Au Pair Agreement

This document contains a letter of invitation from a host family to an au pair. The letter invites the au pair to come to stay with the host family as a member of their family. An agreement is attached to the letter which confirms the obligations and expectations of each party.

Typically an au pair will be a young person who seeks to gain experience working with children, or in a new country. They will be treated as a member of the family, but will be expected to undertake some light household tasks and will look after the children from time to time. They will usually do these tasks for around 30 hours a week and will receive pocket money.

An au pair is not classed as an employee or a worker. If the host family would like to secure the full-time work or services of another individual they may wish to consider using a contract of employment or a type of services contract (such as a childminding agreement). An au pair will be permitted to live in the family home and will have their own bedroom but will not be considered a tenant in the property.

The parties will need to consider certain important information prior to the agreement commencing, which can be referred to in the letter and agreement including:

• whether the au pair will need a visa and how this will be funded
• whether the host family will seek security checks how these will be funded (different rules apply in England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and for applications made overseas)
• whether the host family will seek references in respect of the au pair
• whether the au pair should be required to hold certain qualifications or certificates

How to use this document

The host family should send the letter with the suggested terms of agreement attached to the au pair.

It is possible to send the letter and agreement by post with a physical signature. Two separate copies of the agreement should be signed and the au pair should sign both. The au pair should retain one copy and should return one copy to the host family. The host family could also send the documents via email, with an electronic signature on the letter and agreement. The au pair will then electronically sign the agreement and return it via email.

Each party should retain copies of the documents. The au pair may be required to provide a copy of the letter and agreement as part of any visa application.

Relevant Law

There is no single specific piece of legislation which applies to au pair agreements. The general laws of contract will apply to the agreement.

The government website has information about au pairs.

Help from a lawyer

You can choose to consult a lawyer if you need help.

The lawyer can answer your questions or help you through the process. You will be offered this option when you complete the document.

How to modify the template

You fill out a form. The document is created before your eyes as you respond to the questions.

At the end, you receive it in Word and PDF formats. You can modify it and reuse it.