Frequently Asked Questions by Families
Do you charge a registration fee? No. Your commitment to us is to take the time to complete the registration form, which will take approximately 10 minutes. We only charge a placement fee when you agree a placement with one of our Au Pair Candidates.
Where do your Au Pairs come from? Most of our Au Pairs come from Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic. However, in principle, we accept Au Pairs (as long as they pass our vetting procedures) from all EU countries and partner countries under Tier 5 of the Youth Mobility Scheme (e.g. Japan, Canada, New Zealand and Australia).
How do you find your Au Pairs? We conduct extensive advertising campaigns in a number of EU countries. We accept Au Pairs from the EU, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, who do not require visas or work permits. If prospective Au Pairs already qualify under Tier 5 of the Youth Mobility Scheme (Japan, Canada, New Zealand and Australia) and have all their paper work in order, we will accept them as well.
Do you have Au Pairs from Turkey, the Philippines, Thailand or South Africa? We can no longer accept Au Pairs from these and other non-EU or non-Tier 5 countries.
How do you vet your Au Pairs? We ask prospective Au Pairs to supply a significant amount of information which we cross-check (including against the registration form). For example, our Au Pairs have to provide two separate forms of Identification (e.g. passport, driving licence, ID card), a Character Reference, a Childcare Reference, a Police Check/CRB, etc.
We also look for consistency between documents, including the registration form and ‘Dear Family’ letter.
How do you match Au Pairs and families? We use the information provided as part of the registration as a starting point. This is why the registration form is quite detailed and quite long. We compare requirements, likes and dislikes, and general expectations, between host families and the Au Pairs on our database. We follow every new registration up with a telephone call for an informal chat. This helps us to find out more about you, and enables you to give us further information or discuss any specific requirements.
At this stage we might already have an idea if we have a potential Au Pair candidate for your family. If we think that we have a possible match, we speak to you and the Au Pair, to get an initial reaction. If this is positive, we provide you with more extensive information about the Au Pair Candidate and the Candidate with more extensive information about your family. If both of you are happy to proceed we arrange a telephone call or video call (or meeting if the Candidate is already in the UK). We provide you with sample questions you might want to ask during this interview.
Once we have received positive feedback from you and the Au Pair Candidate following this call we will ask you to send us a ‘Letter of Invitation’. We provide you with a sample Letter of Invitation. At this stage we also send you our invoice and finalise the necessary paperwork for the placement, start dates, travel arrangements, etc.
At no stage, do we generate candidates using crude, automated matching criteria. You will not be presented with rafts of unsuitable candidates thrown in hoping that they somehow fit the bill. If we do not have a suitable candidate, we will get back to you and discuss possible alternatives, including specific searches to find the right Au Pair for your family.
What is a 'Letter of Invitation'? This is a letter from your family to the Au Pair which sets out what you offer and what you expect from the Au Pair in return. We provide you with a detailed sample letter which you can adapt to suit your specific situation.
What does an Au Pair do? See our "What is an Au Pair" page.
Do you provide any follow up or support after the placement? Yes. In our experience the key to a successful experience both for the family and the Au Pair is a happy family and a happy Au Pair. We appreciate that it is often the first time that the Au Pair is away from home, her friends and family. We also appreciate that it might be the first time that your family has an Au Pair. Both parties might need a little time to settle in and might feel uncertain about a number of things. Especially during the first few weeks it is important to ensure good communication between you as a family and the Au Pair and if we can help with this, including clarifying expectations, we will be very willing to do so.
Also, especially in the first few weeks it could be difficult for an Au Pair in a different country, different culture, without having friends and family close by. Therefore, if the Au Pair wants this, we will try to bring her in touch with other Au Pairs and provide a listening ear. We aim to have regular contact both with you and the Au Pair.
What if things do not work out? In the unlikely event that things do not work out we operate a 30 DAY FREE REPLACEMENT GUARANTEE for all placements in excess of 3 months. This means that if the placement does not work out during the first 30 days from the start day of the placement the guarantee will apply.
What about your logo? Our Logo is a drawing of a curious Ladybird. It was made by our daughter and inspired by the ERIC CARLE 'THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR' book.