Au Pair Host Family duties - what are you responsible for as a Host Family?

If you have read the requirements for the Host Families and you meet them, it is time to figure out what are the Host Family’s duties are! Below you can find a list of responsibilities a Host Family needs to follow throughout the Au Pair stay:
 

The Host Family should provide a private room as Au Pair accommodation and at least three meals a day. The Au Pair will live with the Host Family and will be considered a family member with the same rights. 
 

The Au Pair has a maximum number of working hours per week depending on the host country. As a rule, they vary from 25 to 45 hours and must not exceed the maximum limit. 
 

The Au Pair will get a monthly or weekly amount of pocket money from the Host Family. Make sure the amount of money corresponds to the host country program standards. We do recommend the Au Pair to open a bank account in the host country so that the Host Family can easily transfer the money monthly or weekly.
 

Au Pairs need to attend a language course during their stay abroad. Make sure your Au Pair has a schedule that allows them to attend a language course. The Host Family also needs to cover transportation costs necessary to get to the language school. In some countries, the Host Family shares the expenses of the language course. It depends on the program policy in each country.
 

The Au Pair has at least 2-5 weeks of paid vacation during a one year stay plus weekly days off. Learn more about holiday standards in different countries of the Au Pair program. If the Host Family decides to invite their Au Pair to join them during their family holidays, both Au Pair and Host Family should agree in advance if that counts as working hours or a holiday. 

In many countries, the Host Family will need to provide the Au Pair with health insurance or pay for the basic medical expenses in case of illness, injury, pregnancy or birth. 
 

If you are providing a vehicle for your Au Pair, make sure you have a corresponding insurance so that the Au Pair can use the car without any risk. 
 

We recommend discussing all the important information with your future Au Pair. A timetable or a list of the house rules will help the Au Pair to get to know you better and probably avoid possible misunderstandings and conflicts during the stay. In addition to this, both parties can mention the core conditions of the stay in the Au Pair contract. 
 

As an online matching agency we have also gathered other useful information about the Au Pair experience in the Au Pair Wiki and our Au Pair FAQ.