Au Pair without an agency

[thanksforanyhelp]

Hi all- we are planning to host an au pair for the first time. We were going to go through and agency but the au pair of a friend of mine has recommended someone who I like better. I feel comfortable that we both understand the au pair commitment. Has anyone had an au pair without going through an agency and what do I need to know or do? She is from France so I believe there is no visa and I understand there is no tax issue for au pairs. How did you do a background/CRB type check and reference checks? Is there anything else I have not thought of? Many thanks all.

We use Au Pair World and it has worked well. To be honest though, we haven't done any DBS checks but did get references. If you're happy with the recommendation though, I'd go for it.

You could ask her to produce a document from the french police to show she has no previous convictions, a UK dbs would only show up british offences so it would be worthless. (Unless she had committed lots of offences here which is unlikely given she lives in France!)
In France it’s A certificate of good conduct, "extrait de casier judiciaire"

I’d potentially go by references though if she can offer

We never go through an agency (too many friends have had bad experiences with agencies).

I ask them to provide a copy of their passport, driving licence, a police check certificate from their country and to disclose any medical conditions they have.

You need to provide them with a letter of introduction (which is basically an au pair contract) which outlines the term and conditions of their stay. You need to cover holidays, pocket money and any other terms and conditions.

Thank you very much all- have followed your advice and give ahead without the agency

We had two different au pairs, both using Au Pair World. It just shows you profiles of people, not an agency. We drafted a contract (hours, start/end dates and weekly/monthly pocket money) and wrote a 'family guide' which included expectations, what money did/didn't cover (e.g
if you eat out at a restaurant, will they come with you and who pays for their meal) and made everything clear to avoid awkwardness (agree who pays for inward/outbound flights). Request references and contact details for their family. Make sure to send them a few photos of what to expect in your house, have a couple of video calls and give them an idea of what is available to do in your area and how accessible things are.