European Agreement on Au Pair Placement

Au pair conditions in Britain, France, Germany, Spain and the rest of the European Union are fairly similar. Many European countries have signed the European Agreement on au pair placement.

This agreement states that:

The au pair will receive board and lodging from the host family and where possible will receive a separate room.
The au pair will be given adequate time to attend language courses.
The au pair will have at least one full free day per week. Not less than one such free day in every month being a Sunday, and will have full opportunity to take part in religious worship.
The au pair will receive a certain sum of money, as pocket money, the amount of which and the intervals at which it is paid shall be determined by the agreement signed by the family and the au pair.

In exchange:

The au pair will work about 5 hours a day, looking after the children and doing light house work.
The au pair will baby sit in the evening once or twice a week.

Download Model Text of Agreement approved by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 18 January 1972 as word document. (37Kb)

Click here to view the full European Agreement on Au Pair Placement

Strasbourg, 24.XI.1969