If an Au Pair is a casual or permanent employee, he or she must receive the minimum rights under the Fair Work Act. These rights may include paid annual and private leave. In reality, it is unlikely that an Au Pair will have to use the majority of the rights guaranteed by the NES. There are many Australian families looking for English-speaking au pairs for programmes of six months and sometimes longer. But where are they? Maybe you`ve turned your heart to life at the center of the action in Sydney or in a house on the beach, so it`s good to know what`s possible. InterExchange host families in Australia are often located in the city or in the nearby suburbs of Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, but they could also be a little further into the outskirts (up to two hours). You have a choice between families, but you`ll want to put the personal connection above the location, so it`s good to have some geographical flexibility. If an Au Pair is expected to drive the host family`s car, it is important to have sufficient driving experience. In Australia, cars drive on the left and au pairs should carefully consider whether they feel safe driving in such circumstances. Au pairs who wish to extend their stay by 6 months with the same family can now apply for an extension of up to 12 months. Both classes of au pair visas are valid for 12 months.
If you are applying from outside Australia, your Au Pair visa will start from the day you enter Australia. As an Au Pair in Australia, at the big Down Under, in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, everything has a wonderful sense of freedom and adventure. For many au pairs, it`s a chance to be on the other side of the world. For Australian host families, it offers cultural enrichment for the whole family and significant childcare assistance to make everything a little easier. The main task of an au pair in Australia is to take care of the children of the host family. In addition, the Au Pair can do light tasks. The Au Pair and the Host Family must discuss the details of these agreements in advance and include them in the Au Pair contract. If the Au Pair drives the host family`s car, the insurance situation must be clarified in advance. The Au Pair and the Host Family must decide who will bear the uninsured costs in the event of damage caused by an accident. The Au Pair and the Host Family must discuss in advance the time and the free time available to the Au Pair. There are no official regulations on this subject.
Our advice: Au Pairs should have at least one day off per week, which should be a Sunday once a month. The Working Holiday and Working and Holiday programme regulates the holiday time to which an Au Pair is generally entitled during the au pair stay in Australia. When holiday time is taken should be discussed by the Au Pair and the host family together. We recommend two weeks of vacation for a six-month stay. For a stay shorter or longer than six months, this value can be used to calculate the holiday period. The services provided by an Au Pair generally fall into the category of private and domestic work. If they work more than 30 hours a week, you will have to pay an additional 9.5% of their salary into their super fund. Workers who earned super during a visit to Australia on a temporary visa can claim the super once they return home and their visa has expired. In some countries, regulations explicitly exclude Au Pairs from being considered employees. This is not the case in Australia. Your Au Pair can be considered an employee if you enter into an agreement on the following: There is no official Au Pair program in Australia. It is also not clear whether an Au Pair should be considered an employee or not.
According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, this depends on the individual relationship between an au pair and a host family. However, failure to provide any of these rights to an employee is a violation of the NES. This could result in a fine. When determining the conditions under which an Au Pair provides their services, it is important that you contact the NES. Many families use au pairs as an alternative to hiring nannies or after-school care. As a result, the emphasis on cultural exchange factors that may have existed in the past has diminished. Instead, au pairs are just a cheaper alternative to childcare for many families. Young travellers also see engagement as a job to support their travel expenses rather than focusing on the cultural exchange aspect. Most candidates who wish to apply for a 462, including those from the United States, can also apply online. However, au pair applicants from some other countries may need to apply for their Australian au pair visa by mail or in person at the Australian Immigration Office in their country. Au Pairs should have their own room in their host family`s home. In addition, au pairs receive all their regular meals at home with the host family.
According to the basic idea of the au pair as a cultural exchange, this is provided free of charge.