An Au Pair is a single person between the ages of 17 and 27 without any dependants. They come here to learn English as part of an English speaking family. They are not domestic staff or employees but are a cultural exchange – they live as part of your family, join you for meals and have their own bedroom and receive a minimum of £60 pocket money per week . They help with childcare and light housework for 25 hours and can also do two evenings of babysitting.

It should be remembered that an Au Pairs experience with children can be limited and that they are not trained nannies or childminders. AU PAIRS SHOULD NOT HAVE SOLE CHARGE OF CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 2.

Your au pair should have 2 free days per week and should be free to attend language classes and Religious services if desired. They should be provided with their own bedroom and full board and lodging as part of your family.

They can stay in the UK for a maximum of 2 years and if from a non EEC country, they are not permitted to take a normal paid job in this country. Light household duties are accepted as part of an Au Pairs arrangement and are not regarded as employment

Au Pairs from EU countries can do more hours by mutual agreement. You and your Au Pair should agree between you the additional pocket money for the extra hours.

you are responsible for arranging car insurance. Check the age you can afford to insure prior to choosing an Au pair and also check the type of licence – for rules on driving in UK, go to www.dvla.gov.uk

Please note that if you need a driver you need to be aware that an Au Pair's driving ability may be an unknown quantity. Even if the Au Pair says that they have been driving for 5 years, they may have passed their test 5 years ago and not driven a car since; so you need to be sure of their driving ability before accepting them as your Au Pair. To help, in the Au Pair application process we ask for basic information such as: How often do you drive? What types of roads do you drive on – motorway, town, city, countryside? Have you had any accidents?

Ultimately, the decision to accept an Au Pair as a driver is your responsibility and you need to be sure that the Au pair is capable of driving – especially if you expect them to drive your children. We would suggest that once the Aupair arrives you arrange for a 2 hour driving lesson so that a qualified instructor can assess their driving ability. You may need to arrange more lessons!!! MY LAST AU PAIR HAD 6 HOURS OF LESSONS.