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What should be included in your Au Pair contract?

The Au Pair contract is a legal document clarifying all vital aspects of the Au Pair exchange program. The Au Pair contract includes the following information:

Au Pair’s work time
Au Pair’s salary
Au Pair’s duties and responsibilities
Host Family’s duties and responsibilities

For exact guidelines click here.

To download the Au Pair contract template click here:

Download Au Pair contract

The Au Pair contract is a legal document that can help you avoid many possible misunderstandings and problems during the Au Pair stay, as well as to protect yourself if something goes wrong. The contract mentions all the important details and expectations that are discussed between an Au Pair and a Host Family.

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Video: What is an Au Pair Contract?

In the following video we're looking at Au Pair contracts and how important they are.

If you think that you have already found your ideal Au Pair or Host Family on AuPair.com, don't forget to arrange a video interview via Skype to get to know each other better.

Video-interview
Before signing the contract, discuss all the details during the video-interview. It will help you formulate your expectations towards each other! Read more

Au Pair contract - at a glance

Below you can see a list with the most important points of an Au Pair contract:

Length of stay: how long does the stay last?
Start and end date of the contract: when is the Au Pair stay going to start? When should the Au Pair stay end?
Weekly / monthly amount of pocket money: how much will the Au Pair earn in exchange for the provided service?
Holidays: how many free days will the Au Pair have and when?
Accommodation and full board: where will the Au Pair live? Describe the Au Pair room, general rules, etc.
Working hours: how many hours should the Au Pair work? What will be the working schedule?
Travel expenses in the host country: who will cover the travel costs in the host country? Will the Au Pair have the right to use a family car? Will the Au Pair get a monthly ticket?
Insurance: who will be responsible for the Au Pair's medical insurance? Will the Au Pair have any extra insurance (liability, accident, etc.)?
Au Pair's responsibilities: what will be the duties of the Au Pair during the whole stay?
Travel expenses: who will pay for the Au Pair's travel expenses?
Cancellation of contract: what is the notice period in case of the cancellation of the contract?
Costs for the visa: who will pay for visa expenses?
Safety recommendations: both parties agree to read AuPair.com’s security and safety recommendations and to follow them

You can download the standard Au Pair Contract template and modify it according to your case and needs. If a participant needs to apply for a visa to become an Au Pair in the target host country, he/she will need a signed contract to prove the future Au Pair stay at the host country's embassy placed in the Au Pair's country of origin. The Host Family should print out the contract, sign it and send it in order for the Au Pair to start the visa application.

Check here the Model Text of Au Pair Service Contract approved by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 18 January 1972 (do not forget this is not a contract of employment!).

Termination of the Au Pair contract

If there was a serious problem during the Au Pair stay or there was an emergency where one of the parties needs to leave, you would have to consider the termination of the contract.

If you decide to terminate the contract, respect the notice period. As a rule it is two weeks. During this time both the Au Pair and the Host Family can find a plan B. To avoid misunderstandings, discuss important details before the Au Pair arrival to the host country.

If the Au Pair comes to the host country through a full-service agency, he/she needs to inform the responsible organization. The full-service agency will help to find a solution. If the Au Pair finds the Host Family online, he/she can activate the profile again and look for another match.

To learn more about the Au Pair program, check out our Au Pair Wiki.

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Can Au Pairs work more than 45 hours?: No. Every country has its own regulations for how many hours/week the Au Pair is allowed to work, and they correspond to a specific monthly pocket money. In some countries, like the USA, this includes extra babysitting hours. In other Host Countries it depends on the agreement between Au Pair and Host Family.

Who should pay for the travel expenses?: We recommend Host Families to help Au Pairs with travel expenses, though it’s not their obligation to do so. In any case, the Au Pair needs to cover the travel costs initially. If the Host Family would like to support the Au Pair, they can repay the ticket price in monthly installments that will be added to the Au Pair's salary during 10 months. In the case of Au Pair USA and China, the ticket will be covered by the Host Family. We recommend to discuss this topic before the Au Pair’s arrival and note down the conditions in the Au Pair contract. Learn more about other Au Pair costs to participate in the program or Host Family costs for hosting an Au Pair.

Can you help me with the paperwork and the placement process?: Unfortunately, we can’t help you with it. We are an online matching agency, thus we can’t interfere in your searching or placing process. We are happy to provide you with all our searching and matching tools and the information about the Au Pair experience. As our platform is available worldwide, we are unable to take care of all the applications we get daily. Feel free to use our service to visit your dream destination and find a great Host Family. We will be also glad to get your feedback! If you have any ideas or comments, get in touch with us.

We can’t get along with our new Au Pair. What should we do?: Try to speak honestly with your Au Pair about the problems occurred and find a solution together. Most of the troubles can be solved through feedback and conversation! If the case is too serious and you can’t find a way out, you can terminate the contract. Don’t forget about the notice period that is mentioned in your Au Pair contract. During this time both sides can find a solution to the problem. Try to be supportive of each other in such cases.