Working as an Au Pair Guidelines

Step 1: Apply for the CHARLTON BROWN Au Pair Preparation Course! 

Step 2:  Get the basic understanding of children and being an Au Pair in Australia (while attending our short course).

We have put together some basic guidelines about work – we hope you find them of assistance!
           
Working Hours

You will work a minimum of 20 hours per week (if you are on a student visa this is also the maximum period you are able to work). 

12 hours per week will cover your accommodation and food (3 meals per day).  The remaining 8 will be paid at a block rate of $170.  If you are able to work more than 20 hours per week, you will need to negotiate how much you will be paid for the additional hours. 

You will be paid and employed by the family directly.  The hours you work are negotiated between yourself and the family.  There may be a variation in the hours from week to week depending on your and the families requirements for the week. 

You will need to be flexible with the hours that you are asked to work.

Free Time

Weekends are generally free for you to study.  However some flexibility may be required if the family requests you work some weekend hours occasionally. 

Duties

You will be expected to assist with any child care related duties as part of your placement.  The family may ask you to help out in the morning with breakfast and getting them ready for school.  In the afternoon and evening you may be asked to assist with meal preparation, bath time, bed time etc.

You may also be asked to do some light household chores.  These may include laundry, washing up and loading/unloading dishwasher.

 Length of Stay

Your Au Pair placement will be a minimum of 12 weeks.  You are able to negotiate a total placement time with the family directly.

Work Requirements

It is your obligation to ensure that you are legal to work in Australia.  Students wishing to be placed as an Au Pair with a family will require a working visa.  Contact the Australian Immigration Office (131 881, www.immi.gov.au) for information about costs and time to process applications.  It is recommended that students begin this process as soon as you arrive in Australia and start your studies.

Students placed as an Au Pair and receiving payment from a family will require an Australian Tax Family Number.  Contact the Australian Taxation Office (13 28 61, www.ato.gov.au) for more information. 

Insurance

All families registering with our agency to engage an Au Pair have been advised to take out household insurance to cover workers in their home. 
Your indemnity insurance will be covered by CHARLTON BROWN.

Leaving / Changing an Au Pair Placement

If you need to leave an Au Pair placement with valid reason, CHARLTON BROWN will be able to assist in finding a new family.  You must contact CHARLTON BROWN as soon as possible to discuss leaving a position.  Please understand that finding you a new family is not an immediate process and may take several weeks to source.
If you wish to leave without a valid reason or if we are informed of any misconduct on your behalf we are under no obligation to source a new Au Pair placement for you.

CHARLTON BROWN is able to assist with placing you with an Au Pair family as you wish provided your references from previous Au Pair placements are satisfactory. 

Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking

You must never consume alcohol or be under the influence of alcohol (or other drugs) while you are in charge of children.  You will be asked to leave your family if this occurs.

If you are a smoker, please be considerate of the family’s requirement of this.  If the family asks you to smoke outside, you must comply.  You must never smoke around children.

Confidentiality

All details of your host family and of CHARLTON BROWN are strictly confidential.  You must never tell anyone (even your friends) about the family you are working for and their personal/business affairs.  Any breach of this may result in your Au Pair placement being terminated early.

Apply now to become an Au Pair in Australia!