The Au Pair not only takes care of the children but help with light household duties. “Light household duties” is open to many interpretations so, the Au Pair must be aware not to be exploited. The Host Family shall enforce the Au Pair solely and exclusively with those chores that have been specified in the invitation letter.
There are families who need that their Au Pair looks after the children during more hours and do less housework or vice versa.
Childcare can include:
· Dressing and feed them
· Nappies changing
· Take and collect them from school
· Help them with homework
· Play with them and read to them
· Bath them and get them ready to bed
· Be creative
· Introduce them in activities that stimulate their growth and development
Household duties can include:
· Help to keep the house clean and tidy
· Dusting and vacuum cleaning
· Doing the washing and ironing
· Prepare breakfast and simple meals for the children
· Tidy up the kitchen
· Take care of the house, pets and plants when the family is out
Tasks an Au Pair will never do:
· Depth house cleaning
· Depth bathroom cleaning
· Depth cleaning of the kitchen, except the work surfaces and washing up the dishes
· Washing clothes by hand
· Clean up the wardrobes
· Cooking for the whole family
· Clean up the whole family’s shoes except the children’s
· Clean up the family’s cars
· Doing the garden
· Never serve the family
The Au Pair should always be sure of the duties she must not carry out.
If there is additional work during school holidays, this should be clear at the time of the offer and reasonable additional pocket money is expected in return, assuming the Host Family does not ask the Au Pair to work more than 3-4 hours extra per day.
Au Pairs duties