IAPO - Become an Au Pair in UK: Duties and Responsibilities

Au Pair in the UK

Duties and Responsibilities of the Au Pair

The au pair's childcare responsibilities may include:

- Waking the children, dressing, bathing and feeding them
- Playing with children and helping with their homework
- Preparing light meals or helping to prepare meals, making children's beds, doing their laundry, ironing their clothes
- Taking/collecting children to and from school, appointments or outings requested by the host family
- Shopping, vacuuming, dusting and some other light housework
- Staying at home if necessary while children are absent from school due to illness or holidays
- Baby-sitting - up to two evenings per week.

The au pair is not a cleaner or a housemaid. Their responsibilities do not include heavy housework unrelated to the children such as cleaning the windows, cleaning the home or polishing.

Au pairs must be prepared to help their host with general light housework and help with children for up to 5 hours per day, or a maximum of 25 hours per week. In addition, 2 evenings baby-sitting per week would be reasonable.

Au pairs are not qualified nannies or domestic servants, they should not be expected to take sole responsibility for the children or household duties.

During the school holidays an au pair may be asked to look after the children for more hours when the mother is working. However extra pocket money should be paid to compensate for the extra hours worked. Au pairs are not expected to work excessive hours and families must be considerate.

Host Family Responsibilities

Be UK citizens or permanent residents
Speak primarily English in the home
Treat the au pair as a family member and include them in family meals and outings
Agree to honor the Host Family Agreement
Pay a minimum of £55.00 pocket money to the au pair each week
Provide a private bedroom for the au pair
Agree to facilitate an open line of communication with IAPO's counsellors
Ensure the enrolment and attendance of the au pair at an educational institution
Agree to give the au pair 2 days off per week
Agree that the au pair does not work more than 25 hours per week