Au Pair UK

The United Kingdom (UK) is one of many nations that uses the practice of hiring au pairs as a way of not only providing affordable child care to families, but also allowing young adults from other countries who wish to study abroad the chance to do so legally, all the while becoming completely immersed in the foreign culture with food and housing providedâ€"as well as a nominal weekly allowance for any other needs.

Not only do families that work with an au pair UK benefit from affordable child care and the experience of interacting with someone from another culture, but that individual gets the bonus of being able to study in a foreign country in a safe environment.

The people of the United Kingdom uses many au pairs, and therefore has more defined laws regarding au pairs than many other countries. For example, the laws of the United Kingdom state that an au pair traveling to their country must be a “national� of one of the countries in the European Union. If not, then there is a list of other acceptable countries, which consists of: Andorra, Bosnia, Croatia, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Macedonia, Monaco, San Marino or Turkey. That’s it, though in theory people from other nations could conceivably get permission to work as an au pair in the United Kingdom, assuming proper paper work is filed and approved.

In addition to the national rules, au pair permits are limited by allowing only certain types of candidates. Potential au pairs must be unmarried and have no children or other dependants. They specifically cannot stay in the United Kingdom for more than two years (at least as an au pairâ€"someone who wants to truly stay can always apply for a student or work visa), and they need to be able to care for themselves without any help from public welfare or funds. This is where the room and board is critical, since the allowance that au pairs receive is nominal at best, but enough to allow a little bit of going out.

When the au pair period is over, the United Kingdom requires the au pairs to leave, but they may return with another family eventually as long as all rules are followed, as always. Au pair practices are encouraged in the United Kingdom, and an au pair UK program is a way to benefit everyone involved: the family, the children, and the au pair herself. This offers opportunities and benefits for everyone involved, and for that reason the practice is likely to continue with strong encouragement from every side that has benefited from this practice.

As always, if you’re thinking about au pairing in the UK, always check the specific immigration laws to make sure that everything is in order. Going through an au pair agency can also help smooth this transition for everyone involved.

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