Connecting Caring Christians

Help & Support

Support for Au pairs

Alpha Christian Au pairs is an online Au pair matching service that provides an effective, easy and efficient web-based solution for finding and matching host families and Au pairs.

Our service aims to assist host families and Au pairs to select the most appropriate candidates quickly, and arrive at a secure agreement smoothly thanks to our unique Pledging System.

Important Information:

Once you have made an agreement with a host family and both parties have agreed on the terms of the contract, we recommend that you send a pledge invitation to your prospective host family.

A Pledge invitation is a way of asking the host family to honour their commitment to you. This helps to prevent the host family from accepting another offer without you knowing.

Either party can pull out of this pledge at any time. When a pledge is deactivated, our system will send an email to the host family informing them that you have cancelled your pledge.

Please note our Pledging System is not a binding contract. It is our way of providing you with a better service.

How to identify your ideal Host Family.

Be as broad as possible covering key areas such as your values, interests and skills. Complete your profile and upload your picture. You can change this at any time. The points below are meant as guidance to help you build a great profile:

1. About You

  • Be honest with your profile, if you smoke, remember to inform your prospective host family. If you fail to do so they may not see you as honest person.
  • Provide information on your education, language skills and how long you want to be Au pair for.
  • Are you able to cook light meals for children? If so let your prospective family know as this sometimes is an advantage.

2. Your ideal host family

  • Describe your ideal host family (e.g. single parent? Couple? How many children you can look after and their ages? Non-smoking family?)
  • Would you prefer a non-smoking family?

3. Your Preferred Location & Duration of stay

  • Inform your prospective host family the area/s you would like to live in and how long you want to be an Au pair for. Some host families require a short term/summer Au pair, while others require longer term provision.
  • Remember to be honest with your profile, honesty is the foundation for an enjoyable Au pair experience'

Au Pair Programs and Visa Information

Not all countries have official Au pair programs, however, an Au pair can still travel to such countries and be an Au pair if a host family is available as a sponsor. Please see the links below for Au pair information by country.

Australia
Information about Au pairs in Australia:
http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled

Information for students: http://www.immi.gov.au/students/students/chooser/

Austria
Information about Au pairs in Austria:
http://www.austria.org

Canada
Information about Au pairs in Canada:
Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Denmark
Information about Au pairs in Denmark:
Danish Immigration Service
EU/EEA citizens and Swiss citizens are subject to special regulations found at:
http://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-us/coming_to_dk/eu_and_nordic_citizens/eu_and_nordic_citizens.htm

Germany
Information about Au pairs in Germany:
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/sid_B6C8F91E91A82795D8DCB10B70FC0151/EN/EinreiseUndAufenthalt/Visabestimmungen_node.html

France
You will need to register with the French Office of Immigration and Integration (OFII) during the first three months of their stay in France.

Iceland
Au pairs from non-EEA countries have to apply for a temporary Au pair permit.

Ireland
Au pairs from the EU-member states; Romania or Bulgaria will need a work permit.
For more information see: http://www.djei.ie/labour/workpermits/bulgariaromania.htm
US citizens can go to Ireland by obtaining a Work & Travel visa.
Please click here to find detailed information.
Au Pairs from all other countries see student visa requirements
For further information visit www.icosirl.ie/eng/student_information/working_in_ireland

Italy
Information about Au pairs in Italy:
Italian Home Office
Italian Ministry of Labour

Netherlands (EU citizens)
For further information about Au pairs in the Netherlands see Au pair residence permit (VVR – verblijfsvergunning) For more information, click here and enter Exchange as your reason for stay: http://english.ind.nl/residencewizard/verblijfwijzer_content.asp?proc=komen&lang=en

New Zealand
In New Zealand there is no Au pair program but you can work as one under the Working Holiday Visa Scheme. For information see:
Working Holiday Scheme Immigration
For more detailed information please click here and select your country of origin.

Norway
For further information about Au pairs in Norway see:
Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI)
Working holidays for young people from Australia
Working holidays for young people from Canada (Youth Exchange)
Working holidays for young people from New Zealand

If you are a citizen of an EU / EEA / EFTA country, you no longer need to apply for a residence permit, but must submit an online registration at: http://Selfservice.udi.no/ .

Spain (non-EU citizens)
http://www.maec.es/

Sweden
For further information about Au pairs in Sweden see: Au pair
Working Holiday Visa for citizens of Australia and New Zealand
Working Holiday Visa for citizens of Canada

Switzerland
The Swiss government has decided to limit the number of residence permits for Au pairs from Non-EU countries.
Contact the respective authorities in your canton for further information.
Useful information can also be found on the pages of the Swiss Federal Office for Migration - FOM

UK (non-EU citizens)
Youth mobility scheme .
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/working/uk-ancestry/
To determine the type of visa for which you may be eligible, visit UK Visas .

UK (EU citizens)
Bulgarian and Romanian work permission.
Working in the UK
.

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