The Au Pair program is a cooperation between a participant and a Host Family. To make it successful, there are some rules to follow. In this post we share the most important information about the Au Pair stay in Finland.
Au Pair responsibilities
Au Pairs in Finland have different responsibilities, of which taking care of the Host Family’s children is the most essential. This includes chores such as: cleaning the kids' room, preparing some snacks, reading with them and taking them to the playground. As part of the program, participants will also help with some light household duties. Include everything that matters in the contract.
The stay is not an employment program but a cultural exchange. For this reason, participants should be seen as family members and both parties should promote a nice atmosphere at home. Read more about the Au Pair responsibilities.
Host Family duties
Host Families in Finland must fulfil certain requirements to host their Au Pair. For example, they need to provide a private bedroom for their guest, a monthly payment (also known as pocket money), meals and health insurance.
Families also need to help their Au Pair understand and adapt to the Finnish lifestyle. Therefore, they should encourage their guest to spend some quality time with them and integrate into local culture.
Once in Finland, families also have to support their Au Pair during the registration at the municipal office and offer their support to prevent misunderstandings regarding bureaucratic matters. Find out the full information about the Host Family responsibilities.
If this sounds like a plan for you, then you only need to register and complete the profile.
A participant in Finland can work up to 30 hours per week and a maximum of 5 hours per day - babysitting included! The working plan depends on the Host Family's necessities; even though the work should not exceed the established hours.
Salary
Au Pairs in Finland earn around 70 Euro per week (that is a monthly amount of approx. 280 euro). Participants will also need to pay taxes including a pension insurance, which is 24.2% of the Au Pair's salary. The participant has to pay 5.55% of these 24.2% while Host Families will pay the other 18.65%.
Time off and holidays
As part of the program in this country, participants will have one free day and 3 evenings off per week. They should also have time to attend a language course and do some other activities. Regarding holidays, participants have two weeks of paid vacations for every 6-month stay.
Accommodation
Full board and lodging are the Host Family’s main responsibilities towards their Au Pair. They will also introduce him/her to the Finnish culture, history and language.
Language course
The participant’s daily schedule needs to include enough space for the language course. Due to the language diversity in the country, an Au Pair can attend either a Finnish or a Swedish language course.
Note: In Finland, participants are responsible for paying the course fees.
What else?
In Finland, being an Au Pair is actually considered a job and the participants will need to pay taxes. For this reason, Host Families mustn't forget to register their participant with the correspondent tax authorities. The amount of tax a participant must pay will depend on the length of the stay. All the important information you can find at the Finnish Tax Administration site.
An Au Pair in Finland will also need to pay for a pension insurance equal to 24,2% of the participant's gross income; participants will pay 5,55% and Host Families 18,65%.
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