What are the legal conditions?
For the host family For the au pair The placement
Allowances & other expenses
Allowances Host families are legally obliged to pay you the agreed allowance amount. The allowance must be paid monthly into a bank account (not cash) and it may never be less than 450 euros. Who pays what? Host families are legally obliged to pay certain expenses but other expenses must be paid by the au […]
Working hours & tasks
In exchange for food, lodgings and an allowance, the au pair can offer help for a maximum of 20 hours a week.These hours can be divided over the week up to a maximum of 4 hours a day. As soon as this number of hours has been worked, the rest of the time is free […]
The au pair contract
Behalve minieme verschillen bevat elke modelovereenkomst dezelfde wettelijke voorwaarden . In België vinden we 4 modelovereenkomsten terug: Vlaanderen, Brussel, Wallonië en de modelovereenkomst van de Duitstalige Gemeenschap. Deze overeenkomst is geen arbeidscontract, het gaat eerder over een overeenkomst in het kader van een cultureel uitwisselingsprogramma. Model contracts, necessary documentation and all the information needed to […]
Non-European au pairs
Work permit Even though a work permit must be applied for, an au pair is not an employee. A work permit must be applied for because there is no specific administrative procedure for au pairs. The government has chosen to use the existing procedure for work permits. If the application for a work permit is […]
European au pairs
Although EU citizens do not require a visa or work permit, they must register in the municipality if they want to stay in Belgium for more than three months. Otherwise, they risk being an illegal resident in Belgium. If an EU citizen wishes to be an au pair in Belgium, they and the host family […]
Are you a real au pair?
Au pair is not just a word, nor is it a synonym for childminder/babysitter or cleaner.. An au pair is an official status that can only be allocated when you sign and register an official Belgian model agreement at the municipality, regardless of whether the au pair is a European citizen or not. If you […]
Tips for gathering documentary evidence
If you have a smartphone, use it to gather evidence. To make sure you don’t lose the evidence if your smartphone is lost or stolen, store this information in the cloud.
Au pair agencies
Au pair agencies have no official authorisation for their operations and activities and are not monitored by the government. For this reason, it’s important that both the host family and au pair are well informed about the programme’s legal conditions.
How can I enforce my employment rights?
Some tips
