Your Family Our Passion
We know..
• That finding the right kind of person/s to assist you with the care of your children and whom you will allow into the bosom of your home is of enormous importance to you.
• That choosing the right candidate is vital to the support that you require for the health of your family.
• That we at Au Pair at Home have loads of passion, experience, understanding and expertise in the placement of au pairs and the needs of home-based family care.
With over 15 years of experience in the au pair placement industry along with our expertise we have a very high success rate, with many families returning to us time and again. We offer a guarantee based service and an established post placement (back up) support system.
Why use us?
• The leading providers within Cape Town and surroundings with proven expertise in home-based childcare as well as speciality areas of childcare.
• Educated in the field of assessing people, people organisation, chaos management and crisis intervention.
• No Registration Fees
• A placement fee is only due once you have decided who you wish to hire as your au pair.
• Thorough screening processes, education and 15 years of vast experience in the art of interviewing
• We offer value-added services including advice, articles of interest, advice via email as well as:
• Free on-line baby sitting service for clients and au pairs on our books.
• Your au pair requirements and job description are advertised free on our website.
• Up-dating, learning and sharing useful information on childcare and related matters for all parents and au pairs.
• We are continuously improving our service to both Families and Au Pairs by positively converting all feedback into customer relationship improvements.
• We never lose sight of the fact that children are at the centre of all childcare related issues. In our triangular relationship their welfare must always be paramount
• We work consistently and continuously to maintain a large data-base of excellent candidates available as au pairs, whilst working to continuously increase awareness of the usefulness of quality au pairs.
Why Get an Au Pair?
• Hiring an au pair to care for your children means that you are focusing your family childcare needs around home-based care as opposed to outsourcing your children's care and education to a crèche, a day mother or to an after-care facility. (See What is an au pair in the South African Context on the home page).
• Being constantly at home for your children is no doubt the best option but not always reality today. By introducing an au pair who shares your values into your family environment you are best emulating values-based, wholesome family life.
• Your children might not be at a child care facility but at home with unqualified domestic help or left to their own devices. Due to no authority in the home creating structure and with no learning or homework being done, time is spent playing computer games and watching hours of television. You arrive home to chaos and friction instead of quality time with all organised for the next day.
• Hiring an au pair to take your place with your children and be your support whilst you are not there is the most wholesome approach to parenting. It recognises the demands of society versus the high standards and expectations that we have of growing our children to their full potential.
• Children need time to be in the bosom of their family home, to be themselves within the safety of those walls. An au pair's sole task is to love, care and give personal attention to your child/children within the comfort of the home and neighbourhood.
• The sole focus of an au pair is to bring out the best in every child
• Whilst the au pair is seeing to the tasks at hand - schoolwork, sport and extra-mural activities, outings, fun and age appropriate educational activities, you will be kept in the know as to where and what your children are doing at all times.
• Hiring an au pair allows the family memorable times spent doing mutually enjoyable activities uninterrupted by homework, child related chores, cooking and shopping.
Au Pair Duties
The physical duties of an au pair vary from family to family and the norm is different for the varying age groups. In all the age groups, the child's developmental and emotional needs must also be catered for. The au pair needs to give the parents regular feedback on the activities and happenings taking place on a daily or weekly basis, preferably documented otherwise verbally. The parent/s should at all times know where and what the children are doing.
Primary responsibilities: During her working hours do anything that is required around the children. Depending on the ages - ie bottle feeding the baby etc, singing and jumping, running up and down the garden, taking the children for a picnic to Kirstenbosch or a trip to Butterfly world, collecting from school, preparing lunch and taking to extra-murals. Homework supervision. Surfing the net for information for a project. Ensuring all relevant bags are packed and ready for the following day.
Every candidate receives a brochure on Au Pairing the Real Way and how to set up a weekly programme when they come into our offices for a personal interview. You are welcome to ask us to email you a copy.
Secondary responsibilities: Shopping and errands for the household, preparing dinner and home organisation.
Salary of Au Pairs and Our Placement Fees
Salaries are basically standard for the industry, but also depend largely on the financial requirements of the au pair. Au Pair at Home will also advise you on the expected salary required by the candidate you choose to employ. Below are a couple of "guide-line" salaries on a monthly basis, working a Monday to Friday week:
3 hours per day 5 days a week R3300.00 per month
4 hours per day 5 days a week R4300.00 per month
5 hours per day 5 days a week R5300.00 per month
6 hours per day 5 days a week R6300.00 per month
A "full day" (over 7 hours per day) salary can start at R7500.00 per month and go up to R12000.00
Au pairs do not necessarily have to work a 5 day week, if your requirements are for a shorter week or hours, please contact Au Pair at Home for a quotation.
Other Services
Consultations: This is a home visit to assess your family needs, at your request. Should you not place an au pair through Au Pair at Home a R300 fee will be charged for this consultation.
Placement of Learner Facilitators Within the School System:
Special needs, Educational/ Learner Facilitators
For many years we have had a keen interest in and placed special individuals as au pairs and carers with families in need of special care for their children.
With inclusive education being included in our mainstream education system, there has been a natural progression by Au Pair at Home towards placing learner facilitators within the school system to assist individual students with special needs or behaviour difficulties.
The Learner Facilitator focuses on the pupil's needs on a daily basis to support, guide and assist the pupil towards reaching their potential, to integrate socially, to gain self confidence and independence.
We have worked together with special-need departments and teachers in top schools as well as the parents of pupils with difficulties.
Tutors come to your home for an hour or two every day, bi or tri-weekly to provide tutoring to your child/children on a "one-on-one" basis or could assist with general homework, projects, exam preparation or specific subjects.
Night Nurses - we supply night nurses on a "short term" or long term basis ie from 1 week to 3/6 months for newborns or for parents with little ones with disrupted sleep patterns.
Baby Specialists - This is the professional specialist whose experience, expertise and focus has been on newborn care on a full day, sole charge basis.
Free Babysitting Service due soon to log onto via our website for families and au pairs already working through Au Pair At Home.
Further Consultations and other Services: Assessing your overall household management requirements. Assessing and assisting with very individual Family / Personal Requirements. Hiring a short term or long term Practical Applicator / Organiser / Shopper.