Why Choose a Local Au Pair Agency?

Many host families who first embark on the journey of hosting au pairs look for an au pair agency local to them as they feel safe and comfortable in the knowledge that there is assistance nearby.

Originally, many more au pair agencies were run by ‘host mums’ as a hobby. In today’s tougher climates however, it pays to consider a professional expert agency with a solid network of partners in Europe to supply vetted candidates and the ability to put your au pair in touch with others who are nearby, providing her with a social network from the day she starts.

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Local au pair agency versus professionalism

Our au pair agency is members of the British Au pair Agencies Association and in fact, Nicole Kofkin, the MD is on the board of BAPAA and actively involved in the constantly changing International au pair industry. She is also on the committee of ECAPS, the European Committee of Au Pair Standards, funded by IAPA the International Au Pair Agencies Association.

Where is the au pair agency based?

Smartaupairs is an au pair agency based in England, so we have knowledge of the destination and understand the local culture. Our office is in Kent, in the village of Charing near Ashford and Canterbury. We have lots of host families in/near Ashford, Canterbury, Folkestone, Maidstone, Bromley, Bexley, Beckenham, Sevenoaks, all very popular as they have such easy access to Central London by train.

How about au pair placements in other locations?

We place au pairs all over England and we are considered a specialist for the South East of England – about half of our host families are based in or near London. Very popular au pair areas are Wimbledon, Battersea, Clapham, Wandsworth, Fulham, Twickenham, Putney, Richmond and we have a couple of host families in Chelsea and Kensington. We often find that once we have one host family in an area, they are often so impressed by our service, they tell their friends and then we usually have a few host families in the same area or from the same school for example. This is ideal because the au pairs immediately have a network of friends and a happy au pair is an au pair who will stay.

As the au pair is live-in childcare, we often find that certain areas of London are more usual for au pair placement due to the size of the homes. The large family homes where an au pair can have her own bedroom are usually in the areas close to but not right in the heart of the city.

We also have a number of other very popular locations for au pairs, where over the years we have gained many host families through recommendations. The most popular cities are Cambridge, Oxford, Bournemouth, Brighton, Portsmouth, Southampton due to the fact that there are lots of young people there from all over the world due to University and language courses.

Many host families come to us from commuter areas, up to an hour or so from their work location in London, this means Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Essex,

We have a number of host families in High Wycombe, Reading, Windsor, Guildford.

What makes a popular au pair location?

Many au pairs put on their application form that they prefer to be based in London. It is often the only city that they know by name and they may have been there before on a school trip or weekend break with their parents or even just seen it on TV. When the au pair agency in their own country explains to them that many families live close to London, allowing them to visit at weekends and go sightseeing they are usually fine with this suggestion.

For an au pair to be happy, she needs to generally have social interaction. If you live in a town/city, walking distance from language schools, parks, cafes etc. your au pair will find it very easy to meet up with other young people, make friends and practise her English skills. If you live in a village and you know other host families, it can equally be easy, especially if there are good transport links into nearby towns or your au pair has access to a car.

How can your au pair meet others nearby?

In addition to introductions through language classes and local connections from your host family, Smartaupairs are part of an online ‘find a friend’ website www.aupair2aupair.com, which is safely shared between 25 BAPAA members and the ideal way to find other au pairs in your local area.

Where would we not place an au pair?

We do not place au pairs in remote locations where there is no access to language courses. Our experience has been that the au pair, even with the best intentions from the host family and the au pair candidate, finds it hard to make the most of their cultural experience, simply as there are no ways of meeting enough other people. We have however been able to place au pair couples successfully with families who live remotely but it is not really part of our core program as this is not truly a cultural exchange.

We are also hesitant to place in locations in Wales and in the Channel Islands due to past experiences of au pairs finding it hard to get in touch with other young people. For placements in Scotland we now work together with specialist BAPAA agency to ensure that the au pair has a network of friends and regular activities to take part in.

Go to Smartaupairs http://www.smartaupairs.com/family/

Special Needs Children

When we are asked if we can help find an au pair for a family who have a child with special needs, we generally take the following approach.

We place au pairs with a number of families who have a child with special needs, here are some of the suggestions we give to families.

First of all, do NOT expect experience with special needs! We expect an au pair to be willing to look after a child with special needs, rather than ‘able’ at time of application. It is up to the host family to give as much help and guidance at the start of the placement. It is very important that the family give as much information as possible in advance about

1) the actual child and their special needs
2) the duties the au pair has to take on with regards to this child specifically
3) how much of this is ‘sole care’ and how much of it is supported by a parent or other carers (special school etc).

If at all possible, the family should consider the au pair to start with the care for the able children in the family first of all, giving mum a chance to focus on the child with special needs and gradually increasing responsibilities for the au pair to care for the child with special needs.

CHILDCARE APPRENTICESHIP Qualifications for Au Pairs

Smartaupairs offers Childcare qualification in collaboration with Smart Training NEW = NO upper age limit!

By offering au pairs the opportunity to gain a government funded recognised qualification such as a British Apprenticeship/NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) during their time as an au pair, they would have more quantifiable benefits from their year abroad, i.e. more to show for.  This would especially apply to candidates with a genuine interest in a career in childcare as British childcare qualifications are very highly regarded globally.

To the family this training also offers great benefits as they will get a very committed au pair with a genuine interest in childcare!

In close collaboration with an experienced training company, it was decided that the most appropriate qualification to offer would be the Apprenticeship in Children’s Care Learning and Development framework, which includes;

• NVQ Level 2 in Children’s Care Learning and Development
• A Technical certificate – Level 2 BTEC in Children’s Care Learning and Development
• Key Skills in Communication (English language) and Application of number at Level 1
• 12 hour Paediatric First Aid Course*
• Learning about Employment Rights and Responsibilities

The NVQ is designed to train people who are working in face to face roles with children, young people, and families and qualifies an individual to work as a nursery nurse or classroom assistant.

Benefits:

The benefits to the au pair are

• a recognised qualification in childcare from their year as an au pair
• a chance to network with other students during monthly visit to training centre
• home visits from training assessor
• the opportunity to earn and learn; language skills and much more
• improved employability in UK and Europe
• no college to attend except monthly tutorials
• professional support from training company throughout
• work experience in a group environment such as a nursery or playgroup may be required depending on the family situation (in own time, with support)

The benefits to the family are

• an au pair with long term commitment
• an au pair with a real interest in childcare
• a structured development program to enhance the care received by child/children as the au pair is learning
• visits from professional assessor to monitor progress
• no need for the au pair to attend college, just one monthly tutorial on a Saturday

Credibility:

This program is delivered as a joined initiative between the au pair agency Smartaupairs, www.smartaupairs.com, a member of the British Au Pair Agency Association and Smart Training, the UK largest specialist in NVQ training with almost 15 years of experience of delivering childcare and management training with a practical focus on the workplace and has helped thousands of learners to gain their qualification.

Targeted:

For families to qualify from the benefit of the Apprenticeship/NVQ au pair they would need to

• Live in easy reach from smart training center (see list below)
• Have at least one child under the age of 15 at the start of the program
• Be able to commit a few hours every month to support the au pair with the assignments
• Facilitate the au pair to attend monthly tutorials at the training center, always on Saturdays, this includes covering travel cost to training centre
• Sponsor the 12 hour Paediatric First Aid training (approx. £85)

For au pairs to qualify from the benefit of the Apprenticeship/NVQ opportunity he/she needs to

• Have confident English languages skills; speaking, reading and writing to prepare the portfolio to show competence to qualify
• EU national, living in  EU for last 3 years
• Stay in the UK with the same host family for 12 months
• Not yet qualified to Degree level or equivalent
• Have some childcare experience and a genuine interest in childcare, no formal prior qualifications are required, an assessment will be made by Smart Training to confirm  relevant NVQ level
• Qualify for the 12 hour Paediatric First Aid in your own time during your stay as au pair
• Have a driving license*
• Fund the deposit and administration fee total of £200 (€300)

The family hosts and sponsors their au pair to do this Apprenticeship/NVQ. Both au pair and family benefit during the year that the au pair is with the family, as the au pair will be able to offer a great childcare and development program for the children. The ongoing benefit is for the au pair, as the qualification is for the individual.

The Apprenticeship/NVQ is funded by the government so the actual fee remaining is only to cover the First Aid training, payable by the family at approximately £85.

The funding includes full support from Smart Training, all books, all monthly tutorials, all home visits, registration with the awarding body, assessment fees and certification.

The au pair pays an administration fee of £200 to allow for initial language assessment and to find a suitable sponsor. £100 is refunded on successful completion within 12 months.

Our relationship with Smart Training means that the training is delivered by an experienced provider with their own excellent facilities and infrastructure. We believe we are the only au pair agency offering this unique opportunity. We expect this to be a great success with both families and au pairs.

* Au pairs without a driving license may find it harder to find a family sponsor.

**Smart Training have training centers for NVQ’s in Children’s Care Learning and Development in the following locations;

Bromley, Colliers Wood, Coventry, Croydon, Halifax, Hammersmith, Hemel-Hempstead, Hull, Huntingdon, Kingston-upon-Thames, leeds, Leicester, Greenwich, Luton, Maidenhead, Maidstone, Portsmouth, Reading, Romford, Ruislip, Slough, Southampton, Stratford, Tottenham, Watford, Wembley, York

If your family lives within no more than 40 miles of one of these locations and you are prepared to support your au pair’s monthly visit to the nearest training centre, you can register your interest for an Apprenticeship au pair with us now.