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Au pairs: Posh or practically perfect?
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Once the domain of well-heeled households, au pairs are becoming an increasingly popular way for 'regular' parents to add some je ne sais quoi to their child care arrangements.
Combining culture with cost-effectiveness, hosting an au pair can be an enriching and practical solution for families. And thanks to a proposed 'au pair visa', Australians could welcome foreign helpers into their homes for longer.
First though, what exactly is an au pair? And what are the pros and cons of inviting this kind of child carer into the living room?
What is an au pair?
We can thank the French for the term 'au pair', which means 'on par' or 'equal to'. Essentially, an au pair is someone who becomes part of the family, providing child care and light housework in exchange for a room, meals and weekly 'pocket money'. Sometimes called a 'big sister' or 'Mum's helper' au pairs are usually young women from another country who work around 25 to 40 hours per week.
The pros
Au pairs are gaining in popularity for Australian families and there are several reasons why they're an attractive child care option:
- Affordability: Having an au pair makes economic sense, especially for families with a number of children. Instead of paying a daily provider rate per child, the au pair is paid one weekly allowance for all the kids.
- Convenience and flexibility: Convenience and flexibility: Au pairs provide in-house care, which means they’re on hand to help during those busy hours, like school runs and meal times, thus freeing up working parents.
- Cultural exchange: With an au pair, families get to share the Australian way of life and learn about their helper’s language and culture too.
- A sense of extended family: Traditionally, it took ‘a whole village to raise a child’ and an au pair is a modern way to extend the nuclear family and possibly form long-lasting bonds.
The cons
Of course, with the good comes the food for thought, and here are some other, less beneficial, considerations:
- Loss of privacy: Live-in help isn’t for everyone. Some families like to keep their home life and child care arrangements separate.
- Increased costs: Although an au pair makes child care more affordable, families should factor in the expense of having another adult in the house. Things like food, electricity and water costs will go up.
- Grey areas: The au pair industry is self-regulated, which means there are no government regulations determining important things like pocket money, working hours and free time. It’s best to agree on pay, conditions and duties ahead of time, and agencies offer screening processes and guidance. Click here for more information.
- Tax implications: Au pairs travelling on a Working Holiday Makers Visa (subclass 417) or Work and Holiday Makers Visa (subclass 462) are now taxed at 15 per cent for the first $37,000 they earn. Families must register with the ATO before employing a working holiday maker (to withhold tax), so it’s best to investigate everyone’s obligations with the ATO. See here for more information.
The 'au pair visa'
Another thing to consider is how long your au pair can stay with you. Currently, an au pair with a working holiday visa is allowed to work for six months, with a possible six-month extension on appeal to the Department of Immigration. However, the Cultural Au Pair Association of Australia says, 'Most families would like to have [them] for longer … because kids become very connected to their au pairs.'
For this reason, the government is considering a special 'au pair visa' allowing au pairs to stay with families for up to two years. The Immigration and Border Protection Assistant Minister, Alex Hawke says, 'We are interested in how these au pair visas could ease pressure on the whole child care system and provide options for families.'
However, some are concerned about the proposal. Paul Mondo from the Australian Childcare Alliance is worried that, 'The au pair visa would be considered a replacement for children accessing early learning and childcare' adding that there are already policies in place to provide 'affordable and flexible [child care] arrangements.'
Matching up au pairs and families
So, in a nutshell, au pairs aren't just for posh families. There is widespread demand for this kind of in-house child care and CareforKids.com.au puts families in touch with au pairs. C'est fantastique!
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