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A & A domestic recruitment
inc. ANGELS INTERNATIONAL
Bristol & West House
Post Office Road
Bournemouth BH1 1BL
Dorset, UK

Office Hours:
Mon - Fri 10.00 - 4.30

Tel:
+44 (0) 1202 313653
Fax:
+44 (0) 1202 571065

E-Mail earnot@btinternet.com

FAMILY INFORMATION

TYPES OF AU PAIR AND THEIR DUTIES

We realise that each family's requirements differ and therefore we are pleased to be able to offer you a choice: (Please note that most families do pay above the minimum Government regulations).

The following rates apply to live-in positions.

• Demi Pairs - work for 3 hours per day, five/six days per week, and baby sit for two evenings per week. They should receive a minimum of £30 per week pocket money.
• Regular Au Pairs - work for 25 hours per week, over a period of five days per week, and babysit for two evenings per week. They should receive a minimum of £50 per week pocket money.
• Au Pairs Plus - work up to 35 hours per week, over a period of five days per week, and baby sit for two evenings per week. They should receive a minimum of £60 per week pocket money.
• Mothers Helps - work full time. The salary is dependent on the amount of hours and days that the family requires. They should receive a minimum of £85 per week pocket money (the average wage is between £90 -£150, but can go higher depending on nationality and experience). We will recommend a fair salary for the required amount of hours, taking into consideration the type of work, the experience and skills of the applicant and the native language spoken by the applicant.

Both the family and Au Pair should have a flexible attitude as this ensures a successful relationship between both parties. Au Pairs appreciate having free time over the weekend when possible. Extra duties should be discussed in advance and compensated for.

OUR SERVICE

• Every Au Pair is screened and selected by our offices.
• We not only discuss your requirements in great detail on the phone, but if you wish so we would be delighted to have a personal meeting with you at our offices or in your home.
• We endeavour to match your family's needs to the right Au Pair taking into account the requests of both the family and the Au Pair.
• We provide you with an information pack on the most suitable applicants for you and your family containing the Au Pairs application form, character and baby sitting references, a 'dear family' letter about themselves, their hobbies and interests, and a copy of an up to date medical certificate confirming that they are fit to work with children.
• We offer a replacement guarantee whereby should your Au Pair prove to be unsuitable within the first four weeks of their stay, we will replace them with another Au Pair of your choice.
• We provide ongoing customer care throughout your Au Pairs stay. We are just a phone call away should you wish to discuss any matter or need any assistance.

WE ALSO OFFER...

• A pick up and drop off service to and from the Au Pairs arrival point should you not be able to meet or take your Au Pair (the fee is dependent on the airport or station).
• A welcome pack for your Au Pair which consists of the phone numbers of other Au Pairs, and various useful information and tips.

HOW TO APPLY FOR ONE OF OUR AU PAIRS

• Firstly we must receive your requirements by application form attained on our web site. If you don’t have access to the internet, we can discuss your requirements by phone, e.mail or in person at our office. We will then ask you to complete and return the family application form, which we can post, fax or e.mail to you.
• The next step is for us to match Au Pairs to your family’s requirements and to pass the details on to you.
• Once you have chosen an Au Pair we will then forward your application form to our Agency abroad.
• Once the Au Pair has received your information we will arrange for you to speak on the telephone. It is very important that the family telephones the Au Pair to make personal contact as this will make the Au Pair feel more welcome and confident, and it will be a positive start to your relationship.
• Once you have made your decision to invite the Au Pair to join your family and she too has accepted your family, we must have your confirmation in writing as early as possible (by post, e.mail or fax), and an invitation letter to the Au Pair which MUST come to our office and not sent directly to the Au Pair (*please request guidelines from our office). Once we have forwarded all the necessary paperwork to the Au Pair, she can then either apply for her visa, or make her travel plans if a visa is not required. As soon as we are given the arrival details, we will inform you of the details so that you can make arrangements to meet your new Au Pair.
• Your Agency fee is due at the time of acceptance of both parties. Please make sure that your remittance is sent to us with the invitation letter for the Au Pair.

AGENCY FEES

Please make sure that you read and accept our terms and conditions before you accept our service.

Should you choose to extend the period your au pair stays with your family from the original agreement - with agreement on both sides, a fee of £200 will be levied for the extension.

THE WAY TO SUCCESS

When the Au Pair arrives give her a little time to settle in and become used to her new environment. Talk to her! It is important for her to have the chance to communicate and learn English. Be patient and don’t forget that she is a long way from home. Everything will be new to her including your culture, your food, your home appliances, and even the way that you bring up your own children. She will need to feel welcomed into your home and your family. Treat the Au Pair as you would the daughter of a friend from overseas, visiting your family; and remember that respect and understanding is a two-way thing for all relationships to work.

Let the Au Pair know from the start what is expected of her. Write down a list of duties, daily and weekly so that she knows what to do and doesn’t have to guess. Let her know whether any room or equipment is out of bounds. Let her know your telephone rules, whether or not she is allowed to make short, local calls, and if there are certain times that she should not receive calls. Will she be allowed to have her friends over to the house, and will there be any rules on coming home at night? Most importantly, give her a list of emergency telephone numbers, including your work number and G.P..

The first four weeks will be regarded as a learning time for the Au Pair and a trial period for both parties. We recommend that at the end of this period, the family and the Au Pair make time to discuss how things are progressing. This gives both parties a chance to talk over any problems or difficulties which have arisen, most of which can be mutually worked out.

Remember that most girls are here to learn English and that some girls will arrive to England with a better knowledge than others. Should your Au Pair not speak English as well as you had hoped then we ask that you try and be patient as she might just need some time to get used to hearing English spoken by a native speaker (her English teacher in her home country was probably not English) and she will probably start to pick up the language very quickly. Speak slowly and clearly to ensure understanding (writing things down also helps!). Your patience at the beginning is greatly appreciated by your Au Pair (and this Agency!) and she is bound to show you her gratitude in many ways during her stay with your family.

Communication is very important between you and should be encouraged. Always be patient if your Au Pair is trying to tell you something that she is having a problem with, as it has probably taken a lot of courage to discuss it with you and she will be nervous. If this should prove to be something that might create a problem, please give her credit for being honest with you and deal with it in a thoughtful and sensible manner.

Working hours are the hours when the Au Pair has to be available to the family, whether it is playing with the children, doing some light housework, or just general help, it is all considered as ‘working’ hours.

Free time for an Au Pair is very important. Please respect her free time and understand that after she has finished her work she might want to go out (to school or to meet with friends), or just to go to her room to relax, maybe write a letter, or read. A family should not expect the Au Pair to always be around to help if she has finished her work.

We also recommend that you are as flexible as possible regarding the times that your Au Pair must be back at home if she goes out for the evening, especially during the weekends (her free days). Au Pairs will want to go out and have some fun while they are here in England (after all, they are still young!), it should not only be work and studying for them.

Our aim is to make sure that you are happy with your Au Pair for as long as possible, and that she is happy to stay with your family for the full duration of her stay in England. If you would like any advice please telephone the office.

As long as the Au Pair knows that she is not on holiday, and that the family know that they are not hiring a domestic, this is an excellent programme that should end with good memories for all, and possibly a lifetime friendship.