What is an au pair?

Au pairs are unqualified and they always live in as part of the family... UK Home Office standard guidelines for au pairs are as follows:

An au pair placement is an arrangement whereby a single person aged from 17 to 27 inclusive, comes to the United Kingdom to study English; and lives for up to two years as a member of an English-speaking family while they learn English; and helps in the home for a maximum of 5 hours per day, with at least two full days off per week, in return for a reasonable allowance (pocket money) and the use of a room of his or her own.

Typical au pair duties will include taking and collecting children from school or nursery, assisting with light housework including washing and ironing. Au pairs are most suited to families with children over pre-school age as they are not usually trained to work with children and therefore are not considered suitable to look after children under the age of three for long periods of time, while parents are out.

The au pair will supervise and look after school children out of school hours, keeping them to a routine and helping with homework, etc. She can also prepare a light meal for the children and organise bathtime if required. Please remember that au pairs are NOT trained nannies nor are they domestic servants an au pair should not be expected to take full responsibility for the children and all the household tasks and we advise au pairs not to be left in sole charge of children under the age of 2 years.

They must have their own room, full board and be paid pocket money as agreed. We will supply the family and au pair with a printed welcome pack to help both parties settle into the arrangement, and support the family and au pair at any stage of the placement, most crucially the integral early weeks.

The au pair will be able to speak a basic level of English in order to be able to converse with the family, and here at Toto’s we only register au pairs with an intermediate level of English, and their stay can be from two months up to two years. The au pair will be responsible for paying their own travel costs (except for the Polish au pairs where family is responsible to pay travel costs) to and from the UK as well as any school fees.
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Au pair plus

An au pair plus will work for up to 35hrs per week.

Traditional au pair– 5 hours per day for 5 days plus 2 nights baby sitting per week; £60 - £80 per week
Au Pair Plus- 7-8 hours per day for 5 days plus 2 nights babysitting per week; £80 - £100 per week

It is recommended that the Host Family pay the au pair once a week, in advance, so that they have some pocket money for shopping and some personal bits and pieces.
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Au Pair Couples

If you need more than one pair of extra hands, then why not consider an au pair couple. The Au pair couples are very settled as they have their support net-work readily available if you have a big family or lots to do in your house this can be an ideal solution. If you are an au pair couple thinking about this, it can be a great way of working with a friend or boy/girlfriend. Couples are normally a boyfriend / girlfriend pairing, with a range of diverse skills which may include painting, decorating and gardening as well as the traditional childcare competences. We have recently heard of some au pair couples helping to run restaurants, pubs and even care homes, so the responsibilities don’t just have to be about a traditional au pair role. The couples can do either the au pair hours of 25 each or the Au pair plus hours of 35 – 40 per week depending on your needs and you would pay them accordingly. Sometimes families prefer to give the couple a food allowance of £25 each per week.
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Au Pair in the country already

We do have au pairs already in the country. Some of these au pairs may have already enjoyed working for other families and they are keen to remain in the country rather than go home, others may have been in unhappy families and they have decided to move to another Host Family and the remainder might have come over to work in another field of employment and have chosen to change to being an au pair. If it is your first time employing an au pair, you may be keen to meet them first. Alternatively, you may require an au pair at short notice and this facility can help you to speed up the process enormously.
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Mothers help

The mothers helps are more experienced with children than the au pairs. They tend to be older than the au pairs and have a better grasp of the English language. Where the mother is at home with the children she wants another pair of hands to help with the care of the children and housework. It is important for the mothers helps to like children and to be flexible about duties.
Typical duties expected of a Mother’s Help are:

Assisting the Mother with the daily routine from the time the children get up until they are in bed.
Sorting and putting laundry in the washing machine and tumble dryer, ironing, then putting away clean clothes. Ensuring that repairs are made when necessary.
Assisting with shopping and cooking, cleaning children’s rooms and play areas (light housework). Most households employ cleaners for the heavy work.
Playing with and entertaining children creatively, taking them to nursery school or approved play schemes, babysitting once or twice a week.
May accompany the family to the country for weekends and holidays.
Time off is two days a week and will do up to two nights a week babysitting.

Wages are between £170 - £200 depending on experience and they work 40 hours per week.
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Housekeeper

Our experienced housekeepers will care for your home, carrying out duties as required from daily domestic work and errands to, in some cases, acting as a companion to an elderly person. The ideal answer for time pressed professionals and the elderly who need a little extra help around the home or for couples and families who want more than just a cleaner, but don’t require formal childcare. All our housekeepers are fully screened and can speak a reasonable level of English.

The role of a housekeeper

Domestic cleaning, vacuuming, dusting & polishing
Laundry: washing, ironing, sorting, putting away clean items
Making and changing beds
Grocery shopping
Meal preparation and cooking
General chores: collecting dry cleaning, pet minding
House-sitting

Wages are between £200 - £300 depending on experience and they work 40 hours per week. As their employer you will need to register for PAYE and NIC in the normal way. Please note we often place Housekeeper Couples if you have a larger home, with the men having maintenance and gardening duties.
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Carer

We supply Carers to the elderly, infirm and people with mild disabilities. Their needs can range from someone who needs a low level of Care such as being cooked for, help with mobility, dog walking, driving or a Companion role to more full time Care. On an initial telephone request for this service we will come out and assess your needs. There is a charge of 40p a mile (from our offices in Pinkney to you) together with a Registration fee of £75. Once we have assessed your needs we will find a suitable Carer for you and there will be a placement fee payable and you will be responsible for the Carers Salary which can range from �£300-�£500 a week. (More Specialist Care is �£500+) Most Carers are Self Employed and unlike Housekeepers they will sort out all their Tax / NIC issues and you will just pay them a weekly Gross Salary. For a fact sheet and details on the Fee scale please contact us.
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Au pair support

We work hard to place our au pairs in families well matched, and to make our au pair’s stay in the U.K a happy and fullfilliing one. We offer summer placements, as well as short (1 to 6 month) and long term (6 month +) placements.
We offer our au pairs a high degree of support, including:

a “Welcome to the U.K” pack, including info on settling in with your new family and their children.
We offer pre-departure assistance with regard to visas, transportation and insurance.
Information about language schools and study opportunities in the host country.
Contact lists of other au pairs in your area.
Support from the agency in case of emergency cover.
Careful screening and matching of your needs and lifestyle to the family you are placed with.

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