We will be needing a (preferably live in) nanny / au pair soon. I have searched the threads ("au pair" )on the Swiss requirements for such and found a lot of good information. However, I did not see any "comprehensive" summary.

Can I please ask to share what you know and your experiences are? I am willing to write up the "comprehensive" summary. I have information on a non-live in nanny / au pair, already.

I am interested in knowing what our obligations are, based on Swiss regs, to the au pair - e.g. working hours (how many max and when), compensation, insurances, language courses, etc. etc.

TIA!

Thank you for your offer to write up a comprehensive overview. Forum Members greatly benefit from such contributions and it would be a welcome addition.

For Au Pairs, here are the regulations per Canton Vaud (in French)

http://www.vd.ch/fr/themes/vie-prive...vite-salariee/

Basically, they have to be placed by an authorised agency, be between age 18-25, work not to exceed 30 hrs per week with at least one full day off, they take at least 120 hours of language courses in the local language, their work is compensated appropriately*, and be lodged in a proper room in the families home.

*For some Cantons, ie. Geneve, I believe some salary compensation minimums for au pairs and nannys are required by law by the Canton.

In this link below, you will find info for Canton Geneve (in French) for Au Pairs, including minimum compensation.

http://www.genevefamille.ch/N139987/...assurance.html

There are some links in this post from a Sticky which is to be found in the Family Matters Forum. Generally, like Runningdeer, I prefer to give links rather than 'facts' which may become outdated quite quickly. However, many EFers will cheerfully skip the posts with links preferring to take their chance on someone else's say so.

Hi there nomad. Afraid I can't help on the nanny front and don't have any links, but am an au pair in Kanton Zürich and can tell you what I've found.

In my contract it says same as runningdeer said about Vaud: max 30 hours per week with at least 1 day off a week including at least 2 Sundays a month. My family give me 3 1/2 days off, in which I take 6 hours of German lessons a week.

Again as in Vaud my contract states at least 120 hours German over the year and the employer should help find a suitable school and pay for the lessons (I go to Migroklubschule at the moment).

It also states that the au pair must be insured against insurance and accident (in case they do anything dumb like I did and break their arm...). Some of this may be deducted from the wages.

If you'd like any more detail on any of that just let me know :-)

I do find it worrying when people advertise for an Au Pair/nanny. The 2 have very little in common. A Nanny is fully qualified and can take sole charge of babies/young children, in full employment. An Au Pair is just a 'helper/supporter' and should never be left in sole charge of very young children, as they are not qualified at all. Remember the case of Louise, a UK girld employed by a family of doctors in the US, and at the end of her tether shook a baby? A Nanny is very expensive- my daughter has recently gone back to work and employs one in SW London - and it costs her a huge proportion of her salary- but can be fully trusted with the little ones 5 days a week 8-17.15.

This is interesting. I agree that nannies are qualified and au pairs not but I am 2 days a week 7-5 alone with two small children and bits of two other days a week. Is it just an advisable way of doing things or is it a legal thing?! I can't find anything about it in my contract but would be interested to know!

PS Even if I were 20 miles from the end of my tether I would never ever shake the baby!

This is one au-pair-world Site with rulings for Switzerland but whether it is LAW or not is unclear. It gives info about the au pair being alone with the children.

An Au Pair is actually allowed to be in charge of the children for 50% of the time. One of the parents has to be there the rest of the working hours. I do however agree with the rest of your post, people are often confusing the two. The difference is in the experience, responsibilities & pay. A nanny should be paid several thousand CHF per month as oppesed to the CHF900 for an Au Pair.

I do believe that Au Pairs should NOT have sole charge of children under 2 ever.

It would depend on the Au Pair for me, for short periods of time maybe but I choose to employ a nanny so as not to have to worry about that. I do however think Au Pairs are a great idea for older children who are too young to be left home alone but do not need caring for as such.

Agreed, we had 3 au pairs in the past to look after our girls after school hours- it worked brilliantly and all 3, after nearly 30 years, are still good friends of the family. But NOT for babies toddlers under 2, unless for very short periods of time.

I'm not sure that is an accurate definition. I have come across plenty of full-time "nannies" in various parts of the world, who have good, various, or no, qualifications in childcare, child development or early years education.

The main difference is that an au pair comes to a different country to experience the culture, ie it is a cultural exchange, They are not there to look after your child(ren) 100% of the time. Also before the visa gets issued by the Kanton, the Kanton will make sure that a contract is in place, an approved language school place has been secured, the health insurance is in place etc. Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Au_pair for more information.
See the definition of a nanny - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanny

Apologies for adding another post, but I found more 'official' information about au pair employment for Geneve. Indeed it is much more tightly controlled with very specific details.

Thus, please refer to this information for Geneve, and don't refer to the Genevefamille info in previous post (cannot edit).

Specifics of the work permit (in English), see bottom of page:
http://www.ge.ch/permis/uk/p_main_tiers_uk.asp

Specifics of the standard contract, (in French):
http://www.ge.ch/relations-travail/d...-consolide.pdf
http://www.ge.ch/relations-travail/d...-consolide.pdf

In summary, there are some additonal criteria specified by Geneve compared to Vaud, ie. that the employer must insure the au pair against illness with a swiss insurance fund and must assume half the costs; the working conditions of the standard contract (wages, hours, etc) must be observed; the costs of schooling are the obligation of the employer; the language spoken by the au pair and the family and the region must be different; and the nature of the activities required correspond to the au pair placement, ie. no complex tasks.

The standard au pair contract goes further in specifying minimum wages; at least 4 hrs of schooling in french per week; the work cannot exceed 5 hours per day and 30 hours per week; the right to have certain federal/canton holidays off as non work days; specific requirements of the room to be provided (heat, light, furniture, privacy); medical/accident/pharmacy insurance to be covered; the social insurances to be covered; paid vacation days specified; etc.

For poster JC1, if you were employed in Geneva, you would not be within the law. It specifically prescribes work cannot exceed '5 hours per day'. However, I don't know if your Canton has the same equivant work requirements for au pairs.

This is a very useful link, thanks Longbyt!

Does anyone know if in Kanton Zurich, payment of the au pair's round trip transportation to and from Switzerland is required?

yes it is required.