What are the typical responsibilities of an Au Pair?
What does the family provide for the Au Pair?
Who pays for the au pair’s insurance?
Who pays for airfare/travel costs?
Who checks the Au PairŐs references?
What should I look for in an Au Pair? What types of interview questions should I ask?
How do I perform a background check?
What is a job contract?
What is the Average Salary of an Au Pair?
What benefits are generally offered to an Au Pair?
How often is your database updated?
How do I register?
Does my listing expire once I have selected an Au Pair?

What are the typical responsibilities of an Au Pair?
Every Au Pair position is different depending on the age and number of charges. Here is what a typical day would be like as an Au Pair.

• scheduling play dates and outings,
• organizing age-appropriate arts and crafts,
• assisting with homework,
• coordinating car pools,
• supervising children’s chores, and
• becoming active members in the local Au Pair Network for friendship and support.
  

Many of our positions involve infant care; with them, proactive care is also encouraged. Infant stimulation, infant massage, as well as the following, should become a part of the Au Pair’s routine:

• feeding,
• changing,
• bathing,
• dressing, and
• strolling.
  

Other items that are very important to a successful Au Pair position are:
Communicating with the parents on a regular basis. Au Pairs are encouraged to keep a NANNY log to help in this process.

Arriving for work promptly and ready to begin the day. As a live-in, wake, dress, and begin the day at the appropriate time.

Serving as a positive role model for the children. Keep in mind that the children will model the behavior exhibited by the childcare provider.

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What does the family provide for the Au Pair?
The family pays for the Au Pair’s living expenses, which include room and board. If the Au Pair needs special dietary items she/he is responsible for this. The Au Pair is responsible for all personal items such as toiletries, health supplements, hair care items, etc.

A private bedroom should be provided for the Au Pair. Extra amenities in the room such as TV, stereo, phone, computer, are not required. However, the more comfortable an Au Pair feels in your home, the more successful the arrangement is likely to be.

The family can expect the Au Pair to pay for her/his long distance phone calls.

If the Au Pair drives the children to and from school and activities, and/or does the grocery shopping, the family pays for gas, oil and maintenance. The family can expect the Au Pair to pay for gas when she/he uses the car for her/his personal errands. You need to ask your insurance company for the options of how to insure the au pair as a driver of your vehicle(s).

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Who pays for the Au Pair’s insurance?
The Au Pair is generally responsible for her/his medical insurance/expenses unless the Au Pair arrives through an agency, in which case insurance is included in the fees paid to the agency by both the family and Au Pair.

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Who pays for airfare/travel costs?
Airfare/travel costs are usually negotiable. If the Au Pair does not come through an agency, families and Au Pair often split the cost of a roundtrip ticket. If the Au Pair doesn’t have the money to pay for her/his half of the ticket up front, families can cover the cost and deduct the balance from wages. However, families' feedback is that this option does not always have a positive outcome as au pairs sometimes cancel their contract after the family has paid for the ticket. The family then loses the money they paid for the ticket. Families may also agree to refund the airfare in full or in part, once the au pair has started working or once the contract has been completed.

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Who checks the Au Pair’s references?
We highly recommend that you ask for and check an Au Pair’s references before making a commitment to hire. If the Au Pair does not have previous Au Pair experience, ask for references from previous employers and/or teachers if they are recently out of school. You could also ask for a police clearance certificate from the au pair's home country. If you are employing an American au pair, you can request that he/she obtain a child abuse clearance certificate.

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How often is your database updated?
New nanny candidates are registering with Au Pairsetc everyday. To avoid old or outdated resumes, Au Pairsetc requires all nanny candidates to renew/update their accounts every 30 days. Accounts that are not updated, are deleted from our database. So families can be assured that all of the resumes on Au Pairsetc are less than 30 days old.

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How do I register?
Au Pairsetc offers two registration options for families, a free membership and a paid membership. To register, click on "Register" under the "Family Place" section on the navigation bar to the left. The registration process steps you through the set up of your account. Once your account is set up, you will be given the option of selecting either a free or paid membership. You may purchase a paid membership on registration or upgrade your free membership to a paid membership at any period thereafter.

A free membership allows you to search our database of nanny candidates to view their resumes. Free membership also allows you to set up notifications to alert you to new nanny candidates that match your search criteria.

A paid membership, in addition to the benefits offered with our free membership, allows you to view nanny candidates' contact information. Paid membership also allows you to post a job listing for nanny candidates to view and apply for. Our Standard paid membership costs $39.95, granting access for a length of 30 days. We also offer an Abbreviated paid membership at $19.95 for 3 days (72 hours) of access.

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What should I look for in a Au Pair? What types of interview questions should I ask?
Finding a good Au Pair is equally as important as finding a good spouse. Here are some questions that will help you in the process.

Au Pair Interview Questions

Name of Au Pair____________ Date_______ Phone Number___________

Why are you seeking a position as an Au Pair?

Are you looking for part-time, full-time or live-in?

If applying for part-time what hours are you available?

Describe your last childcare position and why it ended?

Have you ever had to handle an emergency? What happened…

What age children do you feel most comfortable with?

When are you available to start a position?

Have you ever been treated for emotional problems?

Tell me about your childcare experience?

Are you first Aid/CPR certified?

If not, are you willing to recertify?

What are your personal goals for the next five years?

What are your strongest childcare qualities?

What is important to you in an Au Pair position?

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How do I perform a background check?
We recommend that you use the services of www.usinformationsearch.com More information can be found under the Family Useful Resources.

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What is a job contract?

A contract is a written agreement between the family and the Au Pair. Listed below are topics to address in the work agreement.

• Starting date
• Work schedule
• Compensation: salary will be the gross amount (taxes will be taken out)
• Overtime compensation
• Benefits (holidays, vacation, health insurance, etc.)
• Childcare responsibilities
• Housekeeping responsibilities

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What is the Average Salary of an Au Pair?
There are several important factors to consider when defining the salary for your Au Pair or Nanny. And you should know the value of what you'll get before you pay for it.

Salary is not dependent on the need of the individual, rather on the value they provide based on their experience. Remember that the starting salary for a live-in Au Pair as defined by the US State Department is US$139.05 and in the UK it is less: £40-55

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What benefits are generally offered to an Au Pair?
Benefit packages for Au Pair's are not mandated by the agency or by law. HOWEVER, as in any employment situation, the retention rate is higher when a good benefit package is offered. Developing a benefit package is not hard but the rewards for doing so are many. Consider the hours and days you would be required to pay for childcare if your child was in any other childcare, option-items, such as paid holidays, paid vacations, (yours and theirs), paid sick days as well as additional pay for additional hours beyond the regularly schedule hours, to name a few. Therefore, it is not unrealistic for Au Pairs to expect the same benefits.

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Does my listing expire once I have selected a Nanny?
Your job listing expires at the end of your paid membership period. If you hire a nanny prior to the end of your paid membership period, you may request for your listing to be deactivated by sending an email request to staff@AuPairsetc.com. Please note, that deactivation of your job listing also deactivates your ability to access nanny contact information.

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