Topic area
Working hours and tasks
Working hours, days off, holiday and tasks — the main conditions for au pairs are set out in law.
Clear rules for everyday life with an au pair
How many hours may an au pair work? Which tasks may they take on? How are days off and holiday arranged? Here you will find answers to the most important questions about an au pair's working hours and tasks.
Questions in this area
Which tasks are not part of the au pair role?
An au pair supports your family with childcare and with light household tasks connected to the children. However, they are not a substitute for a care worker or a skilled professional, nor for a cleaner or housekeeper. …
Can we expect small tasks on the au pair's day off?
The basic rule is: a day off is a day off. No work tasks are assigned to the au pair on this day. At the same time, an au pair lives as a family member in the household. …
How many hours does an au pair work?
An au pair works no more than 30 Stunden per week and a maximum of 6 Stunden per day, spread over no more than 5,5 Arbeitstage. …
How much holiday entitlement does our au pair have?
Your au pair is entitled to 2 Tage of paid holiday per month spent with you. For a twelve-month au pair stay, this comes to 24 days of holiday. …
How much time does an au pair spend with us as a family outside working hours?
This varies a great deal from au pair to au pair. Some au pairs like to spend a lot of time with their host family, others tend to withdraw more often in their free time or meet friends. Both are entirely fine. …
May my au pair also work at weekends?
Yes. Your au pair can of course also support you at weekends. The days off do not always have to fall on Saturday and Sunday. At least one weekend a month must, however, be free.
May the au pair come on holiday with us, even abroad?
Yes. Within the Schengen area, the au pair can generally travel together with their host family. For travel outside the Schengen area, an additional visa may be required depending on the destination country.
May the au pair work on the side?
No. Additional employment alongside the au pair arrangement is not permitted. This is not a rule set by our agency, but follows from the legal requirements for an au pair stay.
Our au pair is out in the evening and at night. What can we agree on?
An au pair is an adult and can generally organise their free time themselves. At the same time, they live as a family member in your household. That is why you should agree from the start what matters to you for living together. …
What counts as working time, and what counts as family time?
Working time is, in principle, the time during which the au pair is required to be present or takes on a specific task for the family. This includes childcare, babysitting — even when the children are already asleep — and agreed light household tasks. …
When does the au pair have time off?
An au pair has 1,5 consecutive days off per week and at least one free weekend a month. The days off do not have to fall on the same weekdays every week, but can be arranged individually to suit family life.
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