10 Frequently asked questions

Your au pair can be a male as well. Since it is very common that an au pair of the female sex, we have written our texts referring to a female au pair. If you would like a male au pair, that is also possible.

Once your application has been submitted to the IND it usually takes 4-6 weeks for your au pair to arrive. If you choose an au pair who is currently already staying in another Schengen country as an au pair, your au pair can often come after 2 weeks (decision period of the IND) to the Netherlands.

Yes, this is possible. Host families may choose an au pair from another Schengen country, because costs are be lower and the process can go faster. If the au pair of your choice stays nearby, you can meet her in person as well.

If you have found an au pair yourself, of which you believe that she meets all requirements, we’d love to contact your au pair. We’ll have an interview to check of all conditions and obligations are met. If they are, we’ll gladly submit the application.

Please note that it is no longer allowed to invite relatives to the third degree from July 1, 2015.

Yes, it is required that the family consists of 2 persons. A child also counts.

See this page.

Yes, you can specify your requests. We will look for an au pair for you that we believe perfectly meets your requests and fits your family very well.

In addition to the application submitted with the IND, your au pair will have to arrange certain documents or perform tasks, such as legalized ‘birth certificate’, legalized ‘certificate of no marriage’, signing the special au pair contract at the notary, participate in a special seminar of the Filipino government, et cetera. We prefer to guide your au pair for all of these, so you have nothing to worry about.

If you have found an au pair and would like to arrange these things yourself, then we are happy to inform this process.

We recommend contracting a special au pair insurance. The cost is approximately € 360 for a whole year. Your au pair is insured for example, medical costs, repatriation, travel accidents and liability.

If the above insurance is not contracted, then any of these costs will be charged to the host family. We therefore recommend contracting this insurance before your au pair travels to the Netherlands. Of course we would gladly arrange this for you.

Besides the special au pair insurance your au pair is also required to contact a ‘basic health insurance’ (basis zorgverzekering) within 4 months of arrival. We would gladly guide your au pair for arranging this matter. The costs of basic health insurance are compensated by care allowance (zorgtoeslag), unless you are a single parent. In that case, you are fiscal partner of the au pair and they will therefore not receive care allowance (zorgtoeslag). The costs of the basic health insurance (basis zorgverzekering) will then have to be paid by the host family.

Yes, an au pair may remain in the Netherlands for one year in accordance with Dutch law. Of course we then can a new au pair to invite you to this year.

Your au pair is obliged to live with you. However, during the day, they do not need to stay home if they do not perform any tasks for your family.

A Filipino au pair usually would love a social circle with the same background as her. We will gladly have her get in touch with other Filipino au pairs. Your au pair will also meet other au pairs at the cultural trips which we organise. Your au paired is ensured to have plenty of social contact by these ways.

Please don’t hesitate to ask us any questions which you or your au pair may have. We are there for you to answer your questions and help you both. As per our initiative we will also frequently contact you and your au pair to make sure both of you are enjoying the program.

At any given time if you or your au pair have any questions, problems or complaints, the independent  ‘Contact Point Abuse Au Pairs’ of the IND can be contacted at 06-1082 3594 or 070-779 4888. The contact point may  also inform necessary government agencies, such as the police.

You and your au pair can report problems to us. We will gladly help to find or give advice for a suitable solution.

At any given time if you or your au pair have any questions, problems or complaints, the independent  ‘Contact Point Abuse Au Pairs’ of the IND can be contacted at 06-1082 3594 or 070-779 4888. The contact point may  also inform necessary government agencies, such as the police.

If we notice that rules are violated, we are required to report this to the IND. If we notice that a host family is breaking the rules intentionally and / or repetition of the offense is to be expected, then we are obliged to inform the appropriate authorities (including the police) and remove the au pair from the host family. The cost of temporary housing will be charged to the host family.

At any given time if you or your au pair have any questions, problems or complaints, the independent  ‘Contact Point Abuse Au Pairs’ of the IND can be contacted at 06-1082 3594 or 070-779 4888. The contact point may  also inform necessary government agencies, such as the police.

Law allows an amount between € 300 and € 340 per month. Usually € 340 per month will be paid. The exact amount will be agreed on by you (or if you wish: by us) with your au pair before the application is submitted for your au pair.

Depending on the exact individual situation, we will take action. Of course, we will first talk to you and your au pair. If this appears to be that the program between your family and your au pair should be ended, we can look for a new host family for your au pair and possibly a new au pair for you as a host family. If the necessary the au pair will be immediately removed from the family, we can also arrange temporary accommodation (the costs for this can be charged to the host family – depending on the situation).

If we cannot find a new host family for your au pair, she has to return to the Philippines.

If your au pair leaves your family, whatever the reason, the exchange program will be ended.

We are happy to offer ‘full year au pair guarantee’ for the au pairs which we have selected for you. If your au pair then prematurely leaves your family, not because of a reason your family can be held responsible for, you will get 100% discount on the services of Phase 1 (one-time fee of our services) for your next au pair, in proportion the number of remaining months. In example if your au pair leaves your family 9 months too soon, you will get 9/12 months = 75% discount. The ‘additional costs’ shall only be reimbursed if chargeable to a next host family, for a maximum of 50% and calculated pro rata time.

In all cases we have the right to not offer a new au pair. Of course, this will only occur if we suspect that your expectations of an au pair is not realistic or if we do not think that you are still suitable as a host family.

It is not possible to provide guarantees for an au pair which we did not match you with. Naturally, we will always have an interview with the au pair of your choice and we will alert you if we have doubts about your au pair finishing the whole yearly program.

If you would still like guarantee, we advise you to select one offered by our au pair.

By contract you can only cancel your au pair as a host family with a good reason, with a term of notice of one month.

Your au pair can cancel at any time. The au pair does not have to give a valid reason. This is to protect her as the (economically) weaker party.

In our experience, it is not often the case that an au pair quits without a really good reason. We therefore communicate in advance to your au pair that it is the intention of the program will be completed completely, so that the au pair will not think lightly of the program.

It is not allowed to invite relatives up to the third degree.

In compliance with the law should be the goal of ‘cultural exchange’. If the goal is to have a maid, the au pair is not a legal suitable solution.

If your goal is ‘cultural exchange’, you can then naturally expect your au pair perform the agreed tasks at the agreed times. These may be light household chores, but no heavy work such as mopping large surfaces, cleaning your windows or cleaning the bathroom.

A Filipino au pair is usually regarded as excellent company. In the Filipino culture there is a lot of respect for senior citizens. The au pair will often be very interested in conversing with you and visit (cultural) visit within the Netherlands together. In addition, the au pair can perform light household chores, walk the dog, make coffee, et cetera.

Please note that your au pair may not carry out heavier household chores and may not carry out specialized tasks, such as nursing tasks.

A Filipino au pair can take excellent care of and look after children. This will usually be done with much more love and attention than by professional childcare. By Filipino culture children learn from an early age onwards to take care of the other siblings. If you have children, we will gladly match you with an au pair who is very good with children.

Of course, you must take into account the time limits of 30 hours per week spread over a maximum of five days, up to 8 hours per day, of which a maximum of 3 nights per week.

Your au pair needs a phone with the Android or Apple operating system. If they do not have one, then you or we can provide her with one (the costs for the host family), including a SIM card with € 10 balance. Your au pair refill their balance at their own expense.

The phone will be used by your au pair to stay in touch with family and with us. Your home should therefore have internet access, for example by Wifi.

A Dutch language course is not mandatory. The cultural goal is met by the cultural trips and participation with the host family for (cultural) activities, such as Sinterklaas, Easter or birthday parties and visiting places within the Netherlands.

In preparation for the Dutch language and culture, before your au pair comes to Holland, we do like to arrange a training day with your au pair and / or provide her with the necessary teaching materials so that she can understand the basic words of the Dutch language.

The cultural trips are mandatory to meet the cultural exchange goal of the program. It is not required that however that we will carry these out, you can do by yourself if you wish to do so. The total number of trips should be at least five per year. The places you then want to visit, you can discuss with us.

Even if you don’t include the cultural trips in your customized quote, you may later decide to have your au pair join a trip for € 49 including entrance ticket and lunch. The cost of the cultural outings will be charged to the host family.

It is not legally allowed to work more than 30 hours per week spread over a maximum of five days per week, including up to 3 nights. This is also not allowed for a single time. Of course you can still exchange working times once in consultation with your au pair, as long as the hours don’t exceed the time limits.

Our founders Shyrell van Galen – Navarro and Wendy Gonzales themselves came as Filipino au pair to the Netherlands before. They have kept social circles and contacts with other Filipino au pairs and Dutch host families. Both au pairs and host families were often not so pleased with the services of their au pair agency. Our initiative to remedy this situation this was therefore born.

We are a 100% bona fide, trustworthy and honest company with a humanitarian vision. We charge the au pair no registration fee, training fee, deposit or other amount. We think it is not appropriate to make a profit at the expense of economic (much) weaker party. The entire recruitment and preparation of the au pair is at our expense. Of course you can use this ask your au pair, before you have paid us any expenses.

Our team consists of three people in the Netherlands and two in the Philippines. You and your au pair will have contact with a fixed contact in the Netherlands.