Can an au pair in the UK be a UK citizen??

[NubblesStryverFlintwinch]

There are au pairs showing an interest in our family who are young british women. Do they qualify to be an au pair?

I thought part of the au pair thing was learning the language and culture etc?

Help. Have googled, and not found answer.

I don't want to end up responsible for unlawful empolyment or missing paying NI or tax or something.

Ta

Norma

You see the problem is that every fucker is over in aibu. I may have to repost this and face the thread police

Either that or I have posted this too late at night

No clue. Bumping. HTH.

You can employ anyone to be an au pair. The au pair immigration category doesn't really exist anymore, so you can employ any EU citizen as a live-in, part time, childcarer.

Thank you :)

I took an AP role in the UK (being from the UK), the only problem I had was that I had to tell the tax people what I was doing (no paying of tax though as under threshold) but they didn't have a live-in childcare category at the time and I still get phone calls on occasion from HMRC asking me to clarify what job I had at the time! They always say "Ah yes, that's fine I'll make note of that for you!" and yet I get called again six months later...

Thank you pixie. It doesn't sound like a problem for me, but I may well warn a british ap if we take one on :)

Yes it's fine. Aupair is just a job title these days as the immigration category no longer exists. You could call them an unqualified nanny if you liked.

PAYE applies to aupairs in the same way it does with any other person being paid to do a job. See www.hmrc.gov.uk/paye for details.

Yes you can have a British au pair.

However, you probably want to be entirely sure as to why they would want to au pair in this country. As au pairs typically work 5 hours a day, there is a lot fo spare time, usually filled by language classes. What would your British au pair be doing in those hours?

Ladymuck: I don't know about others but I volunteered three days a week whilst the kids were at school (and at the weekends) and studied for the CCLD level 3 nvq. It is something that would suit people who want that,, as you can't do it unless you have sole charge and managing some of the kids time.

The main problem I encountered was that I was very lonely and the nannies didn't want to meet as my charges were so much older, and none lived in my area which made after work meets impossible and the APs I could find didn't want to meet as I was British. I met a few people through volunteering at a charity shop but nobody who was really in a position for after work drinks or anything.

Yes, that was my main concern about going for a British au pair - it is more difficult to fit into a traditional au pair role, and therefore you can end up with lots of time on your hands.

The isolation could be an extra problem as we are moving to a military base in the middle of rural oxfordshire soon. But that also means that a brit may find it easier, as there are activities and stuff (I think), and it is quite a close(d) community.

My au pair will just be doing pre and post school. And not every day of the week as DH will have days off during the week (and I will cover weekends if he is working). Until he is deployed abroad for 3 months, but I have agreed with work that I will be working from home at least one day a week during that time.

Thank you Lady, Pixie and NannyNick for your input.

In that case a Brit may be easier. Are you behind the wire? I've had enormous trouble with my British nanny in a French base (apparently a British wife is different ) for security passes etc.

We will be behind the wire for the first time.

i know a couple of people who have a british au pair. The au pair on each occasion is a uni/colleage student who gets bed and board and some money for doing a school/poreschool drop off and pick up and making tea and babysitting til parent gets home and some occasional evenings of babysitting plus a little bit of housework. seems to work well for them (but they do live in university cities)