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Au Pair Paid Holidays Standards in Different Countries

How many days of paid holidays are the Au Pairs entitled to?

Usually, the Au Pair gets one to four weeks of paid holiday per 12 months of the Au Pair program.

The amount depends on many factors:

Host Country Au Pair program regulations
Contract between the Au Pair and the family
Length of the Au Pair stay abroad

This table can shed more light on this case.

The number of working hours as well as minimal number of free days per week are established by official program regulations of the Host Country.

Au Pairs usually work 25 to 35 hours per week depending on the host country and the family's needs. Au Pairs also have a certain amount of paid holiday during the program. In addition to these, there are also bank holidays according to the law of the host country. They need to be mentioned in the Au Pair contract as well.

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We recommend discussing the holiday period with the Au Pair as soon as possible. That way, both family and Au Pair can make the proper arrangements.

Au Pair holidays and days off

In the following table you can find the amount of paid holiday and free days per week for each country.

Country	Free days per week	Paid holidays*
Australia	1,5	1 week in the period of 6 months or bonus payment
Austria	1	4 weeks in the period of 12 months
Belgium	1	2 weeks in the period of 12 months
Canada	min. 1	2 weeks in the period of 6 months
Denmark	1	1 week in the period of 6 months
England	min. 1 (1x per month a Sunday)	2 weeks in the period of 12 months
Finland	min. 1	1-2 weeks in the period of 6 months
France	1,5 successive days	1 week in the period of 6 months
Germany	1-2	1 week in the period of 6 months
Ireland	min. 2 successive days	1 week in the period of 6 months
Italy	min. 1 (1x per month a Sunday)	2 weeks in the period of 12 months
Luxembourg	3 evenings and 1 day	2 weeks in the period of 6 months
New Zealand	min. 1 (1x per month a Sunday)	2 weeks in the period of 6 months
The Netherlands	1,5	2 weeks in the period of 12 months
Norway	1,5	25 days in the period of 12 months
Sweden	1 (1xper month a Sunday)	4 weeks in the period of 12 months
Switzerland	1,5	4 weeks in the period of 12 months
Spain	min. 1 (1x per month a Sunday)	2-4 weeks in the period of 12 months
Turkey	2 + 4 evenings	2 weeks in the period of 12 months
USA	1,5 + 1 weekend per month	2 weeks in the period of 12 months

*The table presents recommendations. All arrangements concerning holidays should always be discussed by the Au pair and the Host Family.

Au Pair on holiday - how does it work?

Depending on the Host Country regulations, the Au Pair should get a given amount of paid holiday. Still, in the case of the Au Pair program, the concept of holiday is confusing and the interpretation varies from case to case.

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Some families take the Au Pair with them when going on holiday and this time may count as the Au Pair’s holiday. In such cases, it’s important to remember that during the vacation the Au Pair should not fulfill the standard tasks and should also have some free time.

The holiday can also be spent in different ways: for example, the Au Pair can visit their family during this time. The Au Pair can also travel through the Host Country, getting to know the new environment better. It depends on their decision on how to spend the free time and the Host Family should be supportive. At AuPair.com you can find guided tours through the most popular Host Countries.

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Whatever the interpretation of the Au Pair holiday is, the contract should contain detailed clarification so any future misunderstanding can be easily avoided.

Can an Au Pair have a second job?: It depends. If the Au Pair is an EU citizen and is staying within the EU, then he/she can have another job. For the rest of the cases, it depends on the visa the Au Pair holds, the amount of hours she already works and the specific labour laws of the Host Country.

Can Au Pairs work more than 45 hours?: No. Every country has its own regulations for how many hours/week the Au Pair is allowed to work, and they correspond to a specific monthly pocket money. In some countries, like the USA, this includes extra babysitting hours. In other Host Countries it depends on the agreement between Au Pair and Host Family.

How can an Au Pair get a visa?: AuPair.com is an online matching agency, therefore this question is beyond our scope of responsibility. But we will do our best to help you nonetheless! Usually the best source of information is the embassy of the host country placed in the Au Pair’s homeland. Requirements vary depending on both the Au Pair’s nationality and the host country, but usually a letter of invitation from the Host Family and a signed contract are needed to start the visa application. Other documents may be different depending on each individual case, and in case of the US, assistance of a local full-service Au Pair agency is also necessary.