Matching Expectations
Each engagement between a host family and an Au Pair is unique and requires consideration of how to align the expectations of the host family and those of the Au Pair. In our experience, Au Pair engagements are normally successful when these are aligned.

By using the services of an Agency to find an Au Pair, as opposed to an Internet matching website, you will be guided through this process and you will receive more background information on the candidate Au Pairs.

Once a family has selected an Au Pair and the Au Pair has agreed to the engagement, then the expectations become part of effectively the Family/Au Pair Agreement.

Expectations
For a family, the following expectations are typical:

·         The type of help required

·         Any specific requirements, e.g. a Driver required

·         The current English skills of the Au Pair

·         The number of hours help required and the schedule

·         Any house rules

·         Any privacy requirements

For an Au Pair, the following expectations are typical:

·         The type of help they are prepared to provide

·         If they want to attend language classes

·         The number of hours they are prepared to work

·         The number and ages of children

·         The type of location e.g. city, rural, town

·         The living facilities provided by the family for them

Guidelines on Au Pair Duties
The following are Guidelines on the types of help you should expect from an Au Pair have been devised through discussion between UK Agencies and Agencies abroad. The intent of these Guidelines is to simplify the process of aligning expectations and Agencies abroad use similar guidelines when Au Pairs in their own countries apply to them.

The Guidelines cover assistance with childcare and housework support.

Assistance with Childcare
Au Pairs do not have formal childcare qualifications and therefore it is at a family's discretion and risk to leave an Au Pair in sole charge of young children. We strongly recommend that a family should not rely on an Au Pair to be have sole charge of a child under the age of three. Au Pairs are more akin to a babysitter, than an experienced child carer.

The following are the typical type of assistance with childcare that an Au Pair could provide

·         helping getting children ready for school

·         taking and collecting children from school

·         playing with and entertaining children

·         babysitting

Assistance with Housework
The following are typical light housework jobs that an Au Pair could be expected to undertake:

·         washing dishes, including loading and unloading a dishwasher

·         preparing simple meals for the children

·         keeping the kitchen clean and tidy, including sweeping and mopping floors

·         loading and unloading laundry into the washing machine

·         ironing for the children

·         putting the childrens' clean clothes away

·         vacuuming

·         dusting

·         making and changing childrens' beds

·         cleaning childrens' bathroom

·         everything to do with keeping their own room and bathroom clean and tidy

·         light shopping (not the entire household shopping)

·         emptying bins

Discretionary Housework Support
The following are jobs that an Au Pair may undertake subject to them being discussed and agreed prior to their engagement:

·         making parents' beds

·         walking and feeding pets

·         ironing for parents'

·         cleaning parents' en-suite bathrooms

·         polishing silver and brassware

·         cooking the family meal, unless the Au Pair enjoys cooking and has chosen to do this for the family

Untypical Housework Support
The following are not typical Au Pair suitable jobs and they would not expect to undertake unless they have been explicitly discussed and agreed with them prior to their engagement:

·         gardening

·         window cleaning

·         spring cleaning

·         cleaning the oven, other than a simple wipe over

·         washing carpets

·         washing the car

·         weekly family shopping

·         pet training

·         clearing up after untrained pets