Host families and young adults who are interested in the Luxembourg au pair programme will receive helpful information on how to prepare for the exchange and on living together during their stay.
Let yourself be inspired so that the exchange becomes a positive experience for all parties.
Many of the questions that host families and au pairs think about before, during and after the exchange are already regulated by legal requirements or can be answered by experience reports from families and au pairs.
Below are some tips that may help in the preparation of the exchange.
Discover what it is like to get to know a foreign culture in your own home and benefit from flexible childcare.
Host families who are interested in the au pair programme as a complementary childcare solution should find out in advance what the conditions and legal regulations are.
Is the family really suitable to host an au pair? Click here for the online test
Once the family members have agreed on common ideas and expectations, the task is to find an au pair who fits the family and fulfils the conditions.
Once an au pair candidate has been found, telephone calls or Skype interviews are essential to get to know each other better.
Wishes and expectations should be discussed openly.
The interview is also a good opportunity to exchange information about tasks and obligations during the au pair stay and to discuss these in detail. The SNJ application template can serve as a guideline, since it already includes the legal requirements.
Once the host family and au pair have reached an agreement, the application form is filled out and signed. It contains all admission and approval applications for both the host family and the au pair, so that all parties involved only have to fill out this one document for the SNJ.
The application serves to secure both parties and must be submitted to the SNJ and approved BEFORE the au pair travels. If all required documents are submitted correctly and completely, a processing time of approximately four weeks can be expected.
The au pair must be familiar with the entry and residence regulations in Luxembourg before undertaking the journey and make the necessary preparations.
Preparing welcome gifts or notes will put the whole family in the right mood for the upcoming meeting.
A warm welcome, a small gift or a few sentences in the local language make it easier for everyone to start the exciting time ahead.
Then it’s time to arrive and inform all the important bodies such as the SNJ and insurance company in good time. Host family obligations
At the compulsory information events, the newcomers are introduced to their contact persons at the SNJ and informed about their rights and obligations. In addition to providing important information, the events offer the opportunity to make acquaintance with other au pairs.
Another opportunity to get to know other au pairs and possibly make friends are the meeting points offered by the SNJ. These meetings are voluntary. WhatsApp groups also simplify the exchange between au pairs, promote contact between them and can be an important help.
A detailed weekly schedule containing information about the time and place helps the au pair to find their way in their new tasks.
Involving the au pair in drawing up the plan will help prevent conflicts.
The weekly plan should be visible for everyone and changes or problems should be discussed right away.
Free afternoons can be spent relaxing at home with au pairs. Cooking or playing together results in a carefree cultural exchange.
In order to fetch the children by car or to drive them to leisure activities, au pairs need a driving licence recognised in Luxembourg and sufficient driving experience.
Language connects people!
In the compulsory language courses, au pairs not only deepen their knowledge in the chosen language to make life in the host family easier – by learning together, they also exchange experiences and build friendships. The au pair can choose the institute and the language to be learned.
To cope independently outside the family, it is compulsory to be able to speak one of the national languages (French, German, Luxembourgish) or English (level A2). If another language is spoken in the host family, the au pair must also have basic knowledge (level A1) of the family’s language.
The host family must provide the au pair with a room of their own and respect their free time. This also applies to the children.
An au pair is not allowed to work more than 5 hours per day as a weekly average, and not more than 25 hours a week on average for the host family.
Preparing food for the children is one of the tasks of an au pair.
If the children are involved, this is a way of enjoying cultural exchanges in everyday life.
Socialising, having fun, learning to make new dishes – shared experiences strengthen the relationship between the au pair and the host family.
Light household tasks that the au pair can do are listed in the application form and should be discussed and determined in advance. These include preparing school and kindergarten bags, washing the children’s clothes and emptying the dishwasher.
In addition to the cultural experiences in the family, the au pair should also be able to discover the country and Luxembourg culture on ITS own and with other young people. The basic requirements for this are sufficient free time and financial independence.
For this reason, the au pair is entitled to at least three free evenings and one rest day per week, in addition to two rest days per month and regular pocket money.
Participation in family celebrations, excursions and holidays promotes the feeling of togetherness between the host family and the au pair.
Questions about the cultural aspects of the au pair’s home country or organising meetings with family and friends, where the au pair can present their own home country and culture, show your own interest in the au pair’s cultural exchange and demonstrate your appreciation for the au pair.
The au pair is part of the family for a certain period of time and not just a worker.
If contact with the au pair is maintained after the farewell, e.g. via Skype and telephone, it makes the separation easier for the children and makes all participants feel better.
The end of the stay should also be well prepared for the children. Talking about the upcoming return journey and preparing a small farewell party will help all participants cope with the situation.
Find out what you need to consider during your stay as an au pair and which conditions have to be fulfilled by the host family and the au pair.
The tasks of the “Service national de la jeunesse” (SNJ) consist mainly of monitoring compliance with these regulations and processing and approving applications. In addition, the SNJ organises information events for au pairs and offers mediation in the event of conflicts of a legal nature.
However, the support of the SNJ can only be guaranteed if both parties meet the legal requirements and have signed the SNJ’s official au pair agreement.
Former au pairs and host families talk about their experiences and adventures during their time together.
The most important thing is to communicate well with each other. This applies both during the run-up to the exchange as well as during the exchange to prevent any possible problems or conflicts. These should be addressed directly and promptly.
“Be focused, follow the guidelines and the deals you’ve signed up.”
“You are not a babysitter for the kids, you’re going to live with them.”
« Pour mon anniversaire, ils m’ont offert un cadeau et une lettre, j’étais très émue. »
“I can trust them and they can trust me. Communication, that’s the key.”
“Et war déi bescht Léisung fir eis.”
Here you can find all the detailed information about welcoming an au pair into your family, as well as all the necessary documents for your application.
Text available in DE, EN and FR.
Here you can find information about the legal regulations and requirements that you have to fulfil in order to come to Luxembourg as an au pair as well as all the necessary documents for your application.
Text available in DE, EN and FR.
In order to have more information about the programme, we encourage you to read our information brochure.
Here’s a weekly au pair scheduling template, that allows you to properly plan the stay during the entire au pair experience.
Ready for the experience? Download the Au pair hosting application dossier.
We offer you an email service in the 3 administrative languages,
English, French, Luxembourgish, and English.
We are a competent team and will answer your questions as soon as possible.
Feel free to send us an e-mail at any time for a quick and efficient written response.
If you have a reference or endorsement, please mention it in all correspondence.
We will make every effort to process your applications as quickly as possible and to respect the processing time for “au pair” applications, which is as usual 4 weeks.
