Another area I get asked about frequently is vacations!  What is considered vacation, what is not.  How does it work when the au pair travels with the family?  Here is an attempt to clear up any confusions and give you the U.S. State Department view on family and au pair vacations.

Au Pairs get 14 Calendar days vacation during their year which is paid.  Essentially that means 2 Monday, 2 Tuesdays, etc.  Although we recommend that au pairs take a their vacation in full week intervals to alleviate confusion, that is not always the case.  Vacation time should always be discussed before plans are made, and the time off should be mutually agreed upon by the au pair and the host family.  Keeping in mind that asking an au pair to take vacation early in their year may not be really in the spirit of the program and they may not have the money or friends to travel with shortly after arrival.

Here are some thoughts on traveling with the au pair:

If an au pair is traveling with their host family and will be working – it cannot count as their vacation time.  The au pair needs to have a schedule so they know when they are working and when they are off.  Expenses must be paid for by the host family – food, room, travel, etc.  If the au pair is working the requirement is that they have their own room so they can have time off as well.

If the au pair will NOT be working while on the trip with the host family then the au pair can share a room and can be responsible for some of the costs of the trip – however the au pair cannot be required to go with the family if the choose to spend their vacation time/money in a different place.  Always discuss ahead of time who will pay for what, if the time will count as vacation time, and if the au pair will be working.

Hopefully this helps, vacations can get complicated.  Our hope is that au pairs have a more well rounded experience when they can travel with their host family.   If handled properly, and discussed early most family vacations are a great opportunity to have a new adventure.

Wednesday, 21 March 2018 2:08 PM