If you are looking to hire childcare for your family and you are considering whether a live in nanny or an au pair would be most suitable for the requirements of your family, there are a few key differences between the two to consider that make them quite different.
An au pair is a foreign national, aged under 30 but usually, au pairs are aged between 18 and 25. An au pair can be considered a helpful pair of extra hands around the house, they do not have a lot of childcare experience - if any, but can assist with basic childcare duties as well as assisting with child related housekeeping. Due to their lack of experience, the UK government strongly recommends that au pairs only care for children that are aged 3 years old and above. This is because, with an au pairs lack of experience and qualifications, children under the age of 3 years old require more specialised care than an au pair can provide. If you have children that are under the age of 3, it is recommended that you consider a Nanny.
Part of the arrangement of employing an au pair or a live in nanny is that the family is required to provide a separate room, an au pair will always live within the family’s home. By hiring an au pair, you are taking part in a cultural exchange, the au pair will be able to help care for your children and potentially help teach them a new language while they study and improve their English.
Typically an au pair will work for a few hours in the morning, helping to get your children ready for school and assist with school runs, then again for a few hours in the evening to help with mealtime and the bath and bedtime routine. An au pair is also able to help with a few nights of babysitting each week but an au pair shouldn’t work for more than 35 hours per week.
A live in nanny can work with children of any age, from newborn through to high school if you so wish. A live in nanny will also have at least three years of professional experience. Professional is the keyword here as this will mean that they have worked within a professional setting, working with families and children that are not related to them and in a formal setting. Live in nannies may also have childcare qualifications specialising in childhood development or newborn care. Live in nannies are able to work longer hours than an au pair is. A typical live in nanny position will require a nanny to work Monday to Friday for 12 hours a day with two nights of babysitting.
Due to the increased experience a live in nanny will have, qualifications and longer working hours, the market rate for a live in nanny is considerably more than an au pair. The market rate of a live in nanny is between £400 and £600 net per week, but nannies are able to expect a higher salary depending on the requirements of the position. Another important note to make is that nannies and au pairs are paid a net salary. This means that as the hiring family you will be required to also make any tax and national insurance contributions on top of the weekly wage of the nanny or au pair.
As au pairs have less experience, work fewer hours and are able to assist with fewer duties than a nanny is able to, they are paid a smaller weekly wage in comparison to live in nannies. An au pair will earn up to £200 net per week depending on the requirements of the position as well as the experience of the au pair.
A typical au pair placement normally lasts for at least one year and can last for a few years. Au pair placements do not tend to last as long as a nanny placement as the au pair is a cultural experience for both the au pair and host family and a nanny will consider families as career opportunities. Live in nanny placements, on the other hand, can last for many years. As your children grow and develop, your nanny and the care they provide to your children will also grow and develop alongside.
As you can see, while it might seem that au pair jobs and live in nanny jobs are similar, there is quite a difference between the two.
When considering your childcare options, it is important to think about what type of childcare you are looking for. If you are looking for someone to be a helping hand around the house, that has less experience but also is less expensive, then an au pair is a good option to consider. If you are looking for something that is more hands on, someone who is able to help your children thrive and encourage them to reach childhood milestones but has a considerably higher salary expectation, it could be good to look at a live in nanny as a childcare option for your family. Little Ones has specialist departments for both au pairs and live in nannies. Our expert consultants are always on hand to discuss what your childcare requirements are, what salary expectations you can provide and guide you through the process and assist you with making your decision.
Whether you decide that an au pair or a live in nanny is most suitable, It can be daunting knowing where you should start your search. Which is why consulting an agency that specialises in both au pair and live in nanny placements is a crucial aspect of ensuring your search is as stressfree and seamless as possible. With an agency that specialises in both au pair and live in nanny placements, you have access to expert, experienced advice. Agencies also take the hassle of finding someone out of your hands and make the process a seamless experience. At Little Ones, we interview and screen all our candidates and discuss with them in detail their experience and qualifications they have to ensure you are only presented with candidates that align with your needs. We are able to provide sample contracts and a payroll service once you have found your perfect au pair or live in nanny and our friendly and experienced consultants are always on hand to help with any questions or concerns during and after your search with us.
Agencies in that work with au pairs in London as well as live in nannies such as Little Ones take the hassle of resourcing potential au pairs or live in nannies from you and will only present you with the best that we meet and who also align with the childcare requirements you have. Because au pairs are based overseas, our consultants will do interviews via video call where their experience and qualifications are discussed at length. Our live in nanny candidates are brought into the office and have their interviews face to face with specialist consultants, we are able to obtain verbal references which we then personally check.
All of our au pairs will have the following:
Our live in nanny consultants will also have at least 3 years of experience.
From the very first call, your consultant will guide you through what your options are, what would suit your requirements most closely and put your mind to rest with any concerns you might have. Our consultants are also on hand to help and answer any questions you might have along the way, using an agency that specialises in au pair and live in nanny placements like Little Ones means you have a direct line to the experts.
Our years of experience within the childcare industry means we know what it takes to be an excellent au pair or live in nanny, which is why all the candidates we work with are the best available. We pride ourselves on providing a premium level of service and care for our clients and their family’s. We maintain the highest standards and expect the best from our au pairs and live in nannies because we know you expect the best for your family.
Using an agency that specialises in au pairs and live in nannies like Little Ones, means you can be sure you will receive support from every angle and at every stage of your search, we will take the stress of finding an au pair from you and present you with candidates that perfectly aligns with your childcare needs and your schedule.
We work with your family to find solutions, whatever your needs. To make perfect and seamless placements is central to Little Ones.
