What are the rights of an Au Pair and Host Family?

Question

Hey, I know it may vary from country to country, the one in question is Ireland, I was wondering what is the rights of the Au Pair, eg: How many hours per week they must work and also what about weekends?

The same for the family, is there an obligation for the Au Pair to work weekends if the family says so?

I need a good list of all the rights for both parties, the most informative answer will get the best answer.

Thank you.

Answer 1

it depends on what you agree and what is written in the contract to be perfectly honest.

A lot of nannies and au pairs work weekends and if thats what your needs are and what you agree prior to signing contracts then yes the au pair would be obliged to work weekends.

as for time off, be reasonable, i would expect most au pairs to work from 8am - 6pm most days, so 10 hours on average 5 days a week. however if you need them to work late, they start later maybe 1pm - 11pm or if you need them to work weekends then they have a day off in the week.

if you want to work them into te ground and have them work 8am - 8pm 7 days a week then you wont get a very good au pair, as the best ones can afford to pick and choose the jobs they want, and trust me they wont want one of those,

finally decide on what duties you want them to undertake to and what perks they will get. all this needs to be decided before you start interviewing so you know what you want and the au pair is perfectly clear on what you are after too for example

do you want them to

cook for just the children/whole family/no one

laundry duties for children/whole family/no one

school runs

shop for the children/whole family / none

cleaning duties just the nursery and childs rooms/whole house/none

pet care

will they have acess to a car? if they are expected to do school runs and shopping might be useful esp if they are not in walking distance

are they live in? if so do they get their own room? en suite or private bathroom or share with family? own en suite room is good

do they have a curfew if they are live in? have to be in by 11pm unless by special arrangement

what telephone callsare they allowed? maybe 2 a day

what wages will they get? extra for optional baby sitting? extra for compulsory 2 nights a week baby sitting? optional is better

£6 per hour daytime to include cooking and laundry duties for the children only,  maybe £7.50 per hour after 9pm £5.50 per hour baby sitting more or less depending on duties.

i would advise you to go to an agency tho, they can vet your au pairs before they start work and check references etc and advise you on what to look for and what to pay etc

good luck hope this helps

if she agreed two days off then she should be entitled to 2 days off. if they agreed 3 saturdays then same applies. if no contract was signed then she isnt obliged to work any weekends, but then she can be fired whenever and it may well be advised to seek alternative employment.

if the contract was made by the agency then she needs to speak to them and clarify what the details were. im sure if she is entitled to 2 days off a week then she is allowed to have them. it sounds like the family are throwing their weight around and trying their luck, if i was her i would get out and look for something else, they sound like arses! a lot of people who can afford nannies and au pairs treat them like skivvies and expect them to be at their beck and call, and if she doesnt stand up to them now, they will continue to take advantage. if she is with an agency get her to call them and have it out with them, thats what they are there for!

Answer 2

my family and i have had 4 au pairs over the past 5 years. we went through a program called "cultural care au pair" and all of them were really tremendous experiences!

hour limitations vary between companies.

with cultural care, she was only allowed to work 8 hours a day and at least have 2 days off. so for example, if my husband and i planned a weekend get away for 2 days (sat&sun) i'd have to work out my schedule to make it so she had 2 weekdays off.

i hope everything works out it really is a rewarding experience

talk to your local company representative if you have other questions. they are a great help!!

Answer 3

The Au Pair and the host family each have the right to expect the other party to abide by the rules of the agency, and any terms of the contract that was signed.  

What is the name of the program she is registered through, to Au Pair?  Visit their website and you may get some of the basics, though it is individualized for the needs of the Au Pair and the host family.

Most host families let the Au Pair know right away any special house rules.  Most of the agencies have a facilitator available to mediate any problems.

I hope this helps, and wish everyone the best!

Answer 4

i would think they should sort out a mutually agreeable contract before the au pair actually starts work

that way everyone knows whats expected

Answer 5

The law states that no-one can work for more than 45 hours per week,with breaks and weekends off.With au pairs it's impossible to enforce or even take to atribunall.The area is further blurred whenaccommodationn is provide in lieu of work.No contract is signed.So legally there is no protection.

The fault is nearly always with the au pair,not the family.At the interview,getting a very clear definition of hours to be worked or time off is rarely pursued by the au pair.Everything is left vague.When you or l go for a normal job interview,we find out money,hours,conditions,holidays,but au pairs do not.

The au pair has no rights in reality,but she does have one very powerful tool in her armoury,namely to leave the family and get another au pairing job elsewhere.

In London this is the standard procedure for exploited au pairs,as there are not enough au pairs to fill all the vacancies.

l hate the exploitation of this type of work,but you cannot rely on the law for this work,but use your feet and change until you get a nice family.Best not be live in,and not let them pay for academic stuff,as this in turn leads to lower money and longer hours