Au pairs are young people who come to Finland in order to learn the Finnish or Swedish language and get acquainted with the culture by living with a host family, by looking after the family's children and doing light household duties.  Au pairs may be between 17 and 30 years old.  Finland accepts au pairs from all countries except the Philippines , which does not allow its citizens to leave the country as an au pair.  If the au pair is not an EU citizen, a written contract is necessary so that the au pair may apply for a residence permit.  The maximum stay is 12 months. 

Au pairs who stay for longer than six months must apply for a Finnish Personal Identity Number (henkilötunnus or sosiaaliturvatunnus, personbetecking). This can be applied for at the Local Registration Office (Maistraatti). The Personal Identity Number is used for the revenue board as well as for identification at visits to the doctor, at banks etc.  It consists of the birth date and a four digit identification number. 

What the au pair must know

• The au pair may not be a relative of the host family.
• The au pair may not take his/her own children with him/her to Finland .
• The au pair must have an interest in the Finnish or Swedish language and culture
• Basic knowledge of the Finnish or Swedish language must  be demonstrated or
• The applicant must be enrolled in Scandinavian studies with reference to Finnish history, politics and culture; and be prepared to prove it
• The au pair is obliged to take part in a Finnish or Swedish language course during his/her stay to be able to apply for a residence permit.
• Travel costs to and from Finland are paid by the au pair

What the family has to do

• There are no restrictions concerning the number of the family's children or concerning the family members' nationality.
• Singles, too, may employ an au pair
• There is no standard au pair contract. However, for au pairs from Non-EU countries a written contract is necessary because it is needed to apply for a residence permit
• The au pair lives with the host family as an equal family member. The au pair has to have his/her own room. Furthermore the family has to offer board and lodge
• The working hours, i.e. the time which the au pair spends with child care and household tasks, of the au pair may not exceed the working hours of the other family members  maximum 30 hours per and, not more than 5 hours per day
• The au pair is entitled to at least one full day off per week.Once a month the au pair should have a Sunday off. Babysitting in the evenings needs to be agreed upon.
• It is standard practice that the au pair has two days of vacation per month in accordance with the Finnish labor legislation.
• The salary should be at least € 252 per month after tax.  The Finnish host family shall enquire at the Finnish revenue board VERO   how much salary the au pair should receive to ensure that the au pair receives € 252 net per month.
• The family has to give the au pair the opportunity to attend a language course. But it is the family's decision whether they pay for it.
• Many families choose to pay a part of the travel costs. It is also common practice to provide the au pair with a monthly ticket for local public transportation 

Some addresses...

Registration Office (Maistraatti)
http://www.maistraatti.fi/en/index.html

VERO
http://www.vero.fi/

To register as an au pair or as a family, contact:

• IAPA (International Au Pair Association): http://www.iapa.org
• AuPair Search - http://www.aupairsearch.com
• GreatAuPair - http://www.greataupair.com
• Au Pair Box - http://www.au-pair-box.com
• Au Pair World http://www.aupair-world.net/index.php/

Usually agencies will ask registration fees from the family, the au pair or both.