Let's join Aupair 2008

JOIN AUPAIR CONFERENCE 9.2008 AT HANOI& HO CHI MINH CITY
CONTACT: www.aupairvietnam.com
Aupair????
Au pair is an anglicization of the French term "au pair," which means "on par" or "equal to" and describes a young person living on an equal basis with a host family in a foreign country. The au pair helps the family with childcare, housework, or both while staying as a guest of the family and generally receiving a small allowance (or pocket money). An au pair will typically be a young woman, or sometimes a young man, who is accepted into the host family as an extended family member. Both the family and au pair are expected to respect cultural differences and display tolerance towards one another.
(Wikipediadictionary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aupair)

Arrangement

An au pair placement is an arrangement where an unmarried person between 17 and 30 years old lives for up to two years in a foreign country as a member of a local family, helping in the home for a set number of hours a day, often with at least two full days off per week. In return, they receive a reasonable allowance and a private room. In the United Kingdom, the current recommended amount for the weekly allowance is £60.
The Council of Europe recommends that every au pair be issued a standard contract with their family.

Treatment

An au pair shall be treated as an equal part of the family, not as a servant, and shall not be required to wear a uniform. There can be misunderstandings on both sides about what this means. The usual practice is that au pairs eat with the family most of the time, and join in some of the usual family activities such as outings and trips. However, host families normally expect to have some private time to themselves, particularly in the evenings. During this time, an au pair might retire to his or her room to watch TV or study, or go out with friends.
Being an au pair can be a great opportunity to experience a different country and culture. The "job" of the au pair will vary depending on how much the host family expects, although there are government set limits as to how much you are allowed to work. Jobs vary from taking/picking up kids from school, taking the kids to after school classes, cooking, cleaning, ironing, babysitting,etc. The au pair is given a monthy allowance and all living/insurance/food expenses are paid by the host family. Depending on the country, the monthy allowance will be around 350 Euros. Travel is easy in Europe, but the amount of traveling experiences one will have depends entirely on how much time-off your host family will give you. Again, there is a government set minimum that the host family must abide by.

Specific countries

Finland

An au pair’s responsibilities also include light housework, totalling six hours a day, five days a week. The au pair has her/his own room, is provided with food, and is paid a weekly allowance amounting to at least €252 per month (minimum set by Finnish law). Additionally, the host family will arrange a Finnish language course to help the au pair communicate better with the children and get more out of his or her stay in Finland. It is expected that an au pair is also flexible, and if extra hours are required that pay is set at 5 euros per hour. An au pair in Finland will also get a one week paid vacation every six months. Au pairs can stay with their host family for up to one year or choose a shorter stay.

United Kingdom

In the UK, an au pair must be a national of the European Union or of one of the following countries: Andorra, Faroe Islands, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greenland, San Marino, Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Croatia or Monaco. Although other European Economic Area nationals are not included in the au pair scheme, they are free to take au pair placements in the UK.
Nationals of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Republic of Croatia, Macedonia, and Turkey need a visa from their British Embassy or Consulate.
Au-pair permits are limited to candidates who are unmarried, have no dependants, do not plan to stay in the UK for more than two years as an au pair, and can support and accommodate themselves without help from public funds. They are also required to leave the UK after completing the au pair period. Au pairs may move to another family as long as the new arrangements continue to meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules.
The British Au Pairs Agencies Association (BAPAA) was created by 23 members of the International Au Pairs Agencies Association (IAPA). The main goal of BAPAA within the UK is liaising with the Home Office and other government officials to improve the process of visa applications for those countries where a visa is needed and setting standards for the industry within the United Kingdom