Fees & Refund Policy
We believe our fees offer good value for money and reflect the quality we deliver!
Placement Fee
Smartaupairs does not charge a search activation fee.
The placement fee only becomes due the moment you and your chosen au pair have completed the Smartaupairs invitation form. The invitation form acts as a written confirmation of your offer & the au pair acceptance.
The placement fee is charged in two parts - initial 25% upon completion of the invitation form, final 75% upon receipt/confirmaiton of flight/visa details.
Should the au pair be unable to obtain a visa/flights/unable to travel, your deposit will be returned in full. The 25% confirmation deposit is non-refundable should you no longer wish to proceed with the placement after the initial paperwork has been completed.
The placement fees quoted below reflect the maximum availability of the au pair as confirmed on their profile upon introduction.
Extension fees apply for placements which exceed origially agreed placement duration.
Very Important
We must highlight that a chosen candidate is only reserved for a host family provided that the below timelines are met, including:
- Timely receipt of the invitation form (2 days from receipt of the form)
- Timely receipt of your placement fee (3 working days from receipt) - always prior to au pair arrival.
We reserve the right to re-circulate the applicant profile if the above timelines are not met.
2023 Placement Fees
Due to Brexit changes (and no clear visa/entry route for EU national au pairs), we have stopped placing EU nationalities unless they have a pre-existing pre-settled status and/or dual-British nationality.
We expect substantially longer search/lead times as a result and appreaciate your patience. We cannot offer a guarantee of introductions.
In addition to EU nationals with appropriate settlement status, we continue offer au pair and mother's help candiates from countries which are eligible for a Tier 5 visa (including Australia, New Zealand & Canada).
A very important note - all au pairs are to be paid in line with UK National Minimum Wage - See More Information
A handy gross-net calculator by Nannytax
| Placement Duration | Placement Fee |
| Up to 12 Months | £1499+VAT |
The minimum average going rates for au pairs start from £150/week net (or in line with the NMW which ever is greater).
Qualified/Experienced Candidate
| Placement Duration | Placement Fee |
| Up to 12 Months | £1799+VAT |
The minimum average going rates for experienced candidates start from £250/week net (or in line with the NMW which ever is greater).
We may be able to offer reduced rates for short term placements. Please review rates confirmed on each individual candidate profile.
NEW: Background Checks ONLY for Pre-Matched Au Pair: £275+VAT
We regularly receive enquiries whereby hosts/au pairs have pre-matched, but would like to complete formal checks through Smartaupairs.
We can offer this service at a reduced cost. This service includes a secondary interview by Smartaupairs, obtaining of & checking of TWO references, obtaining of medical check/declaration & police checks. Your au pair will also be provided with our written support/guidance material and access to our au pair network/events. This service does not include our mediation/ongoing support/rematch/replacement policy.
The fee is due upon commencement of work/instruction - if you or the au pair choose to not to proceed after the work has commenced, the full fee will be due. Please therefore ensure that you are satisfied with the chosen candidate and their motivation before instruction of work.
No fee will be due if upon initial enquiry it transpires the au pair is not entitled to work in the UK.
Placement Extensions
Many au pairs extend their agreed placement duration with their host family.
It is your responsibility as a host family to inform our agency of such extension, in which case the difference in the placement fee categories will become due.
Example: You have confirmed an au pair placement for a period of 6 months, and the au pair extends their stay by a further 6 months. The difference in the two fee categories would be due. Reduced surcharges apply for placements extended to be longer than 12 months.
Guarantee & Refund Policy
We recognise that sometimes things do not go to plan, even with the best planning and support.
All long term placements include a 4-week guarantee and a fair refund policy for your peace of mind.
If the placement is terminated prior to arrival or during the post-arrival guarantee period, Smartaupairs will offer one free replacement au pair search. Refund policy is only applicable for the first placement.
Should we, however, be unable to offer suitable replacement au pair candidates within the first 30 days (from the date of notifying us) the following refund schedule applies should you choose to discontinue the replacement search with smartaupairs.
Unreasonable rejection of replacement candidates (such as amending the new search requirements to be such which are substantially different to the original search) does not automatically warrant a refund.
No refunds apply whereby the placement is terminated outside of the guarantee period or whereby no replacement is requested to be found.
Any credits/discounts offfered are valid for a period of 3 months unless otherwise confirmed.
The maximum refund available within the refund period is 75% of the full placement fee paid.
Refund Policy
| 0-7 days from agreed arrival date | 75% |
| 8-14 days | 50% |
| 15-30 days | 25% |
WE KINDLY ASK TO NOTE THAT ANY REFUNDS ARE SUBJECT TO:
Punctual payment of the placement fee (from the date of issue).
Any pay due for the au pair has been settled.
An appropriate notice has been given to the au pair. Placement may be terminated before the expiry of the two week notice only upon mutual agreement together with the au pair unless in case of gross misconduct.
The au pair is not leaving due to conditions which are grossly different to those agreed with the au pair and Smartaupairs.
Whereby there is no reason to assume gross misconduct, and you require your au pair to leave ahead of the expiry of the notice period of two weeks without the agreement of the au pair – we ask you as the host family to pay for the pay due for the notice period in addition to the au pair flight cost home.
If Smartaupairs is required to provide the au pair emergency accommodation in case of unjust termination without notice, the charges will be made to the host family.
Safe & Easy Payment
A separate invoice detailing the final fee is issued upon placement confirmation.
We ask to settle the invoice by bank transfer (details supplied upon invoicing).
We do not accept cheques.
