au pair

Become a Host Family in Finland

Hosting an Au Pair in Finland is very exciting, because you can give your children an opportunity to experience a different culture and find a new family member. The cultural exchange offers you flexible as well as affordable childcare. We gathered all the important information for families interested in welcoming someone from a foreign country. Start your adventure as Host Family now! 
become a host family Finland

Can you become a Host Family?

There are many benefits of the Au Pair program for a family. If you are excited about this opportunity, let's look into the official requirements for the Host Families. To welcome an Au Pair at your home you need to meet the following criteria:
  1. You have a kid under the age of 18 years.  
  2. The spoken language in your house is Finnish or Swedish. 
  3. You want to welcome a girl or a boy as a new family member and experience a cultural exchange. 
  4. You can provide the participant with food, a salary (at least 280 € a month) and take care of other program expenses.
  5. You can provide the Au Pair with a private room in your house which he/she doesn’t have to share with other family members. 
  6. Your family will accept the working hours of the Au Pair.
  7. Your nationality differs from his/hers.
If your family meets the participation requirements, register now and find your Au Pair.
 
Free Registration as Family

How does it work?

Your profile

After the registration at Au Pair.com, create your profile for free. The profile should contain all the important details about your family. How many kids do you have? During which time do you need childcare? Write a welcome letter and upload some photos. The complete profiles are more likely to be seen and considered by the applicants.
 

Start conversations

Once you have all the information, you can start contacting the Au Pairs. All members can add users to their favorites and send standard messages. In case you want to get the communication further, you can become a Premium Member, send personal messages and exchange Skype names and phone numbers. As a Premium member you will also get a contract template and a handbook for families that will guide you through the process. 
 

Find out the requirements for Au Pairs

It is essential that you know the requirements your candidate needs to meet before you start planning the stay. If your favorite applicant does not fulfil all the criteria, he/she might not be able to come to Finland.

Hosting EU and Non-EU applicants

So in order to be able to work as an Au Pair in Finland, the applicants have to meet the requirements below:
  • Age: 17 to 30
  • The applicant should be unmarried without their own children.
  • She/He should have a general interest in improving her/his basic knowledge of Finnish or Swedish and should be able to prove this interest
  • She/He should have a different nationality than the Host Family and should not be related to them
  • The candidate has never been an Au Pair before, neither in Finland nor in any other country
It is important that the applicant has experience in childcare. The main task is to watch the children, give them a ride to school or kindergarten and pick them up, prepare meals for them and clean up their rooms. For that reason experience is essential to start the adventure.

Hosting an Au Pair from the European Union and EFTA

If you have found the candidates that meet your expectations, organize a few video-calls and choose the best one.  Discuss the important details about the stay and prepare the contract. Both parties need to sign this document! Just a few more steps left:

1
Check if your Au Pair has insurance for Finland
Participants from the European Union can benefit from the European Health Insurance Card. They should still check which treatments the insurance will cover in Finland. We also recommend getting an additional private insurance. It should include a liability and accident insurance. 
 
2
Take care of the registration and taxes
The participant needs to register in Finland because she/he will also have to pay taxes and pension insurance. The amount of the insurance is 24,2 % of the Au Pair’s salary, which is not only the pocket money, but also board and lodging. Both parties will share the amount. The hosts need to pay 18,65 % and the participants have to pay 5,55 %. The pocket money will not be less than 280 € including the pension insurance being paid.

How to hire an Au Pair from a Non-EU country?

After you’ve found some applicants you like, you can organize an interview and decide which candidate will stay with your family. Afterward you need to set up a contract which needs the signature of both, the family and the applicant. There are only a few more steps left: 
 
1
Sign the contract
Think of all the important details of cooperation and include them in the contract, just as the schedule, payment and holidays. Both parties need to sign the contract. 
 
2
Take care of the Au Pair insurance for Finland
Au Pairs in Finland need to get an insurance that will cover medical cases and accidents. They will also need a liability insurance. Make sure that they have taken care of this important matter. 
 
3
Support the Au Pair with the visa process
The Au Pair might need some help to apply for the visa to Finland. Provide the candidate with the important documents like the contract and always offer your assistance. 
 
4
Get ready for the Au Pair
The Au Pair will need a private room so make sure that you have a nice and comfortable accommodation for your new family member. Maybe you want to get some candles or pictures to make the room cozier. Talk to the Au Pair about the arrival and pick her/him up at the airport and enjoy the time together. 
 
5
Payment to the International Recruitment and Integration
Since the Au Pair has to pay 24.2% of taxes from the salary, accommodation and boarding, the participant has to register in Finland. The Host Family and the Au Pair pay 18.65% and 5.55% of the total tax amount accordingly. The minimum monthly allowance is 280 Euro including the pension insurance.
 
We have gathered many useful posts in our WIKI and also answered frequently asked questions on our website. If there is still anything unclear, you can send us an email and we will be glad to help you.



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