Drawing Up a Contract for Our Au Pair
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Drawing up a contract between you and your au pair can be a daunting task. Some families even choose to employ a lawyer to make sure that the legal wordings are exact. Others choose to purchase generic contracts or contract software, and to plug in their own specific details. Still others prefer to write up a contract on their own. Some au pair agencies have a specific contract or form that you must use to use their service.
Regardless of how you choose to draw up a contract for your au pair, there are some basic thing that it should cover, including:
- Vital information for both you and the au pair. The au pair’s name, address, and information about the referral company or agency as well as the family’s names, ages of children, and location of the home.
- Compensation and benefits. This should include the hourly, monthly, or weekly rate that the au pair will be paid, as well as the pay schedule. It should cover procedures for taxes, and how they will be paid. It should also cover any health benefits or insurance, how these are paid, and the insurance company and plan.
- Education plans. In the United States, and Au Pair visa provides for postsecondary education for the au pair, the first $500 of which must be paid for by the host family. The contract should discuss how and when the educational plans will take place.
- Vacation and holidays. Specific holidays that the au pair will be off, as well as number and type of vacation and/or sick days. You should also include information about procedures for requesting vacation days.
- Room and board information. If the au pair is a live-in au pair, you should include information about room and board, utilities such as telephone, and stipends for food or groceries, and provision of appliances and furniture..
- Schedule. This should include the number of hours each week that the au pair will work, a provision for overtime pay in the event that extra hours are worked, regular days off, and regular work hours.
- Duties. This should list the specific responsibilities of the au pair, including any regular activities such as taking the child or children to appointments, giving medications, feeding the children, and educational activities.
- Prohibited activities. This can include rules about smoking or drinking, or the au pair having visitors in the home.
- Children’s schedule. Include what the children should be doing, and when.
- Children’s rules. These can be very specific, covering areas like discipline, television, hygiene, and safety issues.
- Emergency procedures. This should include disaster plans, as well as a medical relase that authorizes your au pair to take your child or children to the doctor or emergency room.
- Review and raise procedures. How often periodic reviews will take place, and what schedule pay raises will follow. This can include information about a trial period of employment.
- Procedures for amending the contract.
- Termination procedures. This should inlcude how much time the au pair and the family should give one another in the event that employment will be terminated.
FOr an au pair, the contract should also include any necessary legal information that relates to the au pair’s visa, as well as any requirements that the au pair agency may have.
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