How does a family select an Au Pair?
Contact AA by E mail at <info@aa-aupairs.com>
or by phone. AA will send you a sample of potentially suitable au pairs
including their application form, their letter of introduction and their
photos. AA will then arrange a time when you can phone the Au Pairs
that are of interest to you. Once you have made your choice AA will ask
you to write a letter of invitation that enables the Au pair to obtain
a visa. After that the Au pair will come to the UK to commence his or
her placement.
Travel arrangements
Au Pairs will meet the cost of getting
to and from the UK. Upon arrival it is expected that the family will meet
the Au pair personally or, exceptionally, where this is not possible the
family will arrange and pay for a taxi or other means of transport to
the home. Host families are expected
to meet the cost of the au pair returning to Romania upon completion of
a successful placement. Some au pairs will fly directly from Bucharest
but others will choose to take a bus or train to Trieste or another Italian
destination used by Ryan Air, the low cost airline. Travelling in this
way will cost about 100 pounds.
Settling in
It is important that an Au pair is made
to feel welcome in the home of a host family. The Au Pair should have
his or her own bedroom. Upon arrival it is a nice gesture to allow the
Au pair a phone call to home.
The tasks that the family expect the Au
pair to undertake should be explained at an early stage when other ground
rules should be laid down.
Telephone and internet access
The Au pair will want to keep contact
with friends and family back home. International phone calls are not necessarily
expensive. The Orange network charges 20p a minute for calls to Romania
as does OneTel. The best option is introduce the Au Pair to international
call cards such as Eastern European which works out at about 11 pence
per minute. These cards can be purchased in newsagents etc in most major
towns. It is helpful to find out where these can be purchased before the
Au Pair arrives.
Most Romanians are very good when it comes
to IT and will want to keep in touch by E mail. If you have a home computer
it is recommended that arrangements are agreed to allow the Au Pair to
have access to E mail.
Medical Treatment
AA suggests that Au Pairs are registered
with a local GP and a local dentist. Explain to the Au Pair that GP consultations
are free but that there are charges for prescriptions and for dental care.
Driving
Romanian driving licences are valid in
the UK for 12 months as are international licences. If an Au Pair is expected
to drive the host family is responsible for arranging insurance cover.
It is recommended that Au Pairs are given a number of driving lessons
(the cost being met by the host family) to assist with adjusting to driving
in the UK.
What can a family expect an au pair to
do?
An Au Pair can be expected to do light
housework (dusting, hoovering, washing, ironing, bed making, tidying children’s
rooms); take and collect children from school; light meal preparation
and washing up. It is acceptable to ask an Au Pair to babysit a couple
of nights each week.
An Au Pair is not a nanny and should not
be expected to be left on his or her own with children below the age of
three for long periods. Nor is an Au Pair an employee or a domestic servant
and therefore the amount of work that can be expected is limited and adequate
time off must be given.
Arrangements for studying English
The Au Pair Visa Scheme is intended to
provide an opportunity for young people to improve their English and to
experience living in a different culture to their own. Host families are
asked to identify available English language courses in their area in
advance of the arrival of the Au Pair. Because
AA au pairs receive only 45 pounds per week host families are asked to
meet the cost of any language tuition that is undertaken.
How much pocket money should an Au Pair
receive?
Payments should be agreed in advance for
avoidance of any misunderstanding. AA recommends 45 pounds a week for
the basic 25 hours. Where the Au Pair undertakes tasks over and above
working 25 hours a week additional pocket money should be given.
AA recommends that the Au Pair is paid
weekly in arrears but upon arrival is given a starting fee of Ł30
to enable the person concerned to purchase items that are essential (e.g.
a phone card).
Additional payments are at the family’s
discretion.
What support will host families and Au
Pairs get from AA?
Your AA agent will contact both the family
and the Au Pair within three days of the commencement of the placement
and then again after two weeks to ensure that things are working out for
both parties.
Should a crisis occur during the placement
either party is invited to contact the local AA agent responsible for
supervising the placement who will assist in resolving difficulties.
In addition to having the support of AA
agents Romanian Au Pairs are put in contact with each other and encouraged
to support each other both in their placements and socially.
To find out a little more about Romania or
about up to date visa information
why not take a look at our LINKS page?
romanian
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