Au Pair's forum
Site by Resolution
- Does the au pair have to eat with the family?
- Who pays for college?
- Does the au pair need to go the college?
- Can they drive in the UK?
- Who pays for petrol?
- How many weeks paid holiday?
- Can they get other jobs?
- What cleaning jobs will they do in the house?
- What happens if we have a problem with our au pair?
- What do they eat?
- Who pays the phone bill?
- What happens if we have problems with our au pair?
- What if the au pair falls ill?
- What happens if it doesn't work out?
- We have seperate accomodation; would the au pair be happy with that?
- Can an au pair have sole charge of a child under 2 years old?
- English classes for the au pair?
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the au pair have to eat with the family?
Most au pairs are happy to eat with the children or at separate times
to the parents as they understand that most parents do not have
much time to talk and the evening meal is often a precious time together.
However if there are times when the family has a meal altogether
please include your au pair. The main thing is to make the au pair feel
welcome and part of the family as much as possible.
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Who pays for college?
Most colleges are free to au pairs from the EU, but
if the college is not free the aupair will pay. If the aupair has to
pay the term to the college in advance some families will pay it and take
a small amount off there weekly pocket money. Families may also contribute
to the college fee if they are expensive.
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Does the au pair need to go the college?
It is important for the au pair to go
to college not only to improve their English but also to make friends with
other au pairs in the area.
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Can they drive in the UK?
If you would like an au pair to drive, we always recommend
that you give the au pair several driving lessons when they arrive.
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Who pays for petrol?
If you have a driver and the au pair has the car for
his/her private mileage, the au pair should pay the petrol. Some families
keep a notebook in the car for the au pair to write down their mileage
and then once the au pair has driven a tanks worth of petrol they will either
fill it or give the family the money.
The family should pay all the other car expenses e.g. tax insurance
etc….
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How many weeks paid holiday?
The au pair should have 2 weeks paid holiday
after being with a family for 6 months.
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Can they get other jobs?
Many au pairs do other cleaning jobs but it is important
that the au pair doesn’t do too many jobs or they will loose the flexibility
you may need.
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What cleaning jobs will they do in the house?
The au pairs will do light
housework and laundry but they are not cleaners so do not expect them
to clean the whole house i.e. bathrooms etc.. (Except their own). Some will
be happy to clean if they are paid extra money.
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What do they eat?
The au pairs will generally eat everything the family eats.
It is a good idea to take the au pair to the supermarket when you can
so if there is anything they would like they can point it out to you.
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Who pays the phone bill?
The au pair pays for the phone bill; it is a good
idea to give the au pair a discount number in order to phone abroad
cheaply. If you would like one of these please contact Toto’s.
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What happens if we have a problem with our au pair?
If you have any problems
with your au pair the best thing is to talk to him/her. Be very honest
and open otherwise small problems will become BIG problems very quickly.
If you would like to talk though these please contact Toto’s anytime.
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What if the au pair is ill?
The au pairs should be registered with your G.P
when they arrive and they entitled to free NHS treatment.
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What happens if it doesn’t work?
If you have problems with your au pair
that cannot be resolved you must give the au pair 2 weeks notice (this
works both ways) and we will either find the au pair a new family or
the au pair will have to go home. If it is in the 4 week trail period, Toto�s will find the family a free replacement.
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We have separate accommodation would an au pair be happy with that?
Some families have a separate annexe for the aupair. This
can work well if the au pair is slightly older and independent but
is important to make sure that he au pair is still integrated in the family
and made to feel welcome.
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Can an au pair have sole charge of a child under 2 years?
We will not place
au pairs with families if they need to be in sole charge of a child
under 2. Au pairs are not nannies and are not qualified to do this. We do
have mother’s helps or foreign nannies
who would be more suitable for this role.
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