Employing the right au pair or nanny for your family can be more of a challenge than you might expect. More than just an employee, the person you hire has the huge responsibility of helping to raise your children, and may even end up feeling like part of the family. 

Once you’ve found a caregiver who’s a good fit for your family, start the relationship off on the right foot by getting organized and putting the details of your agreement in writing to avoid misunderstandings down the track. This draft agreement template will help you address many questions that are often left unanswered.

This is your document to make your own. It’s not designed to be a legally binding document, but a way for you to discuss and agree on your working arrangements with your child’s caregiver. Feel free to add, delete, or change the wording so that it works for you and your personal situation.

If you’re looking to employ a nanny or au pair in a more formal way, you might wish to go through a nanny agency. 

Au pair/nanny agreement template

Hi [caregiver’s name],

We [your name/s] are delighted to employ you to look after [insert children’s name/s].

We appreciate the experience you bring to this position, and have put down some thoughts about our arrangement to make sure our expectations are aligned from the start.

Please let us know if there’s anything you’d like to discuss, add or change, then we can all sign off on the agreed terms.

We’ll also send you the schedules for each of the children prior to you commencing the role.

Duration 

The position will commence on [insert date, time, location]. We propose a six-week trial period then, assuming everyone is happy with the arrangement, continue the position until [insert date and time of proposed end date if there is one]. During this period, you will care for the child/ren on [insert days of the week and times].

Remuneration

You will be paid [insert agreed hourly rate] per hour.

Your payments will be made via electronic funds transfer, with the first payment scheduled to be made by [insert first payment date]. Payment should be in your account a couple of business days after this time.

Please email your bank account details, including account name, account number, and bank identification code to [insert your name and email address] prior to your commencement in the role.

Illness

If you’re unable to work because of illness, we’d be grateful if you would let us know 24 hours in advance where possible. Having said that, we understand sometimes you might wake up out of the blue feeling horrible. On days such as this, we’ll make alternative care arrangements for the child/ren and you will not be paid.

In the event that [one of the children] is unwell and your care duties are not required on one of your regular employment days, you will still be paid for that day.

Vacations

If you plan to take a vacation, we’d be grateful if you would consider taking it during the school break, and we will also require four weeks’ notice. You will not be paid during these vacation leave periods.

If we take a vacation, we will let you know four weeks in advance and you will continue to receive payment for the duration of the vacation.

You will not be required to work on public holidays and therefore will not be paid.

Food

Food with added sugar or salt should be avoided at all times. While following the children’s routine, the children should be offered only healthy, nutritious food which has been provided by [insert your name] or prepared by you, the nanny. Any food that you purchase will be funded by household petty cash, which we will leave at the house (please supply receipts for any food purchased). Only water or full cream milk is to be offered as a drink to the children. 

Activities

Please ensure that you participate in educational or interactive activities with the children (i.e. art and craft, reading books, spending time at the park, going for a walk, listening to music, sports, etc.). The children are not to watch TV. Any activities you want to participate in with the children other than the local park, local café, etc. need to be discussed and agreed with [insert your name] in advance. 

While the children are in your care, no other children or adults are permitted at the house unless otherwise agreed.

While the children are having their daytime nap and after you have a lunch break (30-45 minutes), your duties include preparing food for the children and, on occasion, we may ask you to help with other household tasks (such as laundry).

We also expect the house to be relatively tidy at the end of the day (dishes in the dishwasher, toys/books tidied away, etc.).

First aid

As discussed, you will keep your first aid qualifications current and up-to-date.

Emergency

In the event of an emergency relating to one of the kids, after you’ve put any required first aid into practice, dialed emergency (if required), and ensured the safety of yourself and the children in your care at the time, please immediately contact us via telephone.

In the event one of the children bumps their head, please also contact the relevant parent to inform them [insert parents’ names and contact details].

Communication

You will keep each parent up-to-date with any key information about the children each day — whether this is in a hard copy book or via email is up to you. If you’d like us to purchase hard copy books for the children, please let [insert your name] know.

Should you need to communicate with us in relation to your role as a nanny, you can also contact us via email [insert email address].

Notice

While we hope to have you as our nanny for the above period, if for some unavoidable reason you are not able to complete [insert agreed period of time], we will require four weeks’ notice.

We reserve the right to terminate the arrangement on four weeks’ notice (or pay in lieu). In the event that we agree that termination of your services is warranted in the interests of the health, welfare, and safety of any of the children, we reserve the right to terminate the arrangement immediately and without notice or pay in lieu. Having met you and also spoken with your referee/s, we feel it would be very unlikely for the above to be put into practice!

As mentioned above, [insert caregiver’s name], the purpose of this document is to ensure we’re all on the same page. We look forward to hearing your feedback and to a wonderful working relationship ahead.

Written by the Circle In team.