Host to a young foreigner, from an environment culturally similar to ours but with different habits, a personally enriching experience to the whole family.
The au pair will be 18 to 30 years old and will take daily care of your children by doing minor daily chores in return for board, lodging and some weekly pocket money.
The au pair will be treated as a family member, they will have their own bedroom and at least twice a week the possibility of attending a course of Italian language.
As a host family your duty is helping them fit in by giving a warm and friendly welcome him/her, keeping in mind that he/she may express difficulties at the beginning of the stay and will have new habits to understand and follow.
The au pair will be a great help to take care of children. Their duties may include:
- baby sitting,
- taking to and fetching them from school,
- taking them to practise a sport or to the park,
- helping them during meals,
- giving lessons of a foreign language,
- bathing, dressing and playing with play.
Au pairs may equally tidy up their bedroom and wardrobe (washing and ironing), and will be willing to help in light chores. Heavy chores are excluded since the au pair is not and must not be seen as a servant, considering their characteristics and the solely cultural intent of their stay in Italy.
Guests will keep their own bedroom tidy and clean and will personally take care of their own laundry (washing and ironing, etc).
The family and the au pair will sign a written agreement specifying his/her duties and the most relevant habits of the family.
Typically, the time devoted by the guest to the family does not exceed 5/6 hours a day and must be concentrated in the first part of the morning or early afternoon so that the au pair will have half day free.
The traditional au pair exchange has developed into several different formulas, partly to meet the family’s and the au pair’s needs..
Most common types of being au pair in Europe are:
au demi pair:
- 3/4 working hours per day,
- 2/3 evenings babysitting and
- 1 day and half off.
Daily classes are mandatory.
au pair:
- 5/6 working hours per day,
- 2/3 evenings babysitting,
- 1 full day off or one and half off or the week end long off.
tutor:
To teach your native language to your host family up to 15 hours each week.
Such categories are then actually tailor made to the specific needs of each family, subject to agreement with the au pair person, always complying with the ground conditions of an au pair stay, and with a subsequent variation in the pocket money: it ranges from minimum 60 euros a week for the demi pair up to maximum 135 euros a week for the mother’s help.
The speed of allocation of the au pair depends on the actual availability of a person suiting the characteristics of your family when you file the demand.
However, the search starts when the agency receives all the documents required from the family.
We remind you that:
The foreign guest can stay 12 months maximum.
- A foreign citizen, even if from the European Community, must be reported within 48 hours to the Municipal authorities of the city of residence of the host family and to the police headquarters within 8 working days.
- The residence permit for non-EU foreigners is subject to the enrolment to an Italian school.
- The EU citizen, with his/her European healthcare card, can go straight to any facility where care should be provided and, by showing his/her card, has a right to receive treatments as per the very same rules applicable to the citizens of the EU country where he/she is staying. The rules currently enforced in the EU countries has been extended to Switzerland, Norway and Iceland as well (www.ministerosalute.it/assistenzaSanitaria).
- It is the au pair who must fit in his/her school and social commitments around the family’s needs, not the other way round.
- We recommend not to give the weekly stipend in advance.
- Except for when different arrangements are agreed, the family has to take the au pair with them on holidays and for the week-end, and to pay for his/her complete stay.
- When the au pair’s stay is equal to or longer than six months, he/she typically has the right to one free week,or two weeks for twelve months; in both cases he/she will receive his/her stipend, and the length of leisure time will be agreed upon between the parties.
- The journey to and back from the Italian family is an expense that is the au pair’s responsability.
- Besides board, lodging, a private insurance, if is the case, and the weekly pocket money, the host family will face no other expenses.
The host family will receive from the agency the following documentation:
– English form about the applicants with the photo
– Two references letters concerning previous working experience
– Health certificate by au pair’s local doctor
– Certificate of Non Criminal Record
– A letter Introducing the au pair to the family
– Signed au pair agreement
The family will send by post or email or fax to the agency:
– Completed host family form , if possible in English
– Introductory family letter, preferable in English, to the au pair including an example of the typical au pair week in the family
– References (from a previous au pair, or from a family friend)
– Signed host family agreement
Once the au pair accepts to be the family’s guest, the latter will send an invitation letter to the au pair and a copy to International Au Pair Italy, which may be also used for the study visa.
Should any kind of problem of incompatibility occur between the au pair and the family that would make it impossible to continue with the programme (within one week of arrival for the summer au pair and one month from their arrival for au pair at other times of year the others). The Agency will find another matching for the au pair and a new au pair for the family (depending on the actual availability of applicants with the characteristics required by the host family).
