Rest, relaxation... and keeping a watchful eye over the little ones. That doesn’t always translate into a restful holiday with special time with your partner. Do you want to combine a family holiday with relaxation AND special alone time with your loved one but thinking how on earth will I ever manage that? Or are you a single parent family who needs some help taking the little ones on holiday or are you a mum and dad who just needs an extra pair of hands!?

Taking an au-pair on a family holiday is a fantastic option for those who want to have a holiday that combines it all! A hot new trend for holidaying abroad is having a trusty au-pair by your side, helping you with the little ones and allowing you to also have a bit of rest and relaxation on your holiday without always worrying about the kids. With the end of year holidays fast approaching, thinking about getting extra help for your holiday is a good idea.

What exactly is an Au-pair?
An au-pair is typically a young girl, ranging from aged 18 and upwards. Most parents who use au-pairs generally use and feel more comfortable working with a slightly older girl, preferably one with a lot of childcare experience or who is studying teaching (that seems to be the general trend!). Many au-pairs are foreign and are working in child care while living in the UK.

How do I find one?
The easiest ways to find an au pair is through a registered au-pair agency (search your local area for an agency) but for short term au-pairs for holidays, the Gumtree website is a fantastic place to advertise for an au-pair. This way you can advertise exactly what you are looking for and spell out all your requirements that you will need from your au-pair. Things to include are a current CRB check, references, a valid passport for international travel along with the duties they will be expected to perform clearly. Other things to include may be whether they are registered child-minders or do they have any first aid experience.

Advice to those thinking of taking an au-pair abroad is to advertise clearly what you want from of your au-pair while you are away in this way you will attract the right sort of person for the role, it will save you lots of time and energy!

Also discuss with your partner the reality of having another person, who is not a member of your family, on a family holiday and decide if that is really what you want before you begin the process.

The do's and don't s
When you find a suitable au-pair (after checking out her references thoroughly) discuss with her, her hours and duties clearly so there is no confusion once you are on the actual holiday. Decide together on acceptable hours of work, explain to her what you expect of her while away. Whether it be her getting up early with the children while you sleep in, evening babysitting or playing with them on the beach during the day while mum and dad sight see. If you are doing a holiday which involves lots of activities such as lots of sightseeing or maybe skiing work out what she will be expected to do in those situations.

It will be up to you to pay for your au-pair's flights, accommodation and food expenses while away as well as extra’s such as any activities you may do as a family while on holiday. It's best to also discuss her payment while away, decide on whether she will be paid by the hour or a flat rate for the entire duration of the holiday. Work this out before you leave and ensure you both are happy and agree. When it comes to a flat rate fee, work out exactly what hours that will encompass. Also decide and discuss with her whether she will have her own room prior to departure. This is very important so she can prepare herself.

It's also a good idea that the au-pair has a trial run with your children before leaving for the trip to gage how she will be with them, them with her and how they will get on together.

Some Au-pairing experiences...
Here is experience of one au-pair who travelled with a family to Spain this past summer for 3 weeks. ''The 3 weeks spent in Spain with family X was a nightmare. The mother expected me to work a 24 hour day with none of the previously discussed breaks as well as palming her friends’ children off on me, so that sometimes I had up to 8 children in my charge. At one stage the mother even went as far to say 'I should have hired a Filipino’ which is not only racist but outright rude. It seemed that she thought she had bought me lock stock and barrel. It is something I won't be doing again’’

Another young girl had an entirely different au-pairing experience ''Au-pairing is a fantastic thing, it has entitled me to see the world and earn money at the same time. I au-paired for a single parent family and it was fantastic. I was made to feel as part of the family and not just the help. The parent and I worked together as a team, making sure the kids had the time of their lives on their holiday. I had time off, as agreed before we departed, so I was also relaxed and felt like I had had a break too. It was also good to know up front what my hours were and what I was entitled too so I could plan my time and not have to nag my boss . It was a fantastic experience and I will keep on doing it for as long as possible!''

A mum shares her experience of having an au-pair on a family holiday ''Our family goes on a summer holiday every year to Sardinia in Italy for 3 weeks and have been taking an au-pair along for the last 5 years and I will definitely recommend it for mum’s and dad’s who want an extra pair of hands (and some time for themselves) while on their summer hols. Each year I have taken a different au-pair and it's been a wonderful experience each time. The key is working out everything before, the payment, the hours and what is expected of them while away, clearly so there is no confusion or awkwardness while away. My advice is to include them in everything so they feel part of the family but also give them the freedom to enjoy their holiday''

Happy travels...