Responsibilities of an Au Pair? (specifically in Germany)?

Question

If an aupair has Saturday and Sunday off, is he/she required to help with housework, such as doing the dishes, vacuuming, etc?

Also, if one of the parents does not have work and the aupair would like to go somewhere, does that count as a paid vacation day?

I´m asking this as rules, not just out of curiosity.

Answer 1

you have to do everything baby...

from dishes, walking the dog, every single thing you can imagine...

and yes all the free time will be discounted from your vacation time...

Answer 2

Yes she is (I have an Au pair)And no it does not count.

Answer 3

No, you do not have to do anything on your day's off. Housework is still considered work and when you're off, that means you don't have to do any.

Of course if you have dinner with the family, you can help clean up but take note that you should HELP not do it all!

You're also off on public holidays. If you want to go somewhere, you should let the parents know. Most families are pretty okay about it (you are after all an au pair and you are supposed to travel) and will pay you anyway (the general rule is you get paid a fixed amount every week/month) . Likewise, if they're 15 minutes late, you are not going to charge them for it.

I think most au pairs get at least 2 weeks paid vacation but it's not uncommon to get 5 weeks off (basically when family's off, you're off too).

Answer 4

You need to ask the Host Family, it's between you and them.

Answer 5

When I was an Au-Pair, I was not required to help with houswork on the weekends. I was, however, an Au-Pair in the US, not in Germany.

But, as it is in the Au-Pair world: It all depends on the family you're with. If you really feel like a part of the family after a time, than I guess it wouldn't matter that much if you helped doing the dishes and stuff during the weekend, as long as you are not required to do it all the time. Nobody should look at you in a funny way if you usually help and from time to time say: Hey, I wont be there, me and my friends are going somewhere.

It's the weekend, after all, and as long as you were not asked to work on the weekend, it is your free time that you may spend as you wish. You are not a house slave.

Answer 6

In the following link (in German) you will find as pdf. all the information (laws, etc.) about being Au Pair in Germany:

http://www.arbeitsagentur.de/nn_26274/ze...