Au Pair Information

What does an Au Pair do?

Au pairs can expect to do a mixture of childcare and light housework, to assist with the children, perhaps helping them to dress, getting them breakfast, taking and collecting them from school, preparing meals and keeping their rooms tidy. There may also be some dusting, vacuuming, ironing, washing and bed making etc. An Au-Pair works 25 - 30 hours per week (generally five hours a day) and possibly two evenings a week babysitting. The hours maybe spilt differently however, depending on the requirements of your family.

The Au Pair has his/her own room and meals are generally taken with the family. "Pocket-money" is paid and is negotiated with the family (in the United Kingdom the recommended minimum amount for the weekly allowance is £70).

Language

Many young people choose to become Au Pairs in order to acquire fluency in a foreign language and living as part of a family is an ideal way to achieve this. The Au Pair may also want to go to a language school and the family should facilitate this. This is an excellent way of meeting other young people. While the Au Pair is responsible for the cost of the school, some families will make a contribution. Many language schools in Scotland now provide English classes for Au Pairs free of charge

Holidays

Au pairs are entitled to one weeks paid holiday for every six months. All Au Pairs have two full days off per week and are not expected to baby-sit on these evenings unless there is some arrangement between the Au Pair and family. The family may ask the Au Pair to do additional duties for which they should give extra pocket money in return. This should be agreed between family and Au Pair.

Medical/insurance cover

EU nationals are entitled to free medical treatment in the UK under the National Health Service and must register with a GP on arrival. Au Pairs from other countries should check that there is a reciprocal agreement between their own country and the UK and ensure that they have adequate medical and accident insurance cover. If there are any doubts this should be checked with the relevant embassy which will certainly know of the rights of its citizens in the UK. Dental treatment is usually not part of the NHS.

Travel

Au pairs are expected to cover the cost of travel to the country in which they are to be employed. Arrangements will be made for them to be collected from the airport/station by the host family or by agency staff.

Car Driving

You should only say that you are a car driver if you are confident about driving in the UK. An international driving permit is not required for driving in the UK if you are an EU citizen. It may be helpful if you have one or two driving lessons in the UK before driving the family’s car. Remember to bring your licence!

What happens next?

To apply for a European placement download the Au Pair Application Form, and Medical Record Form. The application process for the USA is different and applicants should first view our American partner’s website www.goaupair.com for information about their placement program.

Please complete your application form and return it to us as quickly as possible with at least two references – one childcare and one character, medical record form, "Dear Family" letter, personal photographs and a photocopy of the photo page from your passport. For outbound Au Pairs the complete application package will be forwarded to partner agents in Europe who will propose suitable families and forward files for you to view. For Au Pairs coming to Scotland the matching process is carried out by Au Pair Ecosse. The ‘Dear Family ‘ letter should be in the language of your target country, describing yourself, why you want to work in the host country, your hobbies, experience with children, ambitions etc. The application form and photographs will be seen by the family when they decide whether to offer you a place as their Au Pair. The more information you provide, the quicker we can place you with a family. Please send us your application form, the other documents and photographs by post.

Follow up

As soon as we have found a suitable family we will send them your details and a phone call will be arranged. If you and the family agree a placement we will send an Au Pair agreement form for you to sign. A copy of this will be sent to the family who will sign a family agreement form. We will retain copies of both.

The agency will maintain contact with the family and Au Pair and will be happy to discuss any problems the Au Pair you have which they are unhappy discussing with the family directly. Dates of social events will be emailed to the Au Pairs in the course of their stay along with details of new arrivals. Information about language schools will also be made available.

Certificate

On successful completion of your stay in Scotland you will be presented with a certificate of achievement on request

Au Pairing is a cost effective way of spending a Gap Year and will guarantee that you start your university studies with fluency in a language and lots of useful life experience.
We can process applications for Europe, America, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico and the USA through partnerships with agents in these countries and also through our membership of IAPA. It may be possible to arrange placements with other IAPA agents not included on this list.
There is always a demand for English speaking applicants and it may be possible to specify the city or area where you would like to be placed. Our agents in France can place in Lyon, Paris, Bordeaux, Biarritz, Geneva, Lille etc. and in Germany, we have agents based in Berlin, Munich and so on. We also have links with agencies in Spain in Barcelona, Murcia, Madrid, Santander.... We use agents who look after their Au Pairs well and ensure that the families pay a good rate of pocket money and some will also cover the costs of language school and public transport in the local area. Most of our partner agents will organise social events and gatherings for the Au Pairs or at least provide them with contact details of local Au Pairs.

Familes are not looking for childcare qualifications but do expect some experience of working with children as babysitter, guide leader, youth group leader or whatever, so if you are thinking about applying to be an Au Pair it's a good idea to start getting as much experience as possible. To read about the experience of some Scottish Au Pairs see our Au Pair Experience page.

Au Pairing in the USA with our American partner

Go Au PAIR uses a Mutual Match system to help Au Pairs and Host Families find the perfect fit. Host Families review Au Pair applications and contact Au Pairs they are interested in. Before a match is made, Au Pairs will speak with the Host Family on the phone and review their application. When a Host Family would like to match with an Au Pair, they will make an offer which the Au Pair will then decide to accept or reject, giving Au Pairs the final decision.

Year Long Support

All Au Pairs and Host Families will receive support from their Local Area Representative. Local Area Representatives have the following responsibilities:

Screen potential Host Families by conducting the Host Family Interview
Conduct the Au Pair/Host Family Orientation shortly after the Au Pair’s arrival
Monitor the Host Family and Au Pair’s relationship through monthly contacts, cultural activities and family day events
Ensure all participants adhere to the program rules and regulations
Mediate any problems or issues that may arise between the Au Pair and Host Family

Answer questions, address concerns and aid in matters specific to the local area, such as educational opportunities

For more information see the goAUPAIR website www.goaupair.com

Au Pairing in Scotland

Scotland is a small country with the majority of the population living in the central belt - Glasgow, Stirling, Edinburgh - but with lively cities elsewhere, such as Aberdeen in the north east and Inverness in the north. We have our own parliament and our government has made money available for provision of free English classes in some, but not all, areas of the country. Advanced English classes in Glasgow have become very busy recently so we have organised our own private class for the past two years.

Our Au Pairs consistently say that they find us friendly and easy going as a nation and they love our varied landscapes, which more than make up for the unpredictable weather. As the saying goes - 'if you don't like the weather, just wait ten minutes'.
Public transport here can be expensive, but the distances aren't huge so it is possible for most Au Pairs to attend social events in Edinburgh or Glasgow where they can meet other girls and boys who are placed with families in different parts of the country.

We provide Au Pairs with a list of email contacts and we have a Facebook page to facilitate contact between Au Pairs. We try to meet all Au Pairs shortly after their arrival here and are always available if the Au Pair wants to discuss any issues they may have with the family.

A social event for some of our Au Pairs

Our Edinburgh and Glasgow ceilidhs are very popular - this is an evening of dancing to Scottish traditional music which takes place weekly in Glasgow and monthly in Edinburgh. The events are organised for students and vistors to the cities, not just for Au Pairs and they are always well attended. For more information see www.teannaich.com and www.sloanesglasgow.com.
Some words about their experience of Scotland from three Au Pairs:
First Inga, who came to Edinburgh for 3 months:

It' s no problem for me to write a few sentences about my expierences in Scotland, I feel at home here and I think that it is a nice idea to promote this part of great britain for the german girls!

Edinburgh, Sitz der schottischen Parlaments, ist unbedingt ein Aufenthalt wert. Die Stadt siegte 2005 bei einer Umfrage im Vergleich zu allen anderen Staedten in Grossbritannien, was das Angebot an Ausgehmoeglichkeiten, Kultur usw angeht. Im August findet das bekannte Fringe- Festival statt und ziehlt bis zu einer halben Million Besucher an. Fuer Aupairs ist der schottische Akzent bestimmt etwas gewoehnungsbeduerftig, allerdings aht man auf der anderen Seite auch Gelegenheit, die ganz spezielle Seite und Gastfreundschaft der Schotten kennenzulernen! Das Angebot an Sprachschulen in Edinburgh ist riesig, es gibt ein gut ausgebautes Busnetz und auch ausserhalb der Stadt unheimlich viel zu entdecken, zu erkunden und kennenzulernen!

Flora from Paris spent 10 months with a famiy in Crieff:

I was looking after two children aged 10(girl) and 13(boy) years old in Crieff, small town. The whole family was very friendly, i was a real part of them. The kids were nicer than i imagined before i came there. During the term, i stayed with them and played (trampoline, monopoly etc) or went out(cinema, shopping...). They learnt me some “urban words”. It was so funny, it remembered my little brother and I when we were young.
I cooked french recipes,( i think they liked) and baked cakes or muffin with the youngest child. Thus, i helped her with her french homeworks.
I spent an awesome time in Scotland and i can't forget it, no never! it was a wonderful experience and i recommend it to anyone.
I'd like to thank you my host mother for EVERYTHING, she was so lovely and kind with me.
It's so hard to leave them and come back at home. I already miss them all.
Best wishes
Flora

Experience of Scottish Au Pairs in Europe – testimonials and photographs

Martinia Williams was an au pair in France in 2010. She enjoyed it so much she has reapplied for 2011!

After finishing the contract as a Teaching Assistant that I held during my year abroad, I decided that I wasn’t ready to leave France! Au pairing seemed like the obvious choice for something to do- I wouldn’t have to worry about looking for accommodation, I would be obliged to speak a lot of French and I loved kids. A friend of mine put me in touch with Au Pair Ecosse and I found a family within a couple of weeks.

The first forty-eight hours of being in the family were quite daunting. The children were quite shy and not sure of what to make of this person who was going to be looking after them for the summer! But we soon bonded over their spending time on the swings. My favourite part of the au pair experience was definitely reliving my own childhood- we played a lot of Tag, Hide-and-Seek and ‘What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf?’ (their particular favourite!).  

Parts of the job were definitely hectic. Three children below the age of five are a lot! But it was definitely worth it. I feel like my confidence speaking French improved, and I had an unforgettable summer. I got to see some beautiful parts of the country and enjoyed spending time with the children.

Experience of Eleanor-a third year French and German student at St Andrews University who went to France as a summer Au Pair

I was looking after two girls aged 7 and 9 in a village outside Paris. The parents were lovely and I was made to feel at home and never had to work longer than my 30 hours. The girls were not easy but in between the daily battles (on everything from bed-making to clothing to wearing flip-flops to school) I liked them very much, and it was certainly never boring! My French came on enormously (and my cooking skills improved, as I had to feed the children, which I very much enjoyed: they were also subjected to Scottish baking, and millionaires' shortbread was a definite success). Sun, 34 degrees, origami birds, water fights, a serious initiation in the art of playing 'chat perché', and a new job as the resident horse, ever available for rides, made up a thoroughly enjoyable and interesting summer. Most importantly, I have learned that you can indeed say 'Whatever ye say, yersel' in French: the answer to everything (in particular 'T'es nulle!', T'es pas gentille!' and 'T'es méchante!') is 'N'importe quoi!'

Thank you very much for all your help. I had a lovely time and would recommend it to anyone who does not mind being away from home and possibly having to cope with far from angelic children: mine were really fine and I generally enjoyed working with them, but some of the other Au Pairs in my village had awful kids. It is definitely worthwhile trying to something with your time off: I was lucky enough to have my weekends free and went to church. The congregation was very kind and welcoming, and lovely as my family was, it was good to get involved in something outside work.

Thanks again and best wishes,
Eleanor

Experience of Louise, who spent 12 months with a family in Geneva, looking after three children, Oriane, Erine and Loris, age 7, 6 and 4.

I’d say that this year has been a lot harder work wise than I thought, but my French is so much better now, I have a lot more confidence in myself, and I’ve grown up A LOT. I’ve learned a lot more than childcare and French during the year. The hardest thing has been learning to live with another family, to adapt your life to theirs – you have to be very adaptable and can’t always do what you like.

The Au Pair who was here before me thought it would be like a bit of a holiday, with a couple of nights a week babysitting, free lodging and food. She was a bit surprised to find out she’d have to look after the children twice a week from 7am till 7pm! Obviously it’s different with every family but you have to be prepared to earn your keep. You also have to be ready to integrate with the family and especially the kids, who may feel no need to try to get on well with you – they are in their own home with their own parents and will quickly understand whether you care about getting on with them. You need to be able to take comments and criticism without arguing – you are there to help and to learn and you should try your best to do things the way the family wants them done. It has been easier than I imagined being away from friends and family though – when you’re working hard the time goes by quickly, and the internet makes it very easy to keep in touch. My biggest tip is just to expect the unexpected and to have an open mind. There will be times you are a bit down and want to go home but there are times you’ll be enjoying yourself too much to notice! I know I would recommend this to anyone and if I had a chance to go back a year I would definitely do it again!
Good luck, Louise

Louise is now studying Law with French Law at Aberdeen University

On being an Au Pair: Louise’s twin sister Jennifer spent 11 months with a family in a small village in North East France, looking after Camille and Guillaume, age 4 and 2

My year in France was a great experience. It was a bit daunting at the start – everyday French was quite different to what we learnt at school. I had hoped to be in a city or town but found myself in a small village; however the family were lovely and did everything they could to make me feel at home. I found that living in a village had advantages – the locals were very welcoming and I soon knew everyone in the village. Over the year I realised my ambition of becoming fluent in French but I also matured, gained a lot of self-confidence and now feel I can tackle anything!

Jennifer is now studying French, Psychology and Spanish at St. Andrews University

And a mother’s view point from Anne, whose daughter Megan split her gap year between Germany and France prior to starting a primary teaching degree.

Sending your child to work as an aupair is a daunting prospect - will she be safe? Will she cope? Will the family make her welcome? We felt less than confident in the agencies we were in touch with. Mégan seemed no more than a number, hastily computer-matched with families far outside the area we had specified. So it was a tremendous relief when Ruth from Aupair Ecosse contacted us personally. Communication with her was effortless and efficient; she understood our worries and really seemed to care that Mégan found the right match. Before signing the contract Mégan was in regular phone and email contact with her family and already felt she knew them a little. Crucially, she understood what would be expected of her and what she could expect in return. The family she's aupairing for have been more than kind. Au-pairing can be hard work and caring for three children is a big responsibility; Mégan tells us her coping skills have grown, along with her sense of humour. Four months on she's speaking German confidently and navigating the Frankfurt underground like a native. Most importantly, she's happy and up for the challenge of aupairing in France next year - again through Aupair Ecosse. We recommend Ruth Campbell's service highly.

Au Pair application form

Click on the link above to download au pair application form. Print off, fill in, and return or save to your computer, fill in and email to us at ruth@aupairecosse.com.

Please include with your application: Letter to Family, Photographs, References, Medical Certificate and Police Check Certificate

If you are unsure whether you can come to the UK as an au pair please consult the Home Office website,