In return for board and lodging with a family, the au pair is expected to do some housework and childcare. Most au pairs are not trained in childcare, although some may have looked after younger siblings or babysat for neighbours. Many agencies suggest that they are best used for older children or where the parent is also in the home, rather than at work, during the day. Very much so. Appealing in many ways, informal arrangements with friends and relatives make up the majority of childcare arrangements.
Many friends organise reciprocal arrangements, which can work especially well for two part-timers.
However, as more couples move away from their families, they are less likely to have this option. Nurseries are childcare centres, which employ both qualified and unqualified staff to care for babies, and young children from approximately 4 months to 5 years of age in a child centred environment. The children are grouped according to age and staff are trained to create a safe and stimulating environment for them to enjoy and develop in whilst their parents are at work. Nurseries are generally open for 11 or 12 hours per day, to accommodate the parents' working day and travelling, although many discourage parents from leaving their children there for that long on a regular basis. They often close for a designated two weeks in the summer, but apart from that are open all year round.