The au pair agreement, clause by clause

Why it must be in writing

Verbal agreements collapse under the first misunderstanding. 'You said thirty hours' versus 'I said thirty hours with the baby' is the argument that ends a placement in week three — and with a signed agreement, it never starts.

Immigration officers in most host countries ask to see the agreement at the visa stage. A vague or one-sided document can delay or sink the application, so treat the template as a working draft you complete together, not paperwork one side imposes on the other.

The twelve clauses every agreement needs

Work through these in one call before anyone signs. Each clause takes five minutes; skipping any of them costs weeks later.

• Names, addresses and contact details for both sides
• Arrival and departure dates, and the total stay length
• Weekly hours — the actual number, and when they are worked
• Duties, written as a list of tasks rather than 'childcare'
• Weekly pocket money amount, the currency, and the pay day
• Full day off each week, including at least one Sunday per month where required
• The private bedroom — describe it, so there is no surprise
• Meals and who pays for food eaten outside the house
• Language course: hours, cost and who pays what
• Travel costs: who pays the flight, and any refund rules if the stay ends early
• Notice period — typically two weeks, in writing from either side
• Insurance, and what happens in a medical emergency

The clauses people leave out, then regret

Phone and car use. If the au pair may borrow the family car, say so, name the insurance conditions and agree who pays for fuel outside working drives. If there is a house wifi password or phone plan, put it on paper.

Holidays. Public holidays in the host country, and whether the au pair's own trip home counts inside or outside agreed holiday time. 'Four weeks off, arranged together' is not enough — name the process.

Guests and overnight visitors. One sentence in the agreement prevents the single most common late-stage argument in host households.

Signing, copies and the visa file

Sign two paper copies — one for each side — and keep clear digital scans. Several countries want the original posted with the visa application, so leave time for post.

Revisit the agreement at the two-week review, not to rewrite it, but to check reality still matches it. If hours have quietly crept up, this is the moment to put them back — politely, and on paper.