An Au-Pair is a girl (or boy) aged between 17 and 27 who comes to the United Kingdom primarily to learn the English language and to live for a while as a member of a resident, English-speaking family. She should receive her keep, entertainment and pocket money of at least £55 per week. She is expected to help with the housework and care of any children. Her great advantage to a family lies in her being educated, on-the-spot and flexible, yet prepared to work for less money than would be expected by professional domestic help. For these reasons she needs to be treated with consideration and flexibility, and helped to pursue her aims.

She must be provided with her own bedroom and full board, but it would undoubtedly be appreciated if the room is regarded as private, (e.g. free from intrusions by children), is equipped with a desk or table where she can work, and can be heated independently. If you do not already have one spare, a small, second-hand television set is an inexpensive luxury to provide in the room - the freedom to choose more understandable programmes than the family might watch can be a great aid to learning English. Finding time to talk, making the effort to introduce her to English people of her own age and taking her with you on family outings where possible, (provided that no cost to her is involved), are all attentions likely to bring reciprocal goodwill.

The relationship between the girl and her hostess is a personal one depending for it's success both on the willingness of the hostess to help the girl in her studies and recreation, and on the readiness of the girl to play her part in the life of the household. The arrangement should not be confused with regular domestic employment.

The reasonable maximum time during which an Au-Pair guest may be expected to perform domestic tasks (including childcare), or to be on call for household duties is five hours daily, (25 hours per week). In addition she may also be expected to baby-sit for up to two nights a week. She should be given at least two days a week free. It is important that the "free time" should be genuinely free, that the girl should be at liberty to meet her friends and to go sight-seeing and to concerts, cinemas etc. and that she should have the time and opportunity for religious observance.

In return for hospitality and keep, an Au-Pair is expected to help her hostess with household duties on a partnership basis, and to do her share of any kind of housework which the hostess herself undertakes. Where however the hostess employs other help for the heavier chores, she should expect the Au-Pair only to help with such jobs as bed making, washing-up, tidying and dusting, baby-sitting, taking children to and from school and looking after them in the house; she should not in that case be asked to do heavy housework.

Many Au-Pairs leave families if they feel they are being taken advantage of in terms of work, so it is in the interest of the family to work out the Au-Pair's schedule in the form of a written work plan in order to make the best use of her time.