An au pair is in charge of taking care of the children. He or she will get food and accommodation provided by the family free of charge, and a small allowance in addition (sort of pocket money). The family must also allow the au pair her time off.
Most of the time, the main reason for coming to Sydney is: to learn English and get experience abroad. Indeed, au pairing is an ideal way to become fully involved in the Australian way of life! During the time off, the au pair is free for what she wants to do: learning English at school or being lazy in Sydney.
Au pairs are not professional child minders and will not be a qualified nanny. Au pairs should not be responsibile for children under 2 years of age.
There is no set conditions to become an au pair in Sydney. However, one will probably prefer girls (it can be boys... but it's rare) between 18 and 27 and experience with children is likely to be demanded.
The minimum is 2 months and the au pair cannot stay more than 2 years.
What the au pair must know
She will have to take care of the children, i.e. :
- speak the language, at least enough to understand and talk,
- be sure they get up on time; dress them; make sure they get dressed themselves,
- take them to school/nursery/activity classes...,
- play with them,
- be in charge of their meals,
- tidy up their rooms,
- be free to baby-sit them if needed, some evenings.
What the family has to do
The family has to welcome the au pair in thinking that she is not an employee but a home help for the children. Therefore they will make sure:
- the au pair must have her own bedroom,
- the au pair will work to a maximum of 25-35 hours per week She should have minimum 2 days (2 x 24 hours) off during the week (make available the au-pair's agreed free time and days off ),
- they understand that having an au pair doesn't mean someone who is going to do the housework, the dishes....etc. However au pairs may be asked to do some housework, especially related to the children,
- the family pay an allowance (pocket money) each week (usually about 100 AUD per week),
- it may be good to register the au pair at the family GP. She must also be registered on the house insurance.
Some addresses...
If you want to register as an au pair or as a family, you can contact:
- IAPA (International Au Pair Association): http://www.iapa.org
- IAPO (International Au Pair Organisation): http://www.au-pair.org
You can also consult:
- Butterfly et Papillon (England, Eire, Spain, Italy, Germany, USA, Australia)- http://www.butterfly-papillon.com
- AuPair Search (all) - http://www.aupairsearch.com
- GreatAuPair (serving 140+ countries) - http://www.greataupair.com
Usually agencies will ask registration fees from the family, the au pair or both.
Update 6/06/2005
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05/04/2006
Au Pairs earn a minimum of $180 for 30 hours a week and $200 for 35 hours + full board.
Most agencies require a minimum commitment of 4 months, Australia does not have “summer au pair “ positions.
You can also work as a Demi Au-Pair on a student visa provided you are attending a registered full time language course. Student visa’s are available for many more nationalities. Demi Pairs earn $120 a week for 20 hours of after school care + full board
Au Pair Australia places international Au pairs and Nannies with Australian families. We are an Australian organisation and know our families well. All our families are screened and understand their obligations towards Au Pairs. There is no registration or placement fee for Au pairs, for further information see www.aupairaustralia.com.au
12/10/2003
Holiday Visa from BUNAC.
If the au pair is between 18-30 years old and a national of one of the following countries, you
can go to Australia as an au pair by obtaining a 12-month "Working
Holiday Visa". These countries are:
Canada, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Hong Kong sAR, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Malta, Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, Sweden and UK.
If you need to find an au pair or an au pair job anywhere in the world or need more information, visit http://www.aupairconnect.com