Can you become a Host Family?
With an Au Pair you won’t just find reliable child care, but also someone who will be a big sibling to your children and thereby a new member to your family. You will get to know a totally different way of living and be part of a once in a lifetime adventure with a stranger whom you will know pretty good after living together. If you want to host an Au Pair you have to fulfill specific criteria:
-
You should have at least one child under the age of 18.
-
Swedish has to be the spoken language at your place.
-
A cultural exchange sounds exciting to you.
-
You have a spare room the Au Pair can live in and can provide them with at least 3 meals a day and a salary of about SEK 3.500 gross.
-
You have a different nationality than your guest and are not related to them
-
It’s not a problem for you to find a language course for your Au Pair that will fit the working schedule.
If the points above are easy for you to agree to and the program seems like a good solution to get affordable childcare, you can register today and find your Au Pair!
The next step after the registration is to create a
profile for free. It should contain important information about your family, how you live, how many kids you have and what they like to do in their free time. Uploading
photos is also always a plus, since profiles with pictures are far more successful and popular than other profiles.
If you have filled out everything, you can browse through Au Pair profiles and contact them with standard messages or add them to your favorites. In case you want to write personal messages and exchange contact details, you can get a
Premium Membership which will allow you to do all these things. You will also get a contract template and a Host Family handbook in an email.
If you talk to interesting candidates it is important to make sure they fulfill the requirements. You need to check that before you start planning the stay.
Hosting EU and Non-EU applicants in Sweden
It is better to ask too many questions than not enough. So read the requirements below and see if your applicant meets them:
-
Is the Au Pair 18 to 30 years old?
-
Does the applicant have a husband or wife or has ever been married before?
-
What about children of their own?
-
Is their reason to stay in Sweden a general interest in the Swedish culture and language that can be proven?
-
Does the applicant’s nationality differ from your own? The participant’s nationality is not Swedish, is it?
-
Did the Au Pair save enough money to be able to cover the travel expenses?
Experience in childcare is a must if the applicant wants to take part in the program, because the main responsibility will be to take care of the children, bring them to school and social activities, prepare meals for them and clean up their rooms. Do you see how essential experience in this field is?
Once you have chosen a couple of favorite candidates who meet the demands, you should organize a few
video-calls so you can get to know each other better. Then you have to make a decision which one of your favorites will come to Sweden and stay with you. You have to discuss all the details of the stay with the chosen candidate and prepare the
contract which needs the signature of both parties. Then there are only a few steps left:
1
Insurance for the Au Pairs in Sweden
All EU citizens benefit from the services they get with the
European Health Insurance Card. They should not forget that the services differ from country to country and that an
additional private insurance is indispensable. In Sweden they should register with the
Försäkringkassan, the social insurance agency to be fully covered. They should still check for a liability and accident insurance.
Each participant of the Au Pair program in Sweden needs to pay taxes on their
pocket money as well as on the lodging and board since they are part of the payment. The participants need to register with the
Swedish tax agency Skatteverket after arriving in Sweden. The Au Pair will need their ID for that matter. How much taxes the participant has to pay depends on the length of the stay and the amount of the payment.
If you have found some interesting applicants you should
talk with them on Skype and get to know them on a personal level. Now comes the hardest part: make the right decision! After you have chosen someone to become your live-in childcare you need to set up the
contract which needs the signature of both parties. Only a few more steps and you can welcome your new family member:
All important details have to be included in the contract. Think about payment,
working hours and the Au Pair’s free time. Both, Host Family and Au Pair, need to sign it.
2
Support the applicant during the visa/work permit process
The process to get a work permit or
visa to Sweden is something new for most of the participants. Therefore we recommend fully supporting your new family member during the application. The applicant will definitely need all the important documents like the contract. Make sure the Au Pair has everything together.
3
Prepare for the Au Pair’s arrival
If you want to give your participant a warm welcome, prepare their room in a nice way. Decorate it a little bit, make it cozy. You should also plan the arrival and know when you will have to pick the Au Pair up.
4
Apply for a resident permit at the Migration Office
If the Au Pair stays in Sweden for more than 3 months they have to get an appointment with the local Migration Board Permit Unit. They will take the applicant’s fingerprints and a photo in order to provide the participant with a resident permit card.
5
Registration at the Tax Office
Then the participant has to get registered with the Swedish tax agency Skatteverket because they have to pay taxes depending on the amount of salary they get.
6
Au Pair Insurance in Sweden
In Sweden the participants need to register with the social insurance agency
Försäkringkassan, to have full health insurance during the stay. They should still check for a liability and accident insurance to have a safe stay.
For Registered Members
For Registered Members
Login
