Has anyone used Au Pair World?

[lovely123]

Hi There,

I am an experienced au pair host but usually go through agencies or personal recommendation from my au pair who is leaving.
However I have just discovered au pair world and wondered if anyone could share advice, experiences, tips etc

Thanks

HMRC territory for venturing over market rates? Really? BAPAA suggest a minimum, but not a maximum. Plus it's cash.

Yes WonderingWillow au pairs are limited on their income or HMRC implications apply. Their board and lodging forms part of the calculation. If you're an employer you need to know the rules.

You're not an employer. I've been corrected on this before.

au pairs aren't employees

Nanny tax doesn't apply to au pairs but HMRC regulations will apply if their pay, incl accommodation and board, exceeds the threshold amount.

Wonderingwillow, the link itself says: "Au pairs may have to pay Income Tax and National Insurance, depending on how much pocket money they get."

It is a fine line before an aupair becomes an employee, especially with aupair plus. I require good English so many of my aupairs don't need to attend English classes. From a legal perspective, I treat my aupairs as employees just to be safe.

WonderingWillow, reading what you offer as payment and BIK, your au pairs are in the NI bracket definitely and possibly for income tax too.

Its a mute point really. You think I pay my au pairs too much and I disagree. HMRC Knock on my door, I'll change the contract and then I'll just pay her the extra when they're gone anyway. It's cash. It's too hard to trace. Not only that; but the agency file the contract with Immigration as part of the Tier 5 Visa they're on, including how much they get paid. HMRC know.

Also, I've gone through all of this with my accountant (self employed) to find any extra tax liabilities and he said it's just not true. If HMRC wanted extra tax money; they'd have knocked on my door years ago.

There's a massive move towards au pairs at the minute because of the whole
pension rights for nannies. HMRC aren't silly; they know this.

You should treat your au pairs as employees with rights because your want to; not because you have to! They're not entitled to sick leave or annual leave but I give it because I'm not an arsehole! Who wouldn't? Saying you keep the pay low because of tax responsibilities is just laughable though. You don't want to pay more, not because of tax, not because of other mothers ganging up on you, not for the greater good; but because you don't want to. Fine.

Your business. But don't go making out that it's for reasons beyond your control, and then going 'oooohhh HMRC will be out to get you... Oooohh, the other mums won't like you...' Because that's just utter rubbish.

No I don't think you pay your au pairs too much, I simply pointed out that your au pair should be paying NI or tax. If you had already discussed the matter with your accountant then why weren't you aware of the tax implications? I too self certify but wouldn't dream of abusing the system - I prefer to pay what I owe. Still, we're all different I suppose.

Wondering you can't be taking that attitude with regard to HMRC and be lecturing others on their arrangements. This thread has gone right off the rails. By all means pay au pairs what you feel is appropriate bit if it is over the taxable threshold it will not be considered 'pocket money'- all you would need is an AP with the wherewithal to report you and you could be fined. If you employ native speakers whose motivation for picking your family is marginally higher pay you would be mad not to consider this risk.its not a reason not to pay more but definitely protect yourself by registering as an employer, issuing pay state myself keeping a record of your arrangements including holiday pay and any other benefits.

At £120 p/w the ni is marginal anyway. And you can do the paperwork online yourself very easily.

With gym membership and travel there is income tax to consider too as they are benefits in kind. Anyway, this thread has gone off course from the original post.

The whole point of an au pair is that its a cultural exchange and they should be treated as a family member and paid pocket money. If you want an employee employ a nanny and pay silly money and pay Nanny tax and NI. The rules are clear and should not be blurred to suit.

Hi blueshoes, this post is very relevant and helpful. We have decided that an au pair would be the best option for us as our little one starts school on Sept.

Signed up to AuPair World this week and lots of interest. Would you mind messaging me the list of questions - you seem to know what you are talking about!

Thanks!

another plea for the list of questions please!

Blueshoes - I would be very grateful for the list as well! First skype calls with apw girls tomorrow and I'm worried!

They seem to compare packages around here.....I know which of the school Mums pay on the low side and it does cause some resentment. I also find that paying a little bit more does attract better candidates.

Again, this link explain the employment status for au pairs.

www.gov.uk/au-pairs-employment-law/au-pairs

They are not employees, but as it clearly states they are subject to Tax and NI is their income is over a certain level. I tend to start at £90/100 and then give a pay rise if they're good.

Salaries do vary a lot in different areas, we live in a high cost town, near London and if you didn't give a decent amount of pocket money, they wouldn't be able to go out and do anything. £80/90 for 25 hours is standard here.

Good luck with your searches everyone.

Dd used au pair world to find a great position in Spain. When she finished after a year ( to go to uni) dd1 took over with the same family.

Dear Blueshoes, you must be fed up with this request, but I have just come across this very interesting chat and was wondering if you would be able to send me your list of questions too?

We too are looking for an au pair and have had two so far. The first was through au pair world and was a disaster, the other was private and absolutely lovely! Now I feel a lot of pressure to find someone who is right for us - and of course we have to be the right family for her...I'm happy to pay more (plus phone, travel pass etc), but more importantly hope to find someone who will feel comfortable and motivated to spend some quality time with the children, rather than just supervising them. Our au pair would just sit in front of her phone while at the playground and not engage with the kids at all so a list with the right questions would hopefully ensure that disinterested candidates change their minds about becoming an au pair in the first place ;-)

Many thanks for your help!

I askalot of questions about themselves, interessts, music, films, hobbies. Its important that you think about if you like this person and if you are gelling as a family. Your au pair will become a close friend so if you dont feel you are finding a commection then its probably not a good match.
Gut instinct is usually right. Trust it.
Ask if they have travelled alone before. You are looking for independence and a spot of adventure.
Look at the questions they ask you. A good candidate will have thought this through and will ask about mobiles, insurance, the area, other aupairs, and ask questions about the children.
Ask about their family. Are they close to parents /siblings? An older sibling is a better choice than a youngest sibling /only child. An oldest in a sibling group will have built in skills that an only child will lack in. Look at the dynamics of the aupairs family and compare to yours. You are looking for a good fit. You are not looking to be a parent, you are looking for a third adult.
Give the au pair a clear picture of what you expect, email them a daily routine and weekly outline. There should be no surprises.
If you are left with a choice of candidates, email them and ask their thoughts and if they are interessted in the position. The replies are usually spot on and makes it easy to choose the right one.
We have been incredibly lucky and have had amazing girls, but i put alot of effort in finding a good fit. I also interview with my current au pair and take her view into account. Its great getting a second opinion.

Thank you very much Melissande - what you say makes perfect sense, I will just make sure I'm very thorough (I'm pregnant so don't trust my instincts at the moment :-)

Hi Blueshoes, please can you PM your aupair questions list. I am desperately looking for a replacement aupair. thanks

Had a good experience with au pair world - we were looking for an au pair for some time to look after the youngest of our four boys. Went through agencies and all they wanted to do was fill their rolls and charge us for it ..not impressed - with au pair world and some others out there you are in control and can do the vetting and alot of the time FIRST IMPRESSIONS last - take time out to look on it as as filling a full time job - reviewing a CV and then talking on SKYPE to get a feel for them. It all worked out well for us in the end and I have taken time to put a site together with our experiences - in particular on Au Pair world see here www.aupairrant.com/what-is-au-pair-world-is-it-the-world-they-live-in-or-just-a-website-our-experience/ take some points from it.

Blueshoes I would also love to get the list of questions! I've just started looking for our first aupair on aupair world!