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Au pair  Asks...

I want to go to France and work as an aupair. Where do I start and what will I need to do as I dont want to get in a mess

What we suggest...

 

Hi dr who, thanks for contacting q2a with your enquiry about wanting to work in France as an Au Pair.

Working abroad can be a rewarding opportunity that allows you to travel and experience a different country and culture.

If you already have a British Passport or a passport of another European Economic Area country, you can work in any European country without having to get a visa or a work permit and you have the same employment rights as other nationals.

There are many employment agencies which specialise in recruiting au pairs, and these are generally the best source for this employment. The classifieds section of the UK based magazine The Lady is an excellent source for British and international au pair jobs. Overseas Jobs Express also carries ads for au pair agencies. The Federation of Recruitment and Employment Agencies, 36 – 38 Mortimer Street, London WIN 7RB, publishes a list of their member agencies offering this kind of work, which you can obtain from them on request (you must include a large SAE)

Some au pair Agencies charge a fee for their overseas job placement service (usually around £50), payable when a placement has been confirmed. Prospective au pairs are advised to check their financial obligations with the agency concerned before registration.

According to the definition agreed by the Council of Europe, an au pair is a young person whose primary purpose in living abroad is to improve their language skills while living with a family. Au pairs must work no more than 30 hours a week over a six day period (which may include 3 evenings of babysitting), for which they receive pocket money or living expenses. They are (or should be) treated more like a member of the family than as paid help. In theory an au pair has less responsibility for the welfare of the children than a nanny. Au pairing is a good way to live and work in another country, but the financial rewards are not great.

An au pair who finds work in response to a private advertisement will be taking more of a risk than one who goes through an agency which vets clients: sometimes conditions will be good, but in other cases they might not. Given the recent legal problems which have befallen au pairs and nannies abroad, it may be reassuring to have the back up an agency and their insurance, in the unlikely, but nonetheless real, possibility of a disaster.

It is advised that you do plenty of research before you go. Check that your qualifications will be accepted, start to learn the language and check out the housing arrangements. There is a lot of information on the internet, and here are some links to websites that you might find useful;

 

 

Finally the What Now? Info Centre in Burnley will have some more information about this work, or any other issue that may concern you;

 

 

We hope this reply is helpful and you can embark on au pair work in the near future.

Good luck q2a.

 

Expert advice and every precaution has been taken to ensure that the information on this page is trustworthy and reliable, but the publishers do not hold themselves responsible for any inaccuracy as information can go out of date very quickly. This page gives general guidance only and should not be treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law. With regard to suggested weblinks given in this reply please note that Lancashire County Council is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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