Families

On this page!
  
 What type of families have au pairs?
   What are the advantages of having an au pair?
   What about disadvantages, loss of privacy for instance and the annual change-over of au pairs?
   Having an au pair sounds like a very expensive and elite form of childcare...
   How much will it cost to hire an au pair or nanny through House o Orange or to become one?
  Au Pair Plus vs. Au Pair
   What must I do to hire an au pair through House o Orange Au Pairs or to become one?
   Download a Microsoft Word version of our family registration form.

Introduction

At House o Orange Au Pairs we feel that it’s essential that families as well as au pairs, understand the concept of the au pair program. In order to accomplish that, we work with international organizations, other au pair agencies, politicians, local municipalities, immigration and police departments as well as with families and au pairs to further develop our au pair program so that it keeps meeting the needs of families as well as au pairs.

An au pair program is first and foremost one of cultural exchange. Although flexible childcare is usually the main reason why families are interested in hiring an au pair, it is important that families realize that hosting an au pair also involves a cultural aspect. Children will grow up learning a second language, will learn to appreciate other types of foods, stories, as well as customs and habits. The au pair will be given the opportunity to grasp another language, to join in on family outings and to share in the history and culture of The Netherlands. An excellent au pair year will provide both the au pair and host family with a unique and valuable experience that will last them a life time.

What type of families have au pairs?
We find that the majority of our families are young, active, lead busy lives, are professionals and have one or more children. Most of our families are international in their orientation or background. They are interested in raising their children in the comfort of their homes and are eager to find a form of childcare that is more flexible than the traditional daycare center or creche. Families that use au pairs have children ranging from new-born babies to teenagers. They usually have homes that are large enough to accomodate another person or are able to provide a separate apartment or other form of accomodation for their childminder.

What are the advantages of having an au pair?
A good au pair is a flexible, enthousiastic individual who can be a pleasant addition to your household. Children do not have to spend long days at a daycare center. Parents do not have to rush and scramble in order to get their child to a center on time. Picking up a child after work before a certain time is rarely an issue. A rush meeting can be scheduled and traffic jams are no longer a childcare problem. After school daycare is a thing of the past; a child can go home and do activities with his friends under the watchful eye of his au pair. If the child is sick he can stay home easily and be with a person who is familiar with his needs and moods. Doctor's appointments can be kept and errands and groceries can be done with the help of the au pair. A busy family that would like to take a night off to go out to dinner can often arrange to do so because there's a live-in babysitter available. All in all, our clients find that having an au pair makes their lives a lot less complicated.
What about disadvantages, loss of privacy for instance and the annual change-over of au pairs?
Interestingly enough, although privacy is always one of the first aspects that is mentioned by families who are first considering hiring an au pair, it is rarely an issue once the au pair has settled into a family. We've found that once the au pair arrives, he/she quickly becomes part of the family and joins in like a favorite cousin or younger brother/sister. Families do need to make sure that their au pair has the type of accomodations that would make them feel comfortable. Certain things must be discussed with the au pair upon arrival and privacy is definitely one of them. House o Orange Au Pairs will help families provide their au pairs with the type of guidelines necessary to ensure privacy for both parties. With regard to the second issue, i.e. the yearly change-over of au pairs, we feel that it is actually an advantage and not so much a disadvantage. Children are adaptable and once they are used to the concept of an au pair, they have no trouble accepting the fact that the au pair is with them for a maximum of 12 months. Every year the arrival of a new au pair creates a lot of excitement and positive commotion. A new au pair brings with her/him a new bag of talents, ideas, enthousiasm as well as gifts for the children and a new love. With a great au pair, the situation usually settles back to normal within a week or two and the children are generally at ease with their new treasure, within a couple of days. One issue that we feel families must consider before hiring an au pair is the fact that it is more than just childcare. A family must be happy and willing to make a positive contribution to the au pair's life. The au pair is not hired help, is not a cleaning lady or a servant, the au pair is family and should be treated as such. Families that are not interested in treating their au pair as an equal are urged to consider another form of childcare.

Having an au pair sounds like a very expensive and elite form of childcare...
That's a common misconception, although prices for airfare, insurance, and visa's have recently gone up, the cost of having an au pair is still a lot less than a fulltime unsubsidized creche. Please note though, an au pair is not a nanny and is not expected to take full responsibility for the whole family and housekeeping duties for more than 30 hrs a week. The au pair is in Holland on a cultural exchange program and is given room and board as well as an allowance (commonly known as stipend). The au pair does not earn a salary and taxes and such do not have to be paid within the au pair program. By law the host family is required to pay for the au pair's medical and liability insurance, a language course should be provided if the au pair stays with the family for 6 months or more and a contribution to air or busfare should always be made. Roughly speaking, the monthly expense for a 12 month au pair who provides a famly with 30 hrs of childcare per week and also does some light housework is:

Au pair stipend
€ 300
Au pair insurance
€ 45
Agency fee
€ 88
Language course
€ 22
Airfare
€ 66-100
Visa
€ 75 (if applicable)
Phone allowance
€ 10
 
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A month (excl. room and board)
approx. € 600-650

How much will it cost to hire an au pair or nanny through House o Orange or to become one?

Our families pay our agency a flat fee, depending on the number of months and type of placement that is required. Fees for nannies are higher than fees for au pairs vary and there are no introductory, interview or membership fees. All fees are non-refundable, 25 % of our 12 month fee is due after registration and 75 % of the fees are due upon acceptance of an au pair/nanny file.

 Family fees for placement of an au pair/nanny
 
 

Dear House-o-Orange girls,
Just a short note from Mandi from Toronto. I miss being an au pair in The Hague although it is also great to be back in Canada. I am working with special needs children and am also busy finishing my studies. I hope to come back to Holland and see all of you again some time soon! Give my love to everyone (especially to the twins and my little princess!)

Amanda

Regular au pair (11-12 months)   € 1050
au pair PLUS ( 1-12 months)   € 1250
Short-term au pair, 1-3 months   € 475
Summer au pair 1-3 months (May-Sept. only)   € 400
6 month au pair, 4-6 months   € 650
Visa service (compulsary for au pairs needing an MVV)   € 300
school year au pair (7-10 months)   € 850
nanny   € 2500
     
All fees are inclusive of 19 % BTW (VAT).    
A discount is given on the full fare to repeat customers. Please request our full terms and conditions for more information. These can be obtained by sending an e-mail to our office and are are handed out at our interviews.
    

Au Pair PLUS v.s. Au Pair

 Au Pair Plus  Au Pair
Au pair plus between 20-25   Au pair is between 18-25
Au pair plus has been an au pair before/more experience or has had training   Au pair has not been au pair before and has not had formal training
Au pair plus generally drives   Au pair generally does not drive
Au pair plus excellent language skills in either English or Dutch or Spanish/German   Au pair sufficient language skills

Difference in costs per month:  Au Pair Plus    Au Pair
Weekly hrs 30   30
Allowance/Stipend € 340   € 300
Travel € 60   optional
Orange AP Club € 25   optional
Ticket + visa € 66-100 + € 75   € 66-100 + € 75
Insurance € 45   € 45
Phone € 20   € 10
Language € 50   € 25
Agency € 100   € 88
Bonus yes   optional
Monthly cost on average € 775-825   € 600-650

What does the PLUS in au pair PLUS entail? Does the au pair PLUS work more hours for instance? No, an au pair in Holland, whether part of the PLUS program or not, will only work 30 hrs a week max (in Belgium, 20 hrs a week max). including babysitting. An au pair PLUS is more experienced and older than a regular au pair. The PLUS symbolizes the qualities of the au pair. Please note that our Australian au pairs are by definition always part of the Au Pair PLUS program, even if they do not meet all the requirements.

What is the difference between an au pair (or au pair PLUS) and a nanny?
An au pair is a young person who comes to The Netherlands as part of a cultural exchange program and wants to learn more about Dutch culture and our language. A Nanny is someone who is part of a working program and comes to Holland in order to work with children. A sofi-number is required and taxes and premiums and such must be paid both by the employer and by the nanny. We only place a few nannies a year, either from the EU (Ireland for instance) or from Australia (on a working holiday visa). Monthly cost for a nanny would be at least 2000 Euro without tax, added costs.

What must I do to hire an au pair or nanny through House o Orange Au Pairs or to become one?

Both families and au pairs are urged to contact us by e-mail. Application forms are available on this site and a representative from our agency will contact you as soon as possible. For more urgent requests we would advice you to phone us.

Download a Microsoft Word version of our family registration form.
  Click here to download a Microsoft Word version of our family registration form.
Click here to view and fill in our family registration form online.
   

Families, we regularly have candidates available from Australia, the EU or other non-visa countries who can be in The Netherlands within a month or so. Please contact us for further information.

Thank you for your interest in House o Orange Au Pairs! We are looking forward to hearing from you!