Live In Au Pair London
A live in au pair in London is normally a single person, male or female, aged 17 years or more, who comes to the UK as part of a language and cultural exchange programme. This means that they undertake to live with a UK-based family for an agreed period of 3-24 months and to help them with their children and light household chores for around 25 hours per week or an average of 5 hours per day. However please note that an Au Pair or Au Pair Plus may not have sole charge of children under the age of 2 years if both parents work outside the home. Furthermore only limited sole charge is permissible for children between the ages of 2 and 3 years when in the care of a live in au pair in London. If both parents go out to work, a Mothers Help or a Nanny is the appropriate choice for younger children & babies. For more details or to register for a Nanny or Mothers Help, please go to www.millennium-nannies.co.uk or click on the blue Millennium Nannies button on the bottom left hand side of this screen. This age restriction does not apply to evening babysitting or to mothers who are at home full time or are working part time from home.
In exchange for up to 25 hours a week of help live in Au Pairs must receive full board and lodging, including their own room for their exclusive use, and weekly pocket money of at least £70 a week outside London (we recommend at least £80 per week if you live in London). Good quality vetted live in au pairs in London are very sought after, so it is worth being generous and also considering making a contribution towards the cost of language classes or towards their air fare to the UK. They must have two days completely free from daytime work, ideally the weekends. However if the host mother or father have jobs which involve weekend work, it is possible for the Au Pair's day or days off to be given during the week, subject to prior agreement.
In addition to their daytime working hours, live in Au Pairs can babysit up to two week nights per week at no further cost to the hosts, provided advance warning is given. Weekend babysitting should not be assumed and should be optional &/or paid extra, as she may otherwise feel that she is missing out on weekend social events and activities with other au pairs.
EU/UK Working Time Regulations also apply to all au pairs living and working in the UK. We therefore recommend that live in au pairs in London and throughout the UK be given the statutory minimum holiday entitlement of 20 days paid holiday per year (1.66 days per month) plus 8 paid bank holidays on a pro rata basis. Bear in mind that if your au pair is only staying 6 months the entitlement will be halved and if she is only staying 3 months only a quarter of it will apply etc If your au pair is not staying or has not stayed a full year enter her start date and weekly hours worked into the calculator on the following link to work out exactly how many days' paid holiday are due:
http://businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1079427399
Au Pair in London
The amount of pocket money the au pair in London or the rest of the UK will receive for paid holidays will be the amount that they would normally be paid for those weeks.
Regarding UK bank holidays, if you require the au pair to work on a bank holiday because both parents have to go to work themselves, another day's paid holiday must be given in lieu to compensate for this.
If an au pair has not taken all her paid holiday entitlement by her last day with your family, payment for this must be added to an au pair's final pocket money. In other words, if an au pair has been unable to take all her paid holiday entitlement the correct amount of extra pocket money must be given in lieu of this untaken holiday on her last day of work with your family.
As the host family you must inform your au pair of how much paid holiday she will be entitled to and specify the times that would be most convenient for her to take holiday and any times when it will not be convenient for her to do so.
Holiday times must be mutually agreed in advance by the host family and the au pair. However an au pair cannot be compelled to take her paid holiday at the same time as the host family if for some reason is it not possible or convenient for her to do so. Pocket money must be paid in full should the family take a holiday and not require the services of the au pair during that period. An au pair in London and throughout the UK cannot be obliged to go home at her own expense &/or without pay or to take unpaid holiday while the host family is away. If the au pair is left to mind the family home additional money should also be made available for the purchase of food.
If a host family wishes to take an au pair on holiday with them, it must be decided in advance if it is a holiday for the au pair as well or if she will be working eg looking after the children, babysitting or doing housework in the holiday home.
Families are advised to keep a holiday sheet showing the dates of any paid holiday taken and with the au pair's signature.
The size of the room provided for the au pair in London and the UK does not matter, provided it is pleasantly decorated and large enough to accommodate a single bed, wardrobe and adequate storage space (if need be one can use space-saving furniture, such as drawers built in under the bed etc). There should also be a few book shelves. A television is optional but you should provide a radio & CD/cassette player. If possible a small desk and chair are helpful.
It is important to remember that this is not an Employer-employee relationship, but a cultural and language exchange based on mutual goodwill and respect. Building a good relationship is not always as straightforward as it sounds and the Agency is available to give advice and support when needed. At the outset, there is a month's trial period for the Au Pair and the new host family to get used to living together and we always ask that you use this trial period fully to give the au pair time to find her feet and adapt to a completely new environment. In the event of the relationship breaking down completely, two weeks notice will be required by each party. This will give the Agency time to find you a new Au Pair and to relocate your Au Pair to a new host family.
Your Au Pair will need to attend English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes for on average 2-4 hours per week. For details of these please contact your local Education Department or ask at your nearest library. Most adult education centres offer part time EFL classes as do many local colleges and private language institutions.
Normal Au Pair duties include childcare, preparing light meals for the children, tidying, washing and ironing, light housework such as dusting, sweeping/mopping, vacuuming, cleaning the kitchen or bathroom. Jobs which are not considered routine light housework include wiping down skirting boards and paintwork, polishing brass or silver etc . If your Au Pair will be expected to do more than 1-2 hours cleaning a day, then it is important that you make this clear at the outset, to make sure that he or she is happy to do the amount required. Traditionally the Au Pair's work is at least 50% child related, so any variation on this needs to be discussed and agreed in advance. If she will be the only person doing most of the weekly housework, or if the job involves little or no childcare, both the Agency and the Au Pair should be told this in advance. Au pairs in London and the UK should not be asked to mow the lawn, do gardening, clean cars either inside or out or to clean outside windows, except by prior agreement. Some male Au Pairs may be willing to undertake such tasks instead of doing indoor housework. An Au Pair must not be asked to clean any place of business or any home other than the host family's.
Driving should only be asked of an au pair in London and thoughout the UK if strictly necessary and should not be commenced until at least the third week of the au pair’s stay to allow time for her to settle in and adjust to her surroundings beforehand. The process should never be rushed as girls can go to pieces when pressured into driving too quickly. Also driving standards vary a good deal between countries so plenty of practice must be given in opposite side of the road driving and formal driving lessons provided as required. There is always a shortage of confident female au pair drivers over the age of 21. This is because in Eastern Europe few girls in this age group drive regularly. Many western European candidates are only 19 or 20 years old, though many have their own cars and drive daily.
