to a language school and take an
exam at the end of a 10 month period, usually the well-known Cambridge First Certificate
Exam. The other higher level exams are the Oxford Higher or the Cambridge Advanced
Certificate, and the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency. There are also specialist
courses for the English for Business exams of the London Chamber of Commerce. The tuition
fee comes from the money you earn. Our Agency has contacts with some local language
schools, where special courses are organised for au pairs, with reasonable fees.
Medical care
Most countries have agreements with Britain about medical care. No special health
insurance is normally needed. If necessary you have to pay standard charges for medicines,
and for dental treatment or optician services. Hospital treatment in any emergency is
free.
Are you ready for it?
You should only come to stay in England for a long time if you already have some
experience as a traveller, or you have been away from home on some occasion - if only for
a shorter time. You cannot perform your duties if you become homesick or unsettled, and
you may lose the opportunity to stay. So, think carefully about whether you really are
ready for it!
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An approved application form
can be seen here. You will then need to send
a nice close-up photo immediately, and supporting documents (listed below) when you have
got them ready.
Good luck, and keep in regular touch with any agency where you have sent an application!
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How to get ready
Au pairs have to make their own travelling arrangements to London, make their own bookings
and buy the fare. Plan ahead how you want to travel.
Au pairs have to be prepared, both mentally and practically, ready to start the visit.
Sometimes they are asked to come to England at short notice. Families sometimes need the
au pair urgently. In this case whoever can come sooner gets the job.
You will need to send the following documents to the agency:
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| a) |
a handwritten letter of
introduction - in English |
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| b) |
the completed euro pairs form
- in English, or please complete the online form |
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| c) |
2 recent close-up photos, and
2 more "interesting" photos, preferably with children - choose your photos well,
because these are your "advertisement" |
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| d) |
2 letters of reference (in
English or accompanied by an English translation) -- one should be from someone who knows
your personality and the kind of work you have done (e.g. you have looked after their
children), and one of them (from a teacher or employer) should report on your standard of
English language as well as your character and experience |
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| e) |
a simple doctor's certificate
or note stating that you are in good health |
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Communications
Nearly all au pair arrangements nowadays are made using e-mail or fax. Please
make sure you have given an e-mail address and/or a fax number, and (if the contact point
is not in your family) be sure you have made an arrangement to pass on any message sent to
you.
Changes
If you need to change the dates you want to come, or if you need to withdraw, or
perhaps if you are placed through another agency, or make a private arrangement, you
should ley other agencies know. Otherwise you will remain on their lists.
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Your Nationality
You can come to the United Kingdom as an au pair if you are a national of any of the
following countries:
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these European Union countries, countries in
the European Economic Area, and Switzerland:
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Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Estonia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, The Netherlands, Poland,
Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland |
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| and |
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Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria*,
Croatia, Faroe Islands, Greenland,
Macedonia (FYROM), Monaco, Romania*, San
Marino, Turkey |
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* Under current regulations nationals of Romania and Bulgaria
must get an accession worker card from the UK Border and Immigration Agency before taking
up an au pair placement. |
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You will need advance clearance if you are a
national of:
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Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia (FYROM), or Turkey |
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| Your au pair agency should be able to give you
advice on applying for an au pair visa at the British Embassy or Consulate in your home
country. For full official information on being an au pair in the UK, see the
Home Office website (see particuarly what to
expect and regulations
88-94), and for information and forms for obtaining a visa see UK
Visas. |
It is also
possible to make an arrangement similar to being an au pair as a Working Holidaymaker.
See the UK Home
Office website for more information about the scheme. This is limited to
nationals of countries
participating in the scheme, and will require an appropriate visa. |
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87 Greenfield Crescent
Patcham
BRIGHTON BN1 8HL
U.K.
telephone: (0044)(0) 1273 563-887
fax: (0044)(0) 1273 888-678
e-mail: info@euro-pairs.com
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