El Viaje understands that inviting a new person into your home, to care for, nurture and assist in the education of your young family, is a dynamic and potentially life changing experience. It takes time for everyone to adjust to acceptable and comfortable routines and relationships. This process is traditionally left to yourselves. Not any more.

The El Viaje experience offers :

• Initial assistance in matching enthusiastic, goal oriented overseas visitors with families living in Australia
• Embracing and promoting cultural diversity
• Ability to identify key areas of importance and needs for family and match with empathetic caregiver goals for mutual benefit
• Ability to identify key goals and outcomes for families and help establish a strategy to achieve those aims
• Facilitate the transition of new arrival into family by supporting both the caregiver and the family during settling-in
• Provides assistance for au pair for introduction to Australian culture
• Provides ongoing support services for family and caregiver throughout the entire journey to maximize benefits and experience for everyone
• Assessment and review of stated goals and objectives
• Work with agencies that hold the same high standard of customer service, commitment, and pride in their vocation

1. You need to register your family profile, this is free.
2. Confirmation we have received your application will be provided.
3. Processing and screening will then commence.
4. On agreement with terms and conditions and we update our data base to include your family.
5. Profiles are forwarded to you by email as soon as we have an applicant(s) that you might be interested in. Once you receive these you need to respond asap but no longer than 3 days.
6. We then facilitate communication with the au pair(s) you are interested in.
7. You then need to advise if you would like to make an offer to host the au pair.
8. If the au pair accepts, we will send you a letter of confirmation and an agreement to be completed and signed by you.
9. Once we have your signed agreement, we will progress to start the visa procedure and arrange flights for the Au Pair.
10. Arrival times and arrangements will be confirmed, we will send you our hosting guide and the au pair will be receive the au pair guide and orientation pack.
11. We will support and guide the exchange for the entire duration of the placement.

The average time it takes from application until the Au Pair arrives in your home is usually 2- 4 months depending on the time of year. Naturally we work to meet your timelines where possible.

If you would like us to introduce you to a suitable au pair or nanny please contact us and we will arrange registration to commence the journey.

The placement period for au pairs and nannies usually ranges from 4 to 10 months, depending on the season. The most common Au Pair placement is 6 to 9 months.

As families and au pairs are dynamic they have varying situations and requirements. Au pair hours should therefore be discussed and agreed between the family and the au pair at the outset of the relationship. They may also need to change over time depending on family situations. The following guidelines may assist in the discussions;

Au Pairs are not qualified childcare workers and should not be placed in the position of primary carer for babies <12 months or unsupervised for extended periods of time. Our recommendation is for 2 - 3 hours maximum and definitely not for the entire day. This is for the benefit of both the child and the au pair. The maturity of the exchange may allow this to grow as all parties become comfortable and routine with one another.

AU PAIR $7 - $9 per hour – this is directly related to the number of children and level of responsibility. Au pairs cannot be placed with families who are unable to guarantee the minimum payment of $7/ hour and a minimum of 20 hours per week. The most common placements are 30 hours work per week approx $210- 270 or 35 hours approx $245- $315.

NANNY rates for a qualified live-in overseas nanny range between $10 - $12 per hour, depending on age and experience but this is also negotiable. Qualified nannies are often happy to work up to 40 hours a week and can look after babies younger than 12mths.

Families can sometimes identify what they believe to be an ideal candidate to join their family as an au pair or nanny and hence request a way to further secure or differentiate their family from other families. Bonus or incentive payments can be offered to the au pair/nanny to encourage them to select a particular family. In addition bonus or incentive payments can be used as an incentive for the longest placement committed to the family or reward the longer time spent with the family e.g Balloon payment offered to au pair who committed and did stay 10mths. This is completely optional and definitely a requirement or necessary.

A regular day of the week should be set for the Au-Pair to be paid, a Friday would be ideal but this is negotiable with between the two parties. This can be cash or a direct deposit into the au pairs bank account.

Direct deposit is the ideal option as it is the most secure means for their savings.

The Au-Pair is provided with their own bedroom and should be invited to share all common living areas of the house with the family. The exception to this is if you provide them with their own living areas e.g self contained apartment. Amenities such as TV, stereo, DVD and computer access are sometimes provided but are not a requirement. All utilities and meals are provided for the au pair free of charge. Personal long distance phone calls are the responsibility of the Au-Pair however a call to their significant other could be offered on arrival. Guidelines on incoming calls on the family’s home phone should be agreed. Provision of the au pairs bedroom and space for time out is critical to ensure the au pair receives a break from her work environment.

Meal times are a good opportunity to share time and build relationships without much effort. The au pairs are a long way from home and to be included in on meals is proven to be a key success factor. Celebrations such as birthdays etc are also a good opportunity to share experiences. All optional and will vary from family to family.

• Selective placement matching mutual aims and objectives
• Monitoring and management throughout the life of the placement
• Cultural Information orientation pack on arrival
• Support and networking opportunities with foreign peers
• Arrival deluxe package for arriving au pairs (optional)
• Special meet and greet for au pairs (by request)

The cost of airfares to the host country is the responsibility of the Au-Pair, as are medical/insurance expenses.