Going to Finland as "Au Pair"

[JormaOikarinen]

Hello everybody ! i have been searching for years a long-term way to stay/live in finland .. Finally i found some information about this interesting thing : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Au_pair , Seems like a good chance to start in Finland .. However i'm having several difficulties ..

- Not sure where & how apply for it
-Found an agency located at Vantaa , However cannot contact them .. it's called "Snow Pairs" ,
i used to spend hours on google and found this info --> http://www.yritystele.fi/yrityksen-tied ... dot/907929 , not sure if it's wrong or outdated .. tried to whatsapp the phone number , my messages were ignored (maybe they do not own such number anymore )

I would be really grateful if i get some help , Thanks !

[FinnGuyHelsinki]

See e.g. http://www.thebestaupair.com/en/informa ... nland.aspx . First I'd try to find an agency that has operations in your own country so that in case of any legal hassle you can actually do something about it. Snow Pair doesn't seem to even have a working website, so I'd steer clear of that.

If your ultimate goal is to live in Finland on a permanent basis, and you otherwise are not interested in the au pair job (it is a job, after all, usually involving child care, at which many are inept), you should be looking into e.g. studies instead. An au pair gig is for 12 months at most, after which you will be going back home and having been an au pair is not grounds for a more permanent residency, afterwards you still have the same requirements as you do now for any longer stay.

[betelgeuse]

An au pair gig is for 12 months at most, after which you will be going back home and having been an au pair is not grounds for a more permanent residency, afterwards you still have the same requirements as you do now for any longer stay.

The OP is Spanish so the limit does not apply. EU Citizens as Au Pairs are handled like any other workers.

[FinnGuyHelsinki]

An au pair gig is for 12 months at most, after which you will be going back home and having been an au pair is not grounds for a more permanent residency, afterwards you still have the same requirements as you do now for any longer stay.

The OP is Spanish so the limit does not apply. EU Citizens as Au Pairs are handled like any other workers.

Are you saying that an au pair gig could be longer than 12 months? Or that having been an au pair would be considered as valid grounds for a permanent residency permit? Or what are you saying?

[betelgeuse]

Are you saying that an au pair gig could be longer than 12 months?

Yes for EU citizens.

Or that having been an au pair would be considered as valid grounds for a permanent residency permit? Or what are you saying?

EU citizens do not need residency permits when they move to work in another EU country.

[FinnGuyHelsinki]

Are you saying that an au pair gig could be longer than 12 months?

Yes for EU citizens.

That was news to me, the other thing of course is whether the family offering the au pair position will want it to be longer. Hiring a nanny, house-worker,... on a more permanent basis means that the person will have to be paid an actual salary, so I'm sure there's some limit to the duration of how long having an au pair will fly with the officials.

Or that having been an au pair would be considered as valid grounds for a permanent residency permit? Or what are you saying?

EU citizens do not need residency permits when they move to work in another EU country.

Obviously one will get a residency permit (if needed) for the duration of the au pair job, regardless of the country of origin. My point was that having finished the au pair gig, nothing has changed in terms of what is required for the person to stay in Finland for longer periods already now (this, naturally, differs from one person to another depending on where they're from), so essentially one does not gain anything (in legal terms) towards a permanent residency by having been an au pair, other than the time spent in the country if one is able to remain here afterwards (meaning there would be other grounds fulfilled to remain in the country). To me, spending several months to a year (or more) as an au pair just to move to a country, possibly on a temporary basis, without primarily wanting to be an au pair, sounds a bit weird to say the least.

[betelgeuse]

Are you saying that an au pair gig could be longer than 12 months?

Yes for EU citizens.

That was news to me, the other thing of course is whether the family offering the au pair position will want it to be longer. Hiring a nanny, house-worker,... on a more permanent basis means that the person will have to be paid an actual salary, so I'm sure there's some limit to the duration of how long having an au pair will fly with the officials.

There's no special taxation regime in place for au pairs. All of them are paid an actual salary and things like room are counted as a fringe benefit. The hosts can use "kotitalousvähennys" to offset this:

http://www.vero.fi/en-US/Individuals/Ar ... eas(17265)

Though accurately depending on the exact nature of the work arrangement, it could be more accurate to talk about the household worker instead of au pair for some EU citizens.

My point was that having finished the au pair gig, nothing has changed in terms of what is required for the person to stay in Finland for longer periods already now (this, naturally, differs from one person to another depending on where they're from), so essentially one does not gain anything (in legal terms) towards a permanent residency by having been an au pair, other than the time spent in the country if one is able to remain here afterwards (meaning there would be other grounds fulfilled to remain in the country). To me, spending several months to a year (or more) as an au pair just to move to a country, possibly on a temporary basis, without primarily wanting to be an au pair, sounds a bit weird to say the least.

When the gig is over, the EU citizen is eligible for unemployment benefits. You seem to be not that familiar with EU free movement to Finland. The main hurdle is the initial registration. Right to permanent residency will come after five years (but at that point one can apply for citizenship as well). Since permanent residency is only about time, the one year does make a difference. Before getting permanent residency EU citizens can only be deported if they continuously use income support from the municipality or are a danger to society.

[FinnGuyHelsinki]

There's no special taxation regime in place for au pairs. All of them are paid an actual salary and things like room are counted as a fringe benefit. The hosts can use "kotitalousvähennys" to offset this:

http://www.vero.fi/en-US/Individuals/Ar ... eas(17265)

Though accurately depending on the exact nature of the work arrangement, it could be more accurate to talk about the household worker instead of au pair for some EU citizens.

By an "actual salary" I was referring to the amount of money, the minimum of 252€ net per month (even with benefits added) sounds a fair bit less that would be accepted as adequate pay (by the officials or law, even though there isn't a defined minimum wage). If it is, maybe I should consider hiring an "au pair" of my own...

[betelgeuse]

By an "actual salary" I was referring to the amount of money, the minimum of 252€ net per month (even with benefits added) sounds a fair bit less that would be accepted as adequate pay (by the officials or law, even though there isn't a defined minimum wage). If it is, maybe I should consider hiring an "au pair" of my own...

On the tax page there's an example that amounts to taxable wages of 800 euros per month. Restaurant workers without experience get paid about 10h/eur (trainees even less):

http://www.iltasanomat.fi/mcdonalds/art ... 04584.html

For 10e/eur you can work 800*12/52/10=18,46 hours per week. It doesn't sound like au pair compensation is that different from young trainees so I don't see a problem with adequate pay.

[FinnGuyHelsinki]

It seems the effective absolute minimum wage for a non-Finnish citizen (EU or not) is 1165€ a month, so that work alone is grounds for remaining in the country for an extended period. That is the amount which ultimately is deemed as "conventional and reasonable" (tavanomainen ja kohtuullinen) pay unless there is another applicable reference, e.g. a collective agreement, a recommended amount from an associated union,... which obviously would be higher. The sum itself is what fulfills the minimum "työssäoloehto" (requirement that one is considered as having worked at any given period) for the consideration of unemployment benefits.

So au pair work is an exception, one cannot otherwise hire from within (or outside) EU and pay just the au pair wages.

[betelgeuse]

It seems the effective absolute minimum wage for a non-Finnish citizen (EU or not) is 1165€ a month, so that work alone is grounds for remaining in the country for an extended period.

Source? There are no fixed limits in Finnish law for registering right of residence (EU):

https://www.poliisi.fi/poliisi/home.nsf ... endocument

"No fixed amounts have been laid down for the income requirement, and the individual circumstances of each applicant are taken into consideration when making the decision."

The sum itself is what fulfills the minimum "työssäoloehto" (requirement that one is considered as having worked at any given period) for the consideration of unemployment benefits.

The 1165 limit only applies to Basic Unemployment Allowance (BUA). If one does not satisfy the conditions for BUA, then Labour Market Subsidy (LMS) can be applied. LMS does not have income limits:

http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/alkup/1993 ... Pidp810256

In practise the two benefits have few differences.

So au pair work is an exception, one cannot otherwise hire from within (or outside) EU and pay just the au pair wages.

I don't agree.

[FinnGuyHelsinki]

It seems the effective absolute minimum wage for a non-Finnish citizen (EU or not) is 1165€ a month, so that work alone is grounds for remaining in the country for an extended period.

Source? There are no fixed limits in Finnish law for registering right of residence (EU):

https://www.poliisi.fi/poliisi/home.nsf ... endocument

"No fixed amounts have been laid down for the income requirement, and the individual circumstances of each applicant are taken into consideration when making the decision."

True, no fixed limits as such, as I said "effective".

The links are in Finnish, but there is no direct equivalent pages in English, so I'm posting these:

http://www.tyosuojelu.fi/fi/ulkomaalaiset (defines the responsibilities of an employer when employing a non-Finnish citizen, one of the requirements being pay),
which is referring to http://www.tyosuojelu.fi/fi/palkanmaksu#vahimmais (defines what is considered adequate pay),
from which the last reference (if no other criteria for defining the pay is met) is http://www.kela.fi/kenelle_tyossaoloehto , which is the sum of 1165€.

Hence, following the logic that
-an employer needs to fulfill the stated requirements, including adequate pay
-an employee needs a working permit, part of which is a letter from the employer verifying the employment
-> effectively the pay must meet the defined minimum so that the working permit would be approved

The minimum hourly wage for a cleaner is 8,33€, which with the 30 hour limit (or a suggestion, whichever) for an au pair puts a monthly wage right in that ballpark.

So au pair work is an exception, one cannot otherwise hire from within (or outside) EU and pay just the au pair wages.

I don't agree.

My feeling is that there would be thousands of housekeepers if it really was possible to legally hire people from abroad for a few hundred euros a month.

[asanda]

So, I initially came as an au pair in Finland as an EU Citizen. I decided that it wasn't for me so I came to Helsinki to work as a English teacher. I did the EU Right of Residency and got the Personal Number while I was an au pair, however I also showed that I had enough funds to support myself if I lived without being an au pair. Making the change from one job to another job is easy as long as you are an EU citizen and have all the documentation.

However, I also have a friend who is an au pair and she is not an EU citizen, and if she wishes to stay after her au pairing term is done, then she will need to either enroll in study or get a permanent work contract so that she can get another residence permit. The permit she is currently on is one for an au pair, if the circumstances change, she will have to reapply for a new permit or leave Finland.

Keep in mind that au pairing is not like any other job, you live with the family 24/7 and if you don't like children, it will be a very hard situation. I will also advise that if you do decide to become one, then choose bigger cities instead of small towns as you will have a better experience and meet new people.

As far as getting a position, I applied online through http://www.newaupair.com . There are several reputable au pairing sites out there, you don't necessary need to go through an agency. That does not always mean you get a nice family. Good luck!

By the way for everyone else, au pairing in not supposed to be a real job. It is supposed to be a cultural experience and encourage young people to experience a country while "offering" a few hours a day for light house cleaning and some babysitting. All your meals are included, so is your room and board and usually on outings with the family, they pay for everything. The pocket money that is given is a small stipend to help with travel costs and any other things that the au pair might want like new shoes, extra food, etc.

[NordicFun]

I have a friend that does this without an agency ... not sure if it's "under the table" or not.

[andreaarcega]

Hello everbody!!!!!!!!!! My name is Andrea, I am looking for a family for summer 2015. I have been searching families in some web pages but i cant find one just for summer!! I dont know what to do