Au Pair Programme UK

 

Health insurance

Au pairs can register with the National Health Service NHS. On the following page, you can find useful information about NHS services in the UK. As an au pair, you do not have to pay any national insurance contributions.

The UK has made an agreement with the member states of the EU and some other countries. Thus, in case of illness during their stay, au pairs coming from these countries receive free medical treatment. As an au pair, you should necessarily take your health insurance card with you.

The treatment in case of emergencies is free and covered by the NHS for nationals of other countries. However, medical treatment by a general practitioner (GP) might not be free. You should always refer to your local health centre first.

Contract

You and your family should clarify in advance what you expect from each other and sign a contract in which the most important points are defined. Thus, you can avoid future disappointments. You should use the official contract according to the European Agreement.

You will find more useful information and details to the conditions of your au pair stay on our page Pocket money, working hours, time off & Co.

Car driving and driving licence

Usually, host families prefer an au pair who has a driving licence. Having enough driving experience is also expected. Please note that people drive on the left in Britain. Make sure that you do not feel uncomfortable about driving there.

Most probably, as an au pair you will be driving the car of your host family. Issues of insurance and liability should be clarified in advance. Should any damages result from an accident, it should be clear who pays for them.

If you wish to drive in the UK, you should first find out whether or not your driving licence is valid there.

Be on the safe side:

• Have you already spoken with your host family to find out how well you get along with each other? Find out what else you can do for your safety on our Security page.
• Having good knowledge of the language spoken in the host country enables you to express your needs and wishes in the beginning. Especially in case of illness, having some adequate vocabulary will certainly help you.

How to protect yourself from scam:

Especially au pairs who wish to go to popular host countries like Great Britain and the USA are chosen victims of fraudsters. Therefore again: never send any money, no matter what you are told! Be also cautious if the family profile seems too good to be true. The same applies if you are offered too much pocket money. You can find more information on our page Scam.

 

More information for au pairs in the host country UK:

• Quick Check for au pairs
• Pocket money, working hours, time off & Co.
• How do I get to the UK?

Information for host families in the UK

 

<<Back Top

[Last update: July 2011]