Question about Au Pairs` language lessons

[Bounder]

Thinking about looking for an au pair from September for after school and a bit of cleaning - need to persuade DH first - thanks to this site well aware of most issues. However, realised I do not know who organises and pays for their language lessons, which I appreciate is essential for most of them. Any advice?

Another question - I`ve read about people setting up an email address just for the au pair search. How do you do that? (ignorant I know)

My first aupair is starting in August.

Not sure if this is the standard practice, but this is what I did. I did the research off my own back. Went round to the private language schools (expensive) and then to the council run ones (ESOL classes - free for EU residents). For the ESOL classes, the term starts in Sept. After I made the offer to the aupair, I posted the application forms to her, helped her fill in the forms so that when she arrives, she has a place on the course.

I thought it was quite good to get the language course sorted because it gets her out of the house and is a good place for her to make friends.

Thank you - they haven`t axed these free courses yet? Great!

They threatened to cut the funding this year, but did not do it in the end

bounder, regarding the email address, just go onto any email provider and register, try yahoo or hotmail or gmail. If you use your normal email address and say advertise on gumtree, i can promise you you will get ALOT of people email you, and some of these my then keep your email address to swamp you with spam or just to perster you about the job, and its best to keep this away from your personal email!!

sorry i've just posted a similar type thread....... without seeing this one

Hi Bounder

Just going through the same thing myself. Lots of these are free PROVIDING the aupair/nanny is from the EU. If they are from outside the EU you are likely to have to pay for it.

We are very keen on one aupair, and will have to pay for her language lessons. Sadly she is not entirely sure about us because. She assures us this is not to do with general lack of desirability of the role (which is light even by aupairing standards) or us (maybe she is just being polite) but because she wants to be able to walk to her college. She can't drive and doesn't want to learn and despite the prevalence of buses, she is very wary about the commute.

There really isn't a lot we can do about that!

this is where am confused.
Last au pair from EU went to council run classes which were efl as opposed to esol. We were told because she was aupairing she had to pay, as she therefore didn't plan to stay in country.

Query: If you called an au-pair a mothers-help, would they still need language classes?

There are 9 countries listed under the Au-Pair scheme and while those from other countries can come as an au-pair, they could come as a mothers-help (domestic worker), or on a working holiday (Working Holidaymaker). Just wondering, should anyone know.

EEA & Swiss Nationals - no mention in this document about workers coming to the UK needing language courses.

EEA Nationals are those from:
Austria Greece Netherlands
Belgium Hungary Norway
Bulgaria Iceland Poland
Cyprus Ireland Portugal
Czech Republic Italy Romania
Denmark Latvia Slovakia
Estonia Liechtenstein Slovenia
Finland Lituania Spain
France Luxembourg Sweden
Germany Malta and of course United Kingdom