Can Your Chosen Au Pair Agency Provide Early Childcare?

Au pairs are young foreigners who are hired to care for children. While they may live with the family or commute from their own homes, the fact that they can give consistent care to the children is what most parents are after. This arrangement is more common in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, and is gaining popularity in the US and the UK. It's most practical for you to get your references from people who have used a particular au duos agency. It's not uncommon nowadays for families who live in the same area to share the services of one au pair.

Considering that these au duos are young foreigners, it's especially worrying when the children are below five and both parents are working. The question then arises - can the chosen au pair agency provide early childcare services for these children? First, you should check the agency itself. Do they thoroughly check on their au pairs? Do they have the proper working papers? Are their background checks and assessments as extensive as you want? Is there a certain type of training that the au couple is required to undergo, like basic first aid and CPR? You're talking about someone that will be caring for your children, after all.

Can the au pair work the hours that you need them to? Au couples are only required to work for thirty-five hours and have two nights off every week. Negotiate with the agency if you need to. Make sure that you can afford their services. Compare each au couple agency as each one will have a different set of fees, requirements, and possible expenses. You'll need to input these into your monthly budget to see if such an arrangement is feasible. Those concerned with early childcare would need to look for specialized agencies. There are those who deal only with children that range from zero to five years of age. You can even find out if there is a government-subsidised program in your area.

The au duets themselves need special training in order to care for these children properly. They must at least have about a hundred hours of experience caring for children aged two to five, double that if caring for a baby. They must take the required tests and go through a special screening process. Apart from that, they must be certified to have completed lessons in early childcare and first aid training.

Au Pair Link is a aupairlink.co.nz New Zealand Au Pair agency that provides good quality and affordable aupairlink.co.nz/content/host-families/our-programmes/au-pair-123-options.aspx early childcare services to NZ families.