Right, we are about to employ our first au pair. Bit of background to start you off:
She is 34 years old, and has dual Brazilian/German nationality, currently living in Brazil. She used to work for us in Portugal as a babysitter 2 years ago. She is due to come and start working for us in September when we move to London, on what are essentially au pair terms. I am at home so she will not need to do much during the day with the kids, it is mostly about giving me and DH some flexibility in the evenings, perhaps babysitting overnight if we are away at weddings etc. We have agreed that she will earn 60 pounds per week for babysitting, and is free to get another babysitting job that will fit in around us if she wants to. She also wants to study, which we fully support and are happy to pay towards as well. Now, here come the questions (for all those still awake....):
1 - Does she need a visa? I am assuming that if she is travelling on a German passport, that this is OK
2 - Does she qualify to be an au pair or is there an age limit? (something tells me it´s under 30)
3 - If she is not an au pair, then what is she, and do we need to pay tax, NI etc
4 - Would she qualify as an EU student even though she has come from Brazil (albeit as a german)? Is there an age limit on students?
5 - What healthcare provision is there for au pairs? Can they just rock up and register at the local GP´s surgery and be treated free of charge?
6 - Biggie here - she has very little money (her father abandoned the family and left them bankrupt) and wants us to pay for her air fare to get to the UK, but will pay us back. How should we handle it - dock her salary until it is paid off, or agree to pay a certain amount and get her to pick up the rest? I trust her enough to know she won´t pull a fast one, but equally know that I don´t want to set a hand out precedent.
Think that´s it for now, hope someone can shed some light!