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Want To Be
An Au Pair In England? |
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| Being an au pair in
England gives you the opportunity to experience another culture,
learn another language and develop your independence. A year
in the United Kingdom will certainly improve your career prospects
and help you learn about yourself and prepare yourself for thing
to come. Being an au pair in England will be one of the most
important experiences of your life. |
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Duties |
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| An au pair is a
woman who is between the ages of 17 and 27 years old,
unmarried and with no children.
An Au Pair works
up to 5 hours per day 5 days a week with 2 full days off to
attend for example English classes as well as other free time outside your
contacted 25 hours. You may be expected to baby-sit for 2 evenings
a week as long as you don’t miss any evening language
classes you have arranged. The work you may be asked to do as
an au pair might include light housework (vacuuming, dusting,
laundry, ironing and washing up breakfast dishes), looking after
children, getting them ready in the morning, taking them to
and from school, keeping them amused and cooking simple meals
for the children. |
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| Note: Au pairs
wishing to work for the summer must work at least 8 weeks from
July as we very rarely have bookings for less than this period. |
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Wages
and Facilities |
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Au pairs will
receive a minimum weekly wage of 55.00 GBP. For nationals from
EEC countries there is the chance to work extra hours (au pair
plus/mother’s helps) for more money and each job description
depends on the host family and the references/ability/qualifications
of the applicant.
You will be provided with full board, your own bedroom, a hanging
cupboard, a chest of drawers and a desk/ table for your private
study. You should be treated as a member of the family and be
welcome to join the family at meal times. You should be made
to feel at home at all times, sharing the life of the family.
There will be times of course, that you will want to spend your
free time separately from the family. The best place to meet
other au pairs like yourself is in an English class. |
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How Long? |
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| Most English families
look for au pairs to stay for 12 months. You can apply for a
shorter stay and if you wish, you can stay in the United Kingdom
for up to 2 years or as long as you like if you are a citizen
of the European Union. |
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Living
With Your Family |
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While you are an au pair you will
become part of the family and join in some of their activities.
All meals will be provided although you may find some of the
food different. About 1 in 20 families are vegetarians.
As you will be living with the family you will be given your
own bedroom for your use. You should ask the family about their
rules. Many English families do not allow smoking in the house.
If they don’t then you must not. You should inquire about
rules such as using the telephone, friends visiting, etc.
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| Please bear in mind that although
you may be coming here primarily to learn English and experience
English culture, your family will be looking to you to perform
your agreed duties. Your family will be doing their best to
do their utmost to make you feel at home. Most au pairs settle
very quickly in and become part of the family. However, you
should remember that you could find it quite different at first
and may need to give it time to get over the initial homesickness. |
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Education |
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You will learn English simply
by living with an English speaking family, but to achieve the
best standards and gain qualifications you will need to attend
a college. There are many colleges throughout the country and
we can give you a list of the nearest ones closest to you. The
cost varies a lot.
If you wish to take another course apart from English language
classes, we recommend you take a correspondence course, which
enables you to actually go to college and your duties. The
agency can give you a list for these types as well.
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Medical
Cover |
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| You are entitled to
use the National Health Service free of charge for any illnesses
or injuries contracted whilst you are in the country. Your family
should register you with their local doctor within 14 days of
your arrival; however, a general practitioner may charge you
for their services. You will have to pay for own dental or eye
care. |
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Driving
A Car |
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| Some families ask for
au pairs who can drive. If you are able to drive you will need
an international or European Union driving license for at least
one year. Before you start driving a family car you must make
sure that the car is fully insured for your use. The family
should arrange a few driving lessons with a driving instructor
to make sure that you are comfortable with driving on the left
hand side of the road and also that you know the British Highway
Code. In case of an accident you are not expected to pay for
any damage done. You may be allowed to use the family car in
your free time, but you must pay for the petrol yourself. |
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Telephone
Calls |
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| International and long
distance calls are very expensive and should be made from the
family’s home ONLY wit their permission. You must pay
for all your international telephone calls. Local telephone
calls are usually permitted upon request. |
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Holidays |
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You should discuss
your holiday arrangements with the family before your arrival
in England especially if you are planning to go home for Christmas
or Easter. If you wish to go for a holiday at other times you
must talk with the family first and it must be a time convenient
for the family. You will pay for your own travel expenses and
you will not receive wages during your absence.
You should be allowed to take 2 weeks holiday every 6 months.
If the family is going on holiday leaving you at home, they
must pay you the normal weekly wage and provide you with food.
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Travel
Expenses |
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You are expected to
pay for your return ticket to England. Most host families welcome
the au pair at the airport or station. If the family cannot
meet you at the port of your arrival then we will either come
and take you to the family’s home or give you directions
to their house.
It is advisable not to buy your ticket to England before you
receive the Letter of Invitation from the family in case of
unexpected changes. You must let the agency and the family know
your travel arrangements (date, time and place of your arrival)
as soon as you buy the ticket. |
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Entry
Requirements |
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If you are a member
of the European Economic Area can enter the United Kingdom
to work or study without any formalities – Belgium,
Demark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.
Au pairs from the following countries may not work for more
than 25 hours – Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, the Faroes, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland,
Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, Slovakia,
Slovenia and Turkey.
Agency Requirements
- You must be single (unmarried).
- You must be aged between 18 and 27.
- You must have had some experience with children and be
able to provide references for babysitting or other childcare.
- You must be able to help with housework and be used to
do so.
- You must have at least basic conversational English and
write a Dear Family letter to prove it.
- You must never have had a criminal conviction or any
involvement with drugs.
- You must have enough money for your fare from your country
to England, and once you are here you must keep enough in
reserve (or an open ticket) to return to your country when
you finished.
- If you plan to drive in the United Kingdom then you must
have a full driving license.
- Many families will not accept a smoker. If you smoke
you will have to agree not to smoke in your family’s
house.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED:
We
require the following enclosures:
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2 Passport photos.
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A photocopy of your Birth Certificate.
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A medical certificate.
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2/3 written references, certificates/qualifications
obtained especially about child care (in English)
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A letter of Introduction to a potential host family to
include a summary of your life to date and your future
ambitions and your reasons for wanting to come to the UK (in
English)
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Application form (in English)
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Short Essay (in English)
Please keep all original documents that
you may need in the future, send only photocopies to us.
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After
Care |
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At the agency we want
all our Au Pairs’ stay in England to be one of the best
times in your lives. Once you have found a family we will introduce
you to other au pairs in your area. We will also ring up or
visit you to make sure that you are happy. As well as that,
we will organize coffee mornings and sightseeing trips so you
can experience new places. We are here to offer advice and help
you during your stay, so if you need any help at any time don’t
be afraid to ask, we don’t bite!
Remember, once you are in London should you not be
happy we will do our best to change your family
and help you in any way that we can. We offer a 24-hour
answer phone service plus we will provide you with our au
pairs contact numbers to try and make sure you never feel
lonely in the U.K. |
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What’s
Next? |
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| If you think you can
meet the requirements above and feel like AuPair in England
will be the time of your life write us at: info@studyglobal.com
(Please indicate what position you are applying for on the
application form).
APPLICATION PROCESS
Please, if
you are interested in the program let us know and we will email
you the application form and the short essay to be
completed.
Once you
have completed the application form and have all the
documents required to apply for this program (photos, reference
letters, etc.), let us know and we will get back to you with
the postal address where you need to send your application
package and the bank account where you have to transfer your
registration fee.
Once we have
received your completed Application Form, all the required
documents mentioned above and the payment of your Fee
has been received we will send your details to potential
families in the appropriate areas to which you wish to go.
We will
select a family to match your requirements as near as possible
to your arrival.
You can
also e-mail us your application form and all the documents
required in attachments after being scanned, however, you still
will need to post your photos.
Registration FEE: €160 or
£112 (approx.)
Payments
need to be done via bank transfer
Should you
have any questions regarding the application please, do
not hesitate to contact us:
info@studyglobal.com
Au début |
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Au
Pair Program in England
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