Au Pair Concept
The Au Pair Concept has been around for almost 50 years and it was started to encourage young people to travel and to gain "Cultural Experiences" of life in other countries and to improve their language skills.

How it works in practice, is that a host family in one country invites a young person, normally from another country, to stay in their family home and to share in their family life. Whilst they are staying with the family, the young person also gets the opportunity to visit places of interest and to attend language courses.

In return for providing this opportunity, the Au Pair agrees to provide help and support around the family home, and for which the host family pays the Au Pair "pocket money".

Regulations
Until November 2008, the Immigration Regulations defined Au Pairs as a specific category with a set of conditions governing both Au Pairs and families. This Immigration category no longer exists.

Most Au Pairs now come to the UK under the governance of the UK’s “Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006” which implement the European Union’s Freedom of Movement for Citizens under Directive 2004/38/EC.

We can discuss with you how the EEA Regulations apply to Au Pairs after you have registered with us.

Where can Au Pairs come to the UK from?
Under the Freedom of Movement Regulations Au Pairs can come to the UK from the following countries:

Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Irish Republic, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

      plus those referred to in the Regulations as the "A8" countries:

Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia

Bulgarian & Romanian Nationals
There are specific provisions and processes which apply before an Au Pair can be engaged from either of these 2 countries, please contact us for details.