It’s all horses for courses. “Should I hire an au pair,” you may well be asking yourself. The right childcare solution for your family is unlikely to be identical to the one even your closest neighbour chooses.

There are unique tastes and dependencies in every household. An experienced, highly qualified “live-out” nanny may be the must-have for some parents. For others, an au pair could be a better fit.

Read on to find out why hiring an au pair has lots of advantages, some of which may be deal-clinchers for you and your family.

What Are the Benefits of an Au Pair?

The term “au pair” comes from the French for “on a par with” or “equal to.” When you use it to refer to someone who looks after the kids, the gist is that your au pair gets treated as one of the family. While they’re staying with you, rather than being a domestic worker, they’re more like a visiting distant niece or nephew who looks after the kids.

Au pairs tend to be young adults, typically from Europe or North America, who come to New Zealand to experience a new culture. They may want to improve their language skills and earn a little money on the side so they can travel and see the rest of the country.

It’s quid pro quo because the difference in cultures can work both ways. Hiring an au pair who perhaps come from Paris or Rome, for example, can be a great opportunity to broaden the outlook of the kids (and their parents).

It’s All About Time

One of the key attractions of au pairs is that they tend to “live in.” That opens up a wealth of flexibility for busy parents whose schedules are hectic or erratic. It means there’s the chance of a babysitter if they fancy a night out with family and friends.

Because they’re young and keen, au pairs will often want to please. Being away from home in a new environment perhaps for the first time is exciting. They’re there to learn and will often display a “have a go” attitude.

Using an Agency

It’s quite possible to hire an au pair through word of mouth or through a small ad. However, finding an au pair via a reputable agency offers extra peace of mind. Pay the Nanny has teamed up with Au Pair Link and Playschool Au Pairs.

An agency will vet and screen the au pairs they’re connecting families up with. That means making sure the relevant police checks get carried out, for example.

They’ll also verify references and typically ensure your au pair has a working holiday visa as well as adequate insurance.

They’ll be able to advise you of your au pair’s skillset too. For example, some au pairs may already have many hours of valuable childcare experience behind them. If you need your au pair to drive, the agency will be able to match you with a person who has the right license.

They’ll typically provide backup too once your au pair arrives. They’ll ensure you feel supported, and use their experience to give you tips for outings, professional development opportunities and more general advice.

Are Au Pairs Expensive?

One of the key drivers behind hiring an au pair can be that the cost is substantially cheaper than hiring a fully-fledged nanny. Families provide meals, a bedroom, use of a bathroom and pocket money. The cost of an au pair, therefore, offers great value for money.

In return, your au pair will provide live-in childcare for between 25 and 45 hours a week. That can include evening babysitting duties.

You should expect to pay your au pair anywhere from $335 to $485 per week including tax, ACC and completion bonus. The final figure will be dependent on how many hours you need your au pair to work.

We know that figuring out the complexities around paying your au pair can feel overwhelming. Pay the Nanny is able to sort all this for you giving you one less task to worry about.

Hiring an au pair offers continuity. Your children can get the care they need at home and carry on with their usual activities and routines. That helps parents relax knowing they have a reliable and flexible extra pair of hands when they need it most.

The Range of Au Pair Duties

Your au pair should be able to look after and educate your children in much the same way as a parent. That might mean working alongside you or on their own.

They’ll play with the children, go to events, activities or classes with them and do the pick-up and drop-off school runs. They can also help to prepare light meals or snacks, assist with homework, and perform light housekeeping duties.

You’ll also need to include your au pair with any holiday plans you may have. That can be one of the greatest benefits of all as it means there’ll be time for you to really relax as your au pair can mind the kids for you.

Here’s a list of tasks you could expect your au pair to carry out on any given day. You could ask them to:

• Get breakfast together and prepare packed lunches
• Watch over the kids during mealtimes
• Pack and unload the dishwasher
• Drop off or pick the kids up from school or a sports class
• Pick up groceries or go to the post office
• Tidy away the kids’ toys or clean up the kitchen
• Change the children’s bed linen
• Clean up the kids’ bedrooms and organise toys
• Look after and entertain the kids in the evenings
• Read stories to the children and give them a hand with their homework
• Wash, hang up and put away clothes
• Babysit while parents have an evening out

It is for every family to work out what’s going to work best for them. They need to be certain that their expectations are fair and fit into the allotted working hours they’ve agreed with their au pair.

If you outsource your au pair payroll to Pay The Nanny, we can offer you a selection of templates to help you with any contract you decide to draw up. These can act as a useful starting point for the arrangements you intend to make with your au pair.

Managing Your Au Pair

It’s very important to spend time at the outset with your au pair and run through all the jobs you expect them to do. Clarity is key so the more detail you can give, the better. This is a sound investment of your time and mitigates the chances of misunderstandings further down the line.

Bear in mind that your au pair is likely to be from a different country and may not speak English as their first language. What might seem obvious to you could feel completely alien to a young person from overseas. Be patient and empathetic.

Au pairs will often be spending long stretches of time away from home for the very first time. That can throw up a lot of emotions that they may need help processing. It’s important to be mindful of how hard this can sometimes be for young people.

Being Away From Home

Homesickness will pass but when you’re experiencing it, it can feel very lonely. You should make time to check in regularly with your au pair. Ask them how they’re feeling and always make them feel included.

Big events like Christmas or holidays can act as stark reminders of missed family and friends. Because au pairs tend to be young, they may need a little extra support and attention from time to time.

You also need to prepare for having a stranger living in your home. It’s likely to create a different dynamic. The best way to look at it is as a bonus and bear in mind the extra cultural benefits your kids will experience.

Hiring an au pair should be enriching for both parties. You can help your au pair gain even more knowledge by engaging with them. For example, many families like to ensure their au pairs get first aid training if they’ve never had any before.

Some au pairs will also be participating in more formal exchange programs that involve a degree of study. Find out as much as you can about this in advance so that your au pair feels valued and considered.

Your Obligations to Your Au Pair

In terms of the formalities, you need to treat your au pair as any other employee. That involves all the complexities of payroll for au pairs. Pay the Nanny can sort all this out for you giving you the assurance that everything is above board and correct.

Talk to us today and find out how Pay the Nanny works. Nanny and au pair payroll are what we do. Our services are a small price to pay for the peace of mind they give busy parents.