Au pair Working hours in Canada
Au-Pairs in Canada usually work 25 to 40 hours per week, although this is somewhat negotiable. Work is typically during the day from 7.30am until 9.30am and from 3.00pm to 7.00 pm. Some families with younger children will organise a combination of Au Pair and daycare and require a little less help on some days and longer hours, or even an entire day on others.
One or two full days should be the maximum. a night babysitting during a weeknight is quite standard. Of course Au Pairs can work on a casual basis on a Friday or Saturday night, but it should not be an every single Saturday night arrangement.
It is very important that the Au-Pair should have some free time each day and at least two continuous complete days off per week, ideally the weekend. This allows the Au-Pair time for study as well as making new friends which is important when a young person moves to a new country.
As Au Pairs are not qualified childcare workers or nannies, they cannot be responsible for looking after babies less than 12 months of age unsupervised for long periods of time (e.g. 2/3 hours maximum, not for the entire day).
Pocket money
Au Pairs are paid minimum wage, which varies in every province between $13 CAD and $16 CAD and then room and board, which varies as well can be deducted, they are paid depending on the number of children and level of responsibility. Please click here to read the “Average Au Pair Wages and Host Family’s cost per week based on working hours and location“. Qualified nannies are often happy to work up to 40 hours a week and can look after babies.
To encourage an Au Pair to choose them, some families will offer a bonus to be paid at the end of the Au Pair’s stay, on top of offering to help with the huge flight and visa cost. This is not a requirement but some families choose this option.
Accommodation :
The Au-Pair is provided with their own bedroom, not necessarily their own bathroom. Amenities such as TV and audio are sometimes provided but are not a requirement. The Au-Pair should share all other areas of the house with the family. He/she is also provided with all meals as well utilities such as electricity and gas free of charge. Personal long distance phone calls are the responsibility of the Au-Pair. It is worth bearing in mind that the more comfortable the Au-Pair is in your home, the more successful the host period is likely to be.
TRAVEL/AIRFARES
The cost of airfares to the host country is the responsibility of the Au-Pair, as are medical/insurance expenses. Some families will help the Au Pair with the cost of the first term of language classes or a sport as this helps the Au Pair settle in quickly but this not a requirement.
