Links & Tipps for Success

How to become a fantastic host family and attract great Au Pairs for your family? This is the biggest query when you start the adventure of hosting an Au Pair.

The following will help you to get a good idea about your requirements and what you can expect from an Au Pair.

The whole process in short

Once you realise that you need to have some help with child care and the daily routine you obviously would explore options which are:

• external childcare
  would be classic childcare, family day care, boarding school
• look after the children yourself
  which is nice but you might like work-life balance or simply can't afford it
• have relatives and friends help out
  if you have them available that is a great option
• employ a nanny or share a nanny
  which usually is very pricey
• host an AuPair
  this is where we can help to get you flexible and affordable childcare
• or a combination of the above

 As you have landed on our pages, you are about to explore options of hosting an AuPair. You need to be able to answer yes to the following:

• Can you provide a private room for your Au Pair?
  The room needs to be furnished and needs a door. Shared bathrooms are fine.
• Can you budget for increased expenses and grocery bill?
  The extra expense is around $100 per week.
• Are you as a family comfortable to have a stranger living with you?
  Find out with a short term Au Pair and see how you go is my advice.

When do you need your Au Pair and what do you need her/him to do?

• When do you need the Au Pair to start?
  You might consider a later or earlier start date to cater for fluctuation in demand for families
• How long would you like to host your Au Pair?
  Length of stay is absolutely flexible from 1 week until forever everything is possible
• Daily or weekly hours need to be determined and how much flexibility do you need
  Make up a schedule. It is easy if you are working 9 to 5 and have a day of childcare as well.
  Once you work shifts and weekends it gets more detailed ... and don't forget to face a date night in with your partner, preferable on a weekday
• What are the tasks for your Au Pair what kind of light household duties would she/he have?
  You want a contributing adult in the house and not a simple babysitter. Household duties have to be light ones eg. dishes, but not window cleaning.
  If there is something you really don't like doing, your Au Pair might actually like it, just ask in the interview.

Sources for Au Pairs are

• Matchmaking Internet portals, they work like dating sites and you make up a profile of your family with photos and a little self-marketing, including the area you live in. A
• Gumtree or any other local advertising site, but use common sense as they are not as well checked
• Facebook groups, same here, common sense is required. The Au Pair Assist groups are very well monitored for spam.
• Word of mouth
• Agencies, but we don't recommend them as they are pricey and don't live up to what you would expect in support.

Who can be an Au Pair in Australia?

• Everyone who fulfills the visa requirements for Working Holiday (sub 471)
• Everyone who fulfills the visa requirement for Work and Holiday (sub 462)
• Students with working rights
• Everybody else with working rights
• Visitors under very specific conditions - please speak to us about it.

Expectations you can have for your Au Pair are

• being willing and helpful around the house
• use their common sense (but not your common sense)
• follow your instructions
• a genuine interest in children
• to try to fit in with your family

 What you can't expect from an Au Pair

• Professionalism as they are usually straight out of school
• Childcare qualifications, although some might have them
• Teaching your children or provide an early childhood learning program
• knowing how things work in Australia
• being fluent in English;
  there will always be misunderstandings even if they are native but from another English speaking country
• being a competent driver if they have not driven on the left side before

 Things you can ask your Au Pair for are

• Child care references (preferably 100 hours)*
  German girls might have a babysitter certificate. We can also provide an au pair online course at a discounted price.
• Character reference*
• comprehensive police check with a WWC (working with children check)*
• Medical check-up (although does not need to be disclosed in detail)*
• Vaccination
• First Aid (in Germany it is complusory with the drivers license)
• Drivers license
• Copy of the passport
• Emergency details, eg. parents
• Skype interview or personal interview if already in Australia (Facebook, Gumtree)

         * we provide forms for you to send out to your Au Pair and will check the references on request.

Settling your Au Pair in 

• Prepare the room, maybe have some welcome gifts
• Create or update a little manual with emergency information and work schedule
• Pick-up from Airport
• Give time to settle and unpack ... most are done in a day ;)
• Be aware of jet-lag
• Be prepared for culture shock

Insurances

• Your au pair needs to organise health cover and preferable liability cover
• Talk to your contents insurance if your Au Pair can be included in your policy
  (if not, speak to us)
• Include your Au Pair in your car policy if you need the Au Pair to drive
• Workcover insurance if possible (QLD has a cheap option)

 And don't forget: We are here to help with any of the above and more - because we care!