AU-PAIRS /NANNIES INFORMATION ON PLACEMENT IN AUSTRALIA:

Australia is a country with lots of sunshine, great beaches, outdoor activities, rainforests and national parks. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are the largest cities with great cafes, food, entertainment and many varied things to do. Many visitors like traveling to the North East coast to surf and visit the Great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island and the rainforest near Cairns. Australia is a large country, and there for has a good network of cheap flights and buses to get around. We have families listed from all over the country looking for Au-Pairs from the big cities such as Sydney, to small coastal towns such as Noosa and Byron Bay or apply for a true “Australian” experience on one of the large outback stations.

An Au-Pair stay with an Australian family provides you with the opportunity to learn and practice English, experience different culture and customs, and be part of an Australian family. An Au-Pair stay can be either on a short term basis for example, during school holidays. However, most families will require a minimum of 4 months stay and more commonly 6 to 9 months. Being an Au-Pair is ideal for an "in between" working holiday gap year, in which you can earn a regular income, meet other international Au-Pairs and get to know the country from your family base. Most Au Pairs will travel around Australia after completing their Au-Pair placement. Placement in Australia is free for Au-Pairs. Take on the challenge and become an Au Pair in Australia.

Once we have your full application approved, we will quickly introduce you to prospective families that meet your broad requirements in terms of location, duration of placement, size of family etc. We recognise that travelling to a foreign country with different language and customs requires some adjustment, and we provide all our Au-Pairs with a contact network of other local Au-Pairs so you can quickly feel at home and meet new friends.

HOW WE ASSIST - WHAT DOES AU PAIR AUSTRALIA DO FOR YOU?
We are very experienced in screening families and will only place with the best families that understand the obligations they have towards you. In fact most of our families have been with our agency for many years.

• We remove the risk of income and the insecurity by lining up a job for you before you arrive in Australia. We have an extensive data base with many families for you to choose from.
• We are actual people and not just a web based service with no one to answer your questions.
• We offer personal service and support for the entire duration of your placement with your family or your chosen program.
• Placement in Australia is free for Au-Pairs.

TYPES OF AU PAIR PROGRAMS AVAILBLE

AU PAIR PLACEMENT
Au-Pair comes from the French word En pair meaning equal to, so an Au-Pair is not an employee but becomes a member of the family/household and is treated as such. As Au Pairs are on a cultural and language exchange, they are always from a foreign country. The “host family” invites the Au-Pair into their house, to share all facilities of the house, and will have their own bedroom. In exchange, the Au-Pair will assist the family with child minding,  light housekeeping, receive an allowance and learn the local language and culture.

Au Pairs are overseas students without any formal childcare qualifications and are between 18 and 30 years of age. As Au Pairs are not qualified childcare workers/ nannies, they cannot be responsible for looking after babies under 12 months of age unsupervised for long periods of time (e.g. 2/3 hours maximum, not for the entire day). Au Pair placement is not a cheap holiday and can have its difficult days with kids, homesickness or routine. However you will find that you have plenty of free time to explore, go away for weekends, meet friends, go surfing etc.

Being away from your own country and environment will stimulate you to work on your personal development. You will learn things about yourself you have never realised. You will change as a person; you will become more independent and confident. You also will develop a different view of the world as you realise that there are many ways to do things and you will learn how to handle different situations. After you have lived and worked as an Au pair in a foreign country, your life will never be the same again.

DEMI PAIR PLACEMENT
If you would like to attend language classes (or other courses) you can apply for a demi pair position. We only work with English language colleges that are accredited by the Australian Government board, and that we believe have a high standard in teaching, facilities, and have time tables that don’t clash with family requirements. More info

As a Demi Pairs (half Au Pair) you normally attend language classes during the day (typically 8.00-14.00) and help the family in  the afternoons with after school care, school pick up, bath and cooking from 3.00 pm till 7.00/7.30 pm. You need to consider this program very carefully as it is very full on and not everyone has the level of energy to keep up the phase of study, work, and complete your class work 5 days a week for several months. Please be also aware that the allowance you get from the family is a lot less than the cost of the course.

FAST TRACK PLACEMENT
Many prospective Au Pairs that have not practiced their English for a while choose to attend language classes for the first for 2/3 weeks. This allows them to get used to the Australian accent, get over their jetlag and settle in. If you feel unconfident about speaking English or you think your level of English is too low for immediate placement with a family, you should consider this option. More info

BASIC  REQUIREMENTS

• Min 20 years old
• Drivers license
• No Smoking ( no exceptions)
• Min 6 months commitment (4 months if you are already in Australia or for Demi pair positions)
• 200 hours experience in working with children, babysitting, youth club work etc
• Eligible for a working holiday  (or student visa for Demi pair program)

After you have submitted your application form, we will provide you with documents for you to complete before we can place you with a family. This includes references, criminal record check, photos etc.

ENTRY VISA REQUIREMENTS
We do not place on tourist visas. You need to be eligible for a working holiday visa or a student visa. Please check before you apply to avoid disappointments and delay. All applications for visas must be applied for in your home country.

> For information see www.immi.gov.au

Au-Pairs from the following countries can apply for a working holiday visa to Australia:

Germany, Denmark, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Canada, U.K, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malta, Norway, Hong Kong, Cyprus, Taiwan, Estonia and Finland.

If you are from Chile, Thailand or Turkey, you may be eligible to apply for a work and holiday visa (subclass 462), which provides similar opportunities for tertiary educated people aged 18 to 30. This visa has yearly quotas.

You can also work as a Demi Au-Pair on a student visa provided you are enrolled and attending one of our registered full time language courses. Read More Link  For visa information www.immi.gov.au

Commonly Demi pairs are from Brazil, Thailand, Chile, France and Germany.

TYPE OF HELP YOU WOULD PROVIDE:
Your primary role is to assist families with child care related duties. Typically this involves caring for and entertaining the children. This could include such tasks as giving milk bottles or making school lunches, taking the children to and from school, planned activities or outside play such as parks, as well as supporting meal and bath time routines in the morning and evening. You can also expect to assist with light housework such as washing and tidying, particularly in the children’s rooms and play areas. Families will typically outline their requirements in more detail when they have contact with you. As an Au-Pair, you are not expected to have formal childcare qualifications (of course Nannies do) but you should know how to handle a difficult child or an emergency. Australian families are very demanding and will expect you to be independent and to learn fast. You should be;

• Open to different cultures and new challenges
• Caring and thoughtful with childrenPatient and flexible
• Have a positive attitude to your duties and family
• Reliable.

WORKING HOURS AND RATES OF PAY:
Most common placements with a family are either 30 or 35 hours a week, although this is somewhat negotiable. Work is typically during the day from 7.30 am until 9.30 am and from 3.00 pm to 7.00  pm. Some families will require you to help on some days for longer or even the entire day and will give you extra days off. Normally you also have a standard night babysitting.  You will have 2 full days off in a row, preferably over the weekend. A typical weekly pay rate in Australia ranges from AUD$180-$250, depending on the number of hours you work. Some families elect to pay a bonus on completion but that is entirely up to the family.

If you are a qualified nanny, rates are negotiable but often around $8 or $9 per hour, depending on age and experience. As a qualified nanny, you will be asked to work longer hours (40 +), often care of very for young babies and run the household. Some qualified nannies elect to be placed as an Au Pair.

ACCOMMODATION:
You will be provided with your own private bedroom but the bathroom may need to be shared with the children.  Amenities such as TV and audio in your own room are sometimes provided but this differs from family to family. You would normally share all other areas of the house with the family. You will be provided with all meals as well as electricity, gas and local phone calls. Personal, long distance or mobile phone calls would be your own responsibility.

PLACEMENT PERIOD
The placement period of Au-Pairs and Demi pairs normally ranges from 4 to 10 months, depending on the season, with the most comon placement being 6 to 8 months. From July to December it is nearly impossible to find families interested in placement less than 6 months.

COST
Placement for Au Pairs into Australia is free. Travel/Airfares: The cost of airfares to the host country is normally your own responsibility as are medical/insurance expenses and the cost of attending language classes.

Like to be an Au Pair? Register and apply here

BEHAVIOUR
As an Au Pair Australia Au pair or Nanny, you are expected to be dressed in clean and tidy clothes of a slightly conservative style (no hot pants or midriff tops). You will act in a respectful manner to the family, their belongings and the environment you are in. Remember that you not only represent yourself and the family you work for, but also the country that you come from

MANAGING THE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR HOST FAMILY
Based on our experience we would offer several key points of guidance to achieving a successful relationship with your host family:

Understand the family’s requirements well. Be sure to clarify any responsibilities that you are not sure about during communications over the phone prior to your arrival. Families do expect to train you and are always willing to do so. Make sure you write things down and do not feel hesitant to ask again. The most common placement failures are usually a result of a build up of misunderstandings and lack of communication.

Remember you are coming to Australia to have a new experience, to broaden your mind, to learn about your self and test your maturity. Be open to new ways; if you think everything is better “ back” home and think the children you look after should behave more like “ back” home, maybe you should consider if you are really open to other ideas. Be really honest with yourself as to who you really are.

Be aware and recognise when help is required. Families with young children are invariably busy - you providing a helping hand and doing things without being asked is particularly valuable and the trait of a good Au-Pair.

Occasionally join in family activities even outside of your working routine. This allows you to get to know the family outside of the normal busy routine when parents are more relaxed.

Show some interest in your family; ask them how their day was, don’t let the conversations just be one way just because you are shy.

Bring your own culture into your daily childcare routine. Families generally enjoy their children being exposed to other languages and customs and this is often a key factor in hosting an Au-Pair. Teaching children songs, counting etc in your language adds to the whole experience for the family.

Sounds good? Like to be an Au Pair? Register and apply here