Everything You Need To Know About Aupairing
On this page, you would find the following topics:
How It Works
What is an aupair:
An aupair is a young person, usually between the ages of 18 and 30, who has decided to live with another family as a member of that family. The family is called the host family.
In the UK, the young aupair would get free accommodation in the host's home, free meals and pocket money, usually a minimum of £90 a week, in exchange for babysitting, cultural exchange and light housework.
Here, at Aupair Match UK, our job is to match hosts living in the UK with aupairs coming to the UK from all over the world.
To reduce the risks of cancellations to host families, all potential aupairs matched to hosts have their visas and flight tickets and are ready to join their hosts.
The Process
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Sign up as an aupair or as a host family with your details and requirements.
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We would work closely with you to find you a match
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Once matched, support would be provided and guaranteed until aupair and host family are settled (This is a maximum of 1 month after aupair arrives at the host's home)
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In the unlikely event that an aupair or host changes their mind, a replacement would be arranged as soon as possible.
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Aupair Rules
The rules and guidelines described below are set by the UK governing laws found here
Au pairs usually live with the family they work for and are unlikely to be classed as workers or employees. They are not entitled to the National Minimum Wage or paid holidays.
They’re treated as a member of the family they live with and get ‘pocket money’ instead - usually at least £90 a week.
Au pairs may have to pay Income Tax and National Insurance, depending on how much pocket money they get.
If you have any of the following, you DO NOT need a visa to be an aupair in the UK:
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British or Irish citizenship
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are from an EU country and have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, or are eligible to apply under the EU Settlement Scheme
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have a Youth Mobility Scheme visa
Everyone else would need a visa to come to the UK
Au pair arrangements
An au pair is not classed as a worker or an employee if most of the following apply:
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they’ve got a signed letter of invitation from the host family that includes details of their stay, for example accommodation, living conditions, approximate working hours, free time, pocket money
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they learn about British culture from the host family and share their own culture with them
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they have their own private room in the house, provided free of charge
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they eat their main meals with the host family, free of charge
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they help with light housework and childcare for around 30 hours a week, including a couple of evenings babysitting
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they get reasonable pocket money
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they can attend English language classes at a local college in their spare time
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they’re allowed time to study and can practise their English with the host family
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they sometimes go on holiday with the host family and help look after the children
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they can travel home to see their family during the year
Useful Tips & Advice
Whether you are an aupair or a host family, this process can both be very rewarding and also tedious, no matter how many times you have gone through the process previously.
Aupair Match UK continuously collects useful tips and advice on here and our social media platforms to help you reduce uncertainties and inform the decisions you make.
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Join an aupair community online for support.
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Aupairs are encouraged to find other local aupairs to make friends with, from college or online communities.
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Hosts and aupairs should plan months ahead, the aupair process can be a long one or a short one, depending on the economic situation
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Aupairs should research before they choose a city to live/study in
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It is important that negotiations and agreements are held between the host and Aupair, to clarify house rules, expected duties, free time and study time. Write these in your contract to limit the occurrence of misunderstandings.
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Draw up a timetable for tasks, free time and study time, as agreed in the contract.
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Keep communication open. Talk often. For many aupairs, English isn't their first language, and even if it was, a different culture can be confusing. Host families should be prepared to patiently communicate as often as it is needed.
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Check out the Aupair rules and guidelines for the UK
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Find answers to popular questions on our FAQ page and also follow us on Facebook or Instagram to find more useful advice and answers to frequently asked questions.
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If you still have questions, make a list and contact us with them
Contact Us
Still don't have answers to your questions? You can send us an email here and we would respond within 24 hours
About Us
Aupair Match UK provides a bespoke host family to aupair matching service.
This means that whether you are an aupair or host family, we work with you to match you as closely as possible to your specifications.
What makes us better than other aupair services?
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We know your time is valuable, you don't want to spend endless hours finding the right match. Unlike other services, we don't leave the search to you, we carry out the search on your behalf.
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We guarantee top-quality customer services as you will be dealing with a caseworker through Whatsapp chats and emails rather than through automated and bot serviced websites.
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Every aupair we match to a host family would have their visas and flight tickets ready.
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You would only pay a fee when we have found you a match.
