Filipinos who wants to work in selected European countries as au pairs can freely do so now that the deployment ban that was imposed by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) thirteen years ago is finally lifted.

According to Jennifer Jardin-Manalili, POEA chief, the DFA imposed the ban in 1997 because of reports of abuse of au pairs in selected countries in Europe. Some of the complaints received are long working hours, discriminations, assault and unfair compensation.

Thirteen years after, Manalili informed that the POEA Governing Board has issued three different resolutions that would lift the deployment ban to three European countries, Switzerland, Norway and Denmark. The ban was lifted because the said countries agreed to follow the requirements set by the Philippine government regarding the deployment of au pairs and guaranteed that they would protect their hired workers.

According to the POEA guidelines, Filipinos who wish to work as au pairs should be 18 to 30 years of age, unmarried and without any children, placed under a cultural exchange agreement with the host family for a maximum stay of two years for the purpose of immersion in cultural and language training. Au pair is a term in French which means “on par” or “equal to”. It means an au pair is living on an equal basis in a reciprocal, caring relationship with the host family and the children.

While employed, the au pair should enroll and attend a school learn the language of the host country. He or she will live with the host family and will be treated equally like a member of the family.

The POEA chief stressed, “The Filipino au pair should be given pocket money, and share in child care or light household chores and other responsibilities previously agreed upon in a contract between the au pair and the host family.”

Manalili added that to hire a Filipino au pair, the employer must shoulder the following for the au pair to be hired; visa fee, air fare, POEA processing fee, OWWA membership contribution, and cost of training if required by the employer.

The au pairs will only shoulder the cost of the following: passport, NBI clearance, birth certificate, medical tests, Philhealth insurance, and other personal documents.

The POEA chief reminds interested applicants to avoid being a victim of illegal recruiters because the hiring of Filipino au pairs to Switzerland will only be through recruitment entities authorized by the Swiss Federal Office of Migration. Filipino au pairs bound for Norway and Denmark shall be documented by the POEA as name hires.