A host family officially lives in Belgium, speaks one of the country’s languages and can communicate with the au pair. The family has one child under 13 years old who lives at least 50% of the time in the house. All adult family members have a clean criminal record. A host family has a bedroom available for the au pair and always grants the au pair free access to the house and considers an au pair as a full family member. A host family gives their au pair sufficient time to attend compulsory language classes and the opportunity to discover the Belgian culture. A host family is responsible for the au pair’s board, pocket money and insurance and gives permission to the competent officials to visit the house. Working hours are limited to 4 hours of work per day, 20 hours per week.
BECOMING A HOST FAMILY
- It is important for host families to know that the program is one of cultural exchange and that household chores and childcare are not the sole purpose of the stay
- You can choose from two options, namely Full-service and Self-match
- We either introduce screened au pairs to you (Full- Service) or we organise the administration of your own au pair (Self- match)
- In addition to one-year placements, we also offer short-term or summer placements
- As soon as we receive the online documents, we start the file
- The Full-service fees are divided into the search fee charged upon filling out the forms and into the placement fee, at the Full-service match
- Within three working days, counting from the day following the signing of the application forms, the consumer has the right to withdraw his application, on condition that he notifies the company of this by e-mail at info@aupairoffice.com. Any clause by which the consumer would waive this right is null and void. As regards compliance with the deadline, it is sufficient that the notification is sent before it expires
- After positive video calls between host family and au pairs, the match is confirmed from both sides
- With Self-match, the au pair will not be screened by Au Pair Office or any of the partner agencies. The au pair must provide us with all necessary documents and with our guidance and assistance, the au pair young person will apply for the visa
- All services are subject to various authorities; therefore, it is possible that the arrival of the au pair is delayed or cancelled. Au Pair Office cannot be held responsible for the consequences of this
- If an au pair arrives later than the starting date of the work permit, we can, at an administrative cost, take care of the extension of the paperwork. This is done in accordance with the Belgian au pair legislation

Host family costs
FULL-SERVICE
SEARCH FEE
EU & NON-EU AU PAIR
EUR 395
VAT EXCLUSIVE, ONE-TIME FEE
FULL-SERVICE
PLACEMENT FEE
NON EU AU PAIR
EUR 1450
VAT EXCLUSIVE, ONE-TIME FEE
FULL-SERVICE
PLACEMENT FEE
EU AU PAIR
EUR 990
VAT EXCLUSIVE, ONE-TIME FEE
SHORT TERM
PLACEMENT FEE
(MAXIMUM 4 MONTHS)
EUR 450
VAT EXCLUSIVE, ONE-TIME FEE
SELF-MATCH ADMINISTRATIVE FEE
EUR 1699
VAT EXCLUSIVE, ONE-TIME FEE
FILE EXTENSION
EUR 450
VAT EXCLUSIVE, ONE-TIME FEE
CONSULTANCY FEE/PER HOUR
EUR 85
VAT EXCLUSIVE, ONE-TIME FEE
- Insurance fee depending on policy max. 500EUR
- Consular administration fee for the D Visa max. 400EUR
- Additional documents for Philippines 250EUR
- External agency fee approx. 200EUR
- Monthly au pair pocket money min. 450EUR
- Residence permit fee depending on municipality max. 100EUR
- DHL, FEDEX, express shipments 120EUR
- Au pair events, optional, annually 50EUR
- Compulsory language classes, in consultation with au pair approx. 100EUR/semester
- Bus-, phone- and fitness subscription in consultation with au pair
- Ticket au pair to Belgium depending on ticket price
- Ticket to home- or other country in consultation with au pair

Agreement
- Non-European au pairs and host families sign the official Belgian au pair contract
- European au pairs and host families sign an official European contract
- The au pair commits not to be employed in any other way in Belgium, both during the period of placement as au pair and after the expiry of the work permit and commits to leave Belgium as from that moment
- It is important that all expectations are discussed beforehand and communicated to Au Pair Office so that we can include them in the official contract
- Au pairs are allowed to work 4 hours a day (including babysitting) which means 20 hours a week, divided over maximum 6 days a week. The work schedule must be agreed upon in advance and must be clear to both parties
- One day off per week is mandatory. It must always be possible to freely engage in religious expression
- Holidays of au pairs are not regulated by law in Belgium; during holidays payment continues There are no official regulations concerning public holidays for au pairs
In case of early termination
- The au pair contract remains valid for the entire duration of the au pair stay. However, it is possible to terminate the contract prematurely for well-founded reasons
- Au Pair Office recommends, in agreement with the different official institutions and inspection services, to respect a notice period of 14 days if this is possible for both parties and by mutual consent. The au pair contract can also be terminated immediately without notice for very serious reasons
- In Belgium, the au pair is entitled to a one-time rematch if the au pair has not yet reached the age of 26

Pocket Money, board & lodging
- Au pairs must open a bank account upon arrival
- Au pairs receive at least 450 euros pocket money per month, also during inactivity or holidays
- An au pair is entitled to board and lodging, a private bedroom and free access to the host family’s house

Insurance
- Non-European au pairs: Each host family is obliged to take out an insurance for the au pair during the entire period of the stay. The insurance covers the medical, pharmaceutical and hospitalization costs. In addition, this insurance must cover the possible early repatriation of the au pair due to illness or accident
- European au pairs: The au pair must verify with the health insurance company whether the cover for the stay in Belgium is provided. The host family should also take out an additional insurance that covers all medical costs and repatriation
- Host families can take out these policies via Au Pair Office

Language Course
- All au pairs must follow language courses during their entire stay. Depending on the region, the au pair will attend Dutch, French or German language courses organized by recognized language institutes
- The course must be offered by a recognized institution: private lessons or distance learning are not accepted by the Belgian authorities
- If the au pair does not have a basic knowledge of one of the regional languages, he/she will follow an intensive language course upon arrival in Belgium
- The time allocation will be organized in such a way that the au pair will have the opportunity to follow courses

Driving
- It is not possible to drive with an international driving licence as a resident
- You can drive as an au pair with a recognized European or recognized non-European driving licence and convert it to a Belgian driving licence during your stay
- Questions concerning liability and insurance are answered by an insurance broker
