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Visit our website: www.PARAGON-Personnel.com. ]]> http://paragon-personnel.com/blog/2009/10/13/happy-thanksgiving/feed/ 0 http://paragon-personnel.com/blog/2009/05/05/nanny_vancouver_nannies/ http://paragon-personnel.com/blog/2009/05/05/nanny_vancouver_nannies/#comments Mon, 04 May 2009 22:52:49 +0000 admin http://paragon-personnel.com/blog/?p=61 Mother’s day is a wonderful time for each of us to take a moment and celebrate Mom.

On this special day tell your mom (again and again) how much you love her, make a poem, write a letter, take mom out to her favorite restaurant, buy flowers, give her a day off (let her relax while the rest of the family does the work), etc.

Touch your mothers heart by writing these sentimental quotes in Mother’s Day cards, letters or gift wraps.

• “A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.” — Diana, Princess of Wales

• “By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacationless class.” — Anne Morrow Lindbergh

• “A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.” — Dorothy Canfield Fisher

• “Never marry a man who hates his mother, because he’ll end up hating you.” — Jill Bennett

• “It is not until you become a mother than your judgment slowly turns to compassion and understanding.” — Erma Bombeck

• “Becoming a mother makes you the mother of all children. From now on each wounded, abandoned, frightened child is yours. You live in the suffering mothers of every race and creed and weep with them. You long to comfort all who are desolate.” – Charlotte Gray

• “At work, you think of the children you have left at home.At home, you think of the work you’ve left unfinished. Such a struggle is unleashed within yourself. Your heart is rent.” — Golda Meir

• “All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.” — Oscar Wilde

• “There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it.” – Chinese Proverb

Mothers Day Poem
M – O – T – H – E – R
“M” is for the million things she gave me,
“O” means only that she’s growing old,
“T” is for the tears she shed to save me,
“H” is for her heart of purest gold;
“E” is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
“R” means right, and right she’ll always be,
Put them all together, they spell
“MOTHER,”
A word that means the world to me.

Howard Johnson (c. 1915)

HAVE A HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

The letter of Agreement Nanny-Employer states the terms you negotiate with your caregiver.

In this letter you may want to pinpoint the terms that suit your family and the nanny that you want to hire.

This Agreement is entered into as of _______ between ___________(hereinafter known as Family), and_______  (hereinafter referred to as Nanny) shall be in force for one year from the date of signature of both parties. Family and Nanny hereby agree to a one-year employment commitment unless Nanny is terminated for cause. Both parties agree to give at lease two (2) weeks notice before job termination unless Nanny is terminated for cause.

Do you have more questions? Visit our Forum: CAREGIVERS in CANADA.

Family and Nanny agree to the following conditions of employment:

1. Employment.
Employment will begin on ________ and is considered “at will”. Nanny is to provide childcare services and other duties as set forth below.

2. Work Schedule.
Nanny will provide childcare from ___ A.M. to ___ P.M., from Monday through Friday. During these hours, Nanny shall devote (his/her) entire time, attention and energies to providing care and performing other duties as listed below.
3. Compensation.
Family shall pay Nanny and Nanny hereby accepts in full payment for services:

• An (hourly rate of  _____) (monthly salary of  _____) which shall be paid (weekly/bimonthly/monthly) on the _____ day(s) of (week/month).
• Overtime compensation (specify).
• Performance-based increase after  (6 months/one year).

4. Probationary Period.
Family and Nanny agree that there shall be a probationary period of ___ days. During this period either party can terminate this Agreement by giving ___ days notice.

5. Termination.
The following are grounds for immediate termination with cause:

• Allowing the children’s safety to be compromised
• Inconsistent or non performance of agreed upon job responsibilities
• Dishonesty or lying to Family
• Stealing
• Breach of confidentiality clause
• Unapproved guests
• Smoking or consumption of alcohol while on duty
• Illegal drug use

Nanny’s employment under this Agreement may be terminated upon one of more of the following:

• By Family or Nanny for due cause upon 24 hours notice. “Due cause” is defined as breach of a material term of this Agreement.
• By Family without cause upon  ___ weeks notice, or in lieu of ___ weeks notice, ___ weeks salary.
• By Nanny upon ___ weeks notice.
• By Nanny’s total disability or partial disability which renders Nanny unable to perform services for more than ___ weeks.

6. Childcare responsibilities.
(Choose the ones that suit you and the Nanny you hire).

Nanny agrees to:

• Put the absolute safety of the children first before all other responsibilities
• Provide care, warmth, and security in the absence of parents.
• Plan activities that promote physical, emotional, intellectual, and social development
• Maintain a patient, cheerful, and helpful attitude while on duty.
• Actively participate in the children’s special problems and interests and serve as a resource for problem solving.
• Tend to children’s basic needs such as bathing, dressing, changing diapers, brushing teeth, and afternoon naps.
• Administer medicine to children as directed by Family.
• Plan and prepare nutritious snacks and meals for children during scheduled hours; clean up kitchen and dining table when completed.
• Participate and supervise activities with children, which would include: games, walks, play dates, playground outings and reading to children daily.
• Limit television/video and computer games to ___ minutes per day.
• Comply with Family’s discipline and child-rearing preferences.
• Provide reasonable flexibility in times of emergency or unexpected schedule changes.
• Keep the children’s bedrooms and play area clean and organized; which includes making the beds, vacuuming carpet, cleaning and disinfecting toys, etc.
• Clean children’s laundry (clothes and bed linens).
• Use Family automobile to drive children to activities and events.
• Meal preparation for Family.
• Feed and care for Family pets-daily.
• Grocery shopping.
• Make bed- entire home.
• Clean kitchen and empty dishwasher-daily.
• Clean interior windows and mirrors: bi-monthly.
• Clean, dust and vacuum entire house: bi-monthly.
• Clean Family’s laundry-weekly.
• Run errands – dry-cleaning, bank deposit, grocery store, etc. when necessary.

7. CPR and First Aid.

• Nanny agrees to complete an infant/child CPR and First Aid class prior to beginning employment or within ___ weeks of employment.
• If Nanny does not successfully complete CPR and First Aid class, Family may terminate Nanny without severance pay or notice.
• Family (will/will not) pay for approved CPR and First Aid class.

8. Personal Background Check.

• Nanny agrees to complete the official fingerprint process through British Columbia Police  Department.
• If the Personal Background Check indicates any record of criminal activity Family may terminate Nanny without severance pay or notice.
• Family will pay for fingerprint procedure and Personal Background Check fees.

9. Benefits.

• Holidays.
  Nanny shall receive the statutory holidays as paid vacation if nanny would otherwise be required to work on that day of the week.
• Sick Days.
  ___ days of paid sick leave will be allowed every year, accrued at the rate of  ___ hours per month.
• Vacation.
  ___ week(s) of paid vacation will be allowed every calendar year (check as applicable):
  • _______ To be coordinated with Family’s vacation
  • _______ After ____ months of employment
  • _______ Other

10. Evaluations.

Nanny’s job performance will be evaluated by Family at the end of the first month of employment and every ___ months thereafter.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties agree that they have read and signed this Agreement as of the day and year written above.

FAMILY:                                                                     CAREGIVER:
____________________________________________________________________________________________

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“I was a single mother. I definitely need to work and I definitely needed childcare. After the baby was born, I had a month to relax and recover from my episiotomy. I didn’t even sit at my desk the entire month (because of the baby, not the episiotomy). But then I had to get some childcare help. I had to get back to work. I had a career; I had responsibilities. One time, the baby’s father looked after him while I ran to the office. But when I got home, I discovered that he was holding a business meeting instead of the baby. Clearly this was not a solution to my need for childcare!

Maybe there are more choices now, but I was on the leading edge of the childcare and maternal employment wave, and the pickin’s were pretty slim. My first “childcare” was a young student who came to my house several hours a week. Usually I ended up sending her to run errands for me, because the baby was always asleep when she arrived. It was helpful to have a personal shopper, but it wasn’t childcare. I started interviewing nannies – quite a few nannies. I finally found one that I liked. She had a young child herself and she seemed kind and knowledgeable. She sure seemed to know more about babies than I did. But when I called to offer her the job, I discovered that the rate that I thought was for the month was for the week! That woke me up in a hurry. I wasn’t going to be able to afford an in-home caregiver.
Visit our Forum: CAREGIVERS in CANADA.

I looked in the paper for women who watched children in their homes. There weren’t many in the neighborhood, and being in the neighborhood was important to me. Eventually, I found a woman who stayed home because she had a toddler herself, and she wanted to care for one more child to make a little extra money. I sounded promising; it was affordable and there was only one other child, so I was sure that my son would get plenty of attention. Within a month, though, this woman had taken in another child, and soon she said she was looking for another one. That wasn’t the direction I wanted to go, so I got on the childcare carousel again. I found another home with a woman who was staying home with her own toddler. This worked well . . . until she got pregnant and decided she wouldn’t do childcare anymore.

I was back to the now all-too-familiar task of interviewing care providers. My first choice – a wonderful woman with a background as a nursery school teacher – had changed her mind by the time I called to hire her. She was going to do something entirely different. I don’t remember what it was now – maybe making jewelry. So I went to my second choice – a young woman who had just graduated from college with a degree in animal science. I was her second choice too. She hadn’t be able to land a job at the zoo, so she thought that taking care of babies would be the next thing. She wasn’t ideal, but I needed someone right away, and she worked out okay, I guess. She was shy and quiet, and she didn’t talk to the baby as much as I would have liked. But she was careful and caring. She took my son to the park; she played with him in the yard. He was safe and seemed content.

At the end of the year, though, my job required me to move across the country. So back on the childcare carousel I went, before my son had even had his second birthday. This time, I went to the university and checked with a childcare expert. She recommended the childcare home where her son had gone. We tried it. It was clean and there were lots of toys. The care providers were very professional. But before the end of the year, I decided to look into nursery schools. My son was almost three, and I thought he would benefit from a more educational program. I was lucky to find a Montessori school and talk the director into accepting my son even though he wasn’t toilet trained. “Never mind”, she said, “he soon will be.” She was wrong about that (every day I picked up a little wet baggie when I picked up my son), but she was right to take him. He enjoyed it and thrived. But six months later, it was time to move again, and the childcare search recommenced. I found another Montessori school and I liked it. The director was intelligent; the teacher were fabulous – full of ideas and energy. Unfortunately, my son did not share my opinion. Every morning was a struggle to leave him inside the gate in tears. So once again, we moved to a new center. Although it was a longer drive, I had met the owner and liked her. She helped my son get integrated into the new class and watched out for him there. He was never really happy about going, but he tolerated it, and we stayed there until he started elementary school. At long last, after a dizzying five – year, eight – childcare – arrangements ride on the childcare carousel, I was able to jump off and move on.”

- Kathleen, age 60 (What We Know about Childcare- Alison Clarke-Stewart, Virginia D. Allhusen)

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Choosing child care is an important and sometimes hard decision. If you go back to work, it may mean the end of the special time with your child. For some parents it may feel good, since it means that you have time to do some things for yourself again. Whether you need child care for a very small number of hours or full-time (40 hours a week), spend the time needed to find the setting that is right for you and your child.

There are many child-care choices available. Some families have grandparents or other family to look after their children, while others have a babysitter or a nanny to come to their home. Some take their child to a family daycare provider who cares for a small group of children of different ages in their own home. And still others choose group child care at a centre.

Think about what it is that you are looking for or need.

Plan What Will Work for Your Family

• Do you need care full-time, part-time, or for only a few days a month?
• Can you get your child to daycare or does the caregiver need to come to you?
• Do you need care for the same days each week? Or will you need someone at short notice, or someone who can stay at night if necessary, or someone to care for your child on different days each week?
• How many hours of child care do you need each day? Think about travel time to and from daycare.
• Can you find child care close to your workplace?
• How much can you pay? (Find out about child care subsidies)

Plan What Will Work for Your Child

• Does your child like large groups, small groups or does he like one-to-one attention?
• Do you think he will be happy at home with one caregiver? Having brothers or sisters at home helps.
• Does you child like going out and having lots of things to do, or does he like quiet times the best?

Children can be happy in many different sorts of child-care settings.

(Toddler’s First Steps – A Best Chance Guide to Parenting Your Six-Month to Three-Year-Old)
Do you have more questions? Visit our Forum: CAREGIVERS in CANADA.

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When families decide to have a nanny in their home, they think about what it means to have a new person on her own with their children. They think about the changes that will take place and how the kids will accept the stranger. In most cases, a nanny is not hired for a short term. Parents don’t like to change nannies and the nannies don’t like to change families. In many cases the children get attached to the nanny and she is considered a part of the family.
Do you have more questions? Visit our Forum: CAREGIVERS in CANADA.

If a family does not need a nanny on regular basis but only for a few hours sporadically, then a babysitter will be more appropriate then a nanny full-time. The question is where to look for a babysitter when your needs are for only a short period of time knowing that is not easy to have the same person babysitting whenever is required.

One should try as many ways as possible including friends’ and relatives’ referrals, newspapers and bulletin board advertisements and not in the least, domestic help agencies, especially those specialized in nannies. Although, a nanny or domestic help agency will ask you for a fee for finding a babysitter, the advantage is that the agency will do the screening process and if the babysitter is not available, the agency will provide a substitute for her.

Regardless of the screening done by the nanny agency, you should interview the baby-sitter at your home so you will have a better sense about the interaction with your kids and if they will feel comfortable with her at home.

Some questions to ask of potential babysitters:

1. How would you make sure that my child does not play with dangerous objects or swallow poisons?
2. Have you ever taken care of an injured child? What would you do if my child fell off a swing? How would you decide when to call an ambulance?
3. What would you do if there were an emergency in the house like a fire or a gas leak?
4. Do you plan to have children of your own? What do you like about children/
5. Have you ever taken care of your younger brothers or sisters? What do you dislike about children?
6. What would you do if my child complained that he was bored?
7. Tell me how you plan to spend the day (evening) while you are caring for my child?
8. If my child broke an expensive object in the house or refused to eat her dinner, what would you do?
9. What do you feel are your main duties as a babysitter?

The following are tips on choosing and orienting a babysitter:

• Choose babysitters who demonstrates knowledge of how to prevent injuries. They should have taken first aid training or a babysitting course that includes first aid. The Canadian Red Cross Society offers these types of courses.
• Orient a new babysitter to your home. Show the babysitter the first aid supplies, emergency telephone numbers, the escape plan in case of fire and how to control heat, stove, lights and fuse box.
• Be clear about activities and areas that are off limits to children.
• Leave the telephone number where you will be and the number of a neighbour who could be of assistance in an emergency.
• After the children are put to bed, the sitter should check each of them once an hour. Make it clear that the babysitter should not sleep.
• The babysitter should not be allowed to entertain friends. He or she is hired to do a job and should not be distracted.
• The telephone should not be used for personal calls. It is for emergency use only.
• The babysitter should know what the child is doing at all times.
• If possible, avoid asking babysitters to give medicine. If you must, give them careful instructions.
• Babysitters should not smoke. Smoking is a fire and health hazard. Smoke may cause or worsen children’s colds, flu, asthma and bronchitis.
• Babysitters should not be expected to do chores. Their concerns is for the safety of the child.
• Check out your babysitters thoroughly. Make unscheduled visits home until you are sure you can trust them.

Before you leave home give to your babysitters a written list of the chores needed for your child’s well being, instructions, everyday telephone numbers, phone numbers to be used in case of emergency.

Here is a sample information sheet you can leave with your babysitter:

INFORMATION FOR BABYSITTERS

Parents Names:________________________

The House Address:_____________________

The Phone Number of the House:___________

Mother’s Work Phone:____________________

Mother’s Mobile Phone:___________________

Father’s Work Phone:_____________________

Father’s Mobile Phone:____________________

Neighbour’s or Relative’s Name:______________

Neighbour’s or Relative’s Phone Number:______

Child’s Bedtime:__________________________

Mealtime Instructions:_____________________
________________________________________
________________________________________

Special Instructions:______________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________

Fire:_________________________________911
Police:________________________________911
Ambulance:____________________________911
Poison Control Center:______________________

Doctor’s Name:____________________________

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Finding a Nanny For Your Family

by Andrea Taylor / BC Parent Magazine

Childcare is one of the most important decisions working parents have to make. If you have decided to hire a nanny, you may not be aware of your options for an in home caregiver. What are you looking for? You may want to sit down and make a list of all your requirements. Depending upon your children’s age, you may want to involve them in this part of the process.

Your options for finding a nanny are agencies, advertising in the newspaper or through a recommendation. Nanny agencies are numerous. Some will provide you with referrals and others will act as a screening service. Most will provide assistance with contractual agreements. They will let you know what your rights are and the rights of your employee. They will have done reference checks and conducted interviews; only sending those applicants they feel will be suitable to your family. The final decision does of course lie with you and you may go back to the agency if you are unhappy with the after a probationary period. Any professional service would provide you with all the information you require to make an informed decision.

The interview stage should involve you, your partner and your children. The first part of the interview is spent getting to know each applicant asking about their interests and experience. After an informal time you may want to ask what they would be doing with the children giving them scenarios to see how they would handle certain situations.

Parents may make an agreement that without them both being one hundred percent certain, they would not hire a person. If you have the time take it, because your nanny is the most important employee you would ever hire. Having a nanny, the right one for your children, can be a rewarding relationship for both your children and the nanny. This unique relationship is a partnership with you and your partner in raising your children.
Do you have more questions? Visit our Forum: CAREGIVERS in CANADA.

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This is an example of a self-introductory letter received from a German applicant for a nanny position. The main idea is to provide information about yourself, your environment and your family.
Do you have more questions? Visit our Forum: CAREGIVERS in CANADA.

Dear family,

My name is Andrea Schwarz and I was born in Frankfurt, Germany on February 2nd 1982. My mother is a housewife and my father is a carpenter. My parents have three children: me, the youngest child in the family, my sister Anna is 28 years old and my brother Nick is 30 years old.

I think I had a great childhood and one of the most important things for me working with children is that I haven’t forgotten how I felt like when I was a child.
My home town is small and quiet but for me is the best and favorite. I miss it when I’m far away and it’s a great pleasure for me to come back after trips to other places. On the other hand, I am a real fidget and I like traveling very much. In my childhood I dreamt of a world tour.

Later other priorities happened. My brother got married early. Now he has two sons already. My older nephew, Alexander, was born when I was 16. As soon as I took him in my arms I realized: the biggest happiness in the world are children. That’s why after school I entered the Pedagogical Institute and graduated from it successfully in 2005 having the profession of a teacher of English, German and German Literature.

All that time working at school as a teacher of English, and also at families as a nanny and a tutor, assured me that I hadn’t made a mistake in choosing my mission and upbringing of children was that very thing I’d like to engage in. I like to give my knowledge to children, to teach them to make difference between good and bad, not only to teach them new things but also to bring up a child as a person.

I don’t have my own children yet . My family consists of parents, brother, sister and two wonderful beloved nephews. I love them very much and I am not shy in expressing my love to them. I enjoy and appreciate every moment of my life, I am an optimist, I like being outdoors, walking and camping. At home I also can’t sit without doing something. I can knit and sew. My nephews admire the sweaters I knit for them-new ones every winter. As for my parents, they like very much the evenings when I arrange “mini concerts” ( I completed the music school and I play piano). They have favourite melodies and I play them with great pleasure. By the way, there is a cat named Mars in our family. It is a music lover and it has its own favourite melodies too!

I like very much to spend my time with friends. Often we all together go to the country, picnic, play voley-ball, play guitar. Such enjoyable week-ends stick in our memory for a long time! My friends consider me a cheerful, frank and kind person. Sometimes they call me a fidget because I like to be challenged and to explore new things. For example, I learned the Greek language, now I take Spanish courses and also I am going to get a driver’s license.

Therefore, my participation in this program gives me a possibility to achieve two goals. The first one – I’d be able to enrich the store of knowledge and experience. The second one – the main one – I’d like very much to be useful, to give my love to children and to make new friends. I hope my dreams will come true!

Sincerely yours,

Andrea Schwartz

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A part-time nanny is required when parents need help with the care of the children for less than 40 hours a week. For example, care for the children before or after school, or when a parent is working from home and a nanny is needed to watch the children only for a few hours a day. Even for a stay at home mom, a part-time nanny is ideal when she needs time for herself to run errands or go to the gym, to mention just a few. In general, a part-time nanny hourly salary is higher than the full time one. Consider the following:

1. The cost and the time consuming transportation to and from the employer’s home is the same for either case. However, the ratio between time consumed and daily income is much less favorable for the part time nanny.
2. Job security is at a lower level for part-timers as conditions may change more often
3. More flexibility is required to meet the employer’s changing schedule.

Because of these and other factors, it is considered a lot harder to find a suitable part-time nanny.

Do you have more questions? Visit our Forum: CAREGIVERS in CANADA.

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If you are looking for a nanny job, PARAGON Personnel Ltd. can assist you in your job search as we specialize in placing nannies with families all over BC.

Contact us at 604-298-6633 so we can find out some information about you – your background, current and previous childcare experience. Please specify if you are looking for a Live-in position or Live-out – Full Time, Part Time or Temporary.

You will be asked to come for a personal interview at our office. Please bring your resume and reference letters from your previous employers. If you are not a Canadian citizen, you are also required to bring your passport for identification and verification of your legal status in Canada.

PARAGON Personnel Ltd. will conduct a background screening to check your employment history.
When completed, we will arrange for interviews with our clients. During your interview, it is important to ask your prospective employer about your duties, responsibilities, work schedule and salary offered. You may also discuss issues like overtime compensation, medical insurance and/or any other relevant information regarding the position.
Do you have more questions? Visit our Forum: CAREGIVERS in CANADA.

Once all issues are discussed and agreed upon, we will provide a contract of employment for both sides to sign and keep one copy of the signed document. If you are under the Live-In Caregiver Program, we will initiate all procedures required to obtain a new work permit for you through Human Resources and Immigration Canada.

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In the last decade, many nanny agencies came to life like mushrooms after the rain. Only a few of those are still around but new ones keep coming and vanishing at an alarming rate. Some of these agencies owners came to Canada as nanny and later decided to put their “own shingle” and bring other nannies into Canada. Usually they operate out of their own basement, no professionalism, no license, no labor code. In some cases they offer their service free of charge to anyone willing to select their candidates. That should make you wonder: Where does their money is coming from? This fact alone should set the alarm bells ringing and the red lights blinking.

A few rules of thumb to remember when you are looking for a nanny agency:

• How long have they been operating? Are they operating from their own home?
• Are they members of Better Business Bureau?
• How do they find their candidates, locally and overseas? What is their screening process? What requirements the nannies must meet?For instance: in person interviews, childcare experience, first aid, CPR, etc.
• Do they have complete files of their applicants? What training / work experience they have?
• What if the selected nanny doesn’t work out?
• Who takes care of all documents and procedures?
• Does the service include support after the nanny starts working?
• Is there a contract / agreement between client and agency?
• Is there any obligation on the client side if no candidate is selected?

For the majority of employers who hired a nanny before, these questions are not new. For the new ones, all these questions are very relevant. It’s best if you follow one simple rule before you start your search:

“Investigate before you invest!”

Do you have more questions? Visit our Forum: CAREGIVERS in CANADA.

nanny

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According to Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, “a nanny is a person who looks after the child or children of one family in their — the child’s — home. Modern nannies may live in or out, like other domestic workers, depending on their circumstances and those of their employers.

A nanny may perform tasks such as:

* Providing childcare during the hours agreed upon with the employing family
* Supporting the physical, social, emotional, creative, and intellectual development of children
* Protecting children from harm and ensuring that they have a safe environment
* Preparing appetizing and nutritionally-balanced meals and snacks
* Maintaining good communication with the parents, informing them of each child’s development and concerns
*Maintaining the cleanliness and neatness of the house as affected by the children”

The same source a Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, defines au pair as “an Anglicization of the French term “au pair,” which means “on par” or “equal to” and describes a young person living on an equal basis with a host family in a foreign country. The au pair helps the family with childcare, housework, or both while staying as a guest of the family and generally receiving a small allowance (or pocket money). An au pair will typically be a young woman, or sometimes a young man, who is accepted into the host family as an extended family member. Both the family and au pair are expected to respect cultural differences and display tolerance towards one another.
Do you have more questions? Visit our Forum: CAREGIVERS in CANADA.

Arrangement
An au pair placement is an arrangement where an unmarried person between 17 and 30 years old lives for up to two years in a foreign country as a member of a local family, helping in the home for a set number of hours a day, often with at least two full days off per week. In return, they receive a reasonable allowance and a private room.
Treatment
An au pair shall be treated as an equal part of the family, not as a servant, and shall not be required to wear a uniform. There can be misunderstandings on both sides about what this means. The usual practice is that Au pairs eat with the family most of the time, and join in some of the usual family activities such as outings and trips. However, host families normally expect to have some private time to themselves, particularly in the evenings. During this time, an Au pair might retire to his or her room to watch TV or study, or go out with friends.

Being an Au pair can be a great opportunity to experience a different country and culture. The “job” of the Au pair will vary depending on how much the host family expects, although there are government set limits as to how much you are allowed to work. Jobs vary from taking/picking up kids from school, taking the kids to after school classes, cooking, cleaning, ironing, babysitting,etc. The au-pair is given a monthly allowance and all living/insurance/food expenses are paid by the host family.”

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