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An au pair is in charge of taking care of the children. He or she will get food and accommodation provided by the family free of charge, and a small allowance in addition (sort of pocket money). Being an au pair is an ideal way to get a first impression and understand the Turkish culture and lifestyle.

There are a number of conditions that both host family and the prospective au pair need to fulfill before making the move to Istanbul. For more detailed information on documents and conditions, costs and time involved click on the following link: http://www.icep.org.tr/english/aupairturkey.asp

What the au pair must know

Only au pairs from the following countries are allowed to work in Turkey. Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden,  Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States.

The au pair is an extra pair of hands to help you take care of your children. Having said that, an au pair is not a professional nanny. She will have some basic skills and can look after children but for any specialized care or concerns, please ensure that you have the right person on the job. In general, an au pair does the following:

• Speaks the language, at least enough to understand and talk with the family
• Ensure the children get up on time; dress the children
• Take them to school/nursery/activity classes
• Play with them, entertain them
• Be in charge of their meals
• Tidy up their rooms
• Be free to baby-sit them if needed, some evenings

What the family has to do

The family has to welcome the au pair in thinking that she is not an employee but a home help for the children. Therefore they will make sure:

• The au pair has her own bedroom,
• The number of working hours per week differs according to contract but in general an au pair will work about 35 hours a week,
• An au pair is only expected to do light domestic work. Au pairs may be asked to do some housework, especially related to the children,
• Medical insurance will have to cover the au pair in case of sickness or accident
• The family pay some pocket money
• It may be good to register the au pair with the family GP

Her possessions should also be registered on the house insurance.

Some addresses...

If you want to register as an au pair or as a family, you can contact:

• IAPA (International Au Pair Association): http://www.iapa.org
• IAPO (International Au Pair Organisation): http://www.au-pair.org
• http://www.icep.org.tr/english/aupairturkey.asp
• http://www.newaupair.com/browse_families_results.aspx

You can also consult:

• Au Pair Search - http://www.aupairsearch.com
• GreatAuPair - http://www.greataupair.com
• Au Pair Box - http://www.au-pair-box.com
• S-Au Pair - http://www.saupair.com
• Au Pair Agency - http://www.aupair-agency.com/

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