au pair needs bank account

[MerryMarigold]

Is it possible for an au pair to get a bank account with a debit card? My au pair said her sister managed it, but it seems to be quite difficult to do (and seems so dependent on who you get to speak to at the bank and how much they know). It is possible to get a 'basic account' but the card that comes with it does not have debit facility and therefore can't be used to pay in shops or over the internet. At the moment, she's dependent on me to top up her phone!

I'd really like to help her get an account. She's been working with me for nearly a year, and she's a great girl.

I got my AP an account at hsbc. you need to provide your documentation (proof of id) as well as hers and if she is over via an agency a letter from them.

we got our AP a basic account with a card that allows money to be withdrawn from the hole in the wall.

I pay her pocket money into it saves me getting cash every week!

Yes, they offered me that account, but it doesn't allow purchases over the internet...

My AP has an account with Lloyds and she has a visa debit card allowing her to make pruchases. I was an exisiting customer there and just had to sign a form to verify that I had known the AP a year. Very easy to organise

I also recommend lloyds. Hsbc were very unhelpful but lloyds gave our ap an account with debit card after a 10 min or so application process. They needed to see her passport but that was it.

It may be too late, but I our au pair has an account at Barclays with a debit card. She took it out as soon as she arrived though, and because she did so within a certain time of arriving in the UK they accepted her German proof of ID and address instead of needing bills in her name etc in the UK.

Thanks guys. I am a Lloyds customer so I will definitely try them next.

We got my AP a card from the phone shop that acted like adebit/ credit card and could be used for everything
It could even be loaded by her mum in Germany and the money was on there 2 or 3 hours later
I want to say it was called a Discovery card? but I could be wrong on that