⌛ Working as au-pair

A friend of mine has a girlfriend from Cebu, who has managed to secure herself a contract with a danish family, that is interested in having her as au-pair for a period of 18 month.

Since there might be young filippino people reading this forum, who might also be interested in this opportunity to go abroard for a while, I thought, that I would share some information about what an au-pair stay is, and what the requirements and potential problems are.

First, the idea of an au-pair stay is, that a young person comes to another country and live with a local family to learn about a different culture. For this reason there are rules for how many hours pr. week the au-pair is allowed to work in the house, since there should also be time for other activities.

One of the main problems with working as au-pair is, that some familys consider the au-pair to be a sort of cheap maid, and do not respect these rules. For this reason, I recommend, that you know your rights and insist, that they are respected, if you decide to go.

It is also a requirement, that the family must pay "pocket money" to the au-pair, and the minimum amount is currently about 20.000 peso pr. month in my home country Danmark. This might sound like a lot of money to people, who are used to phlippine salaries, but most things are more expensive in Europa than they are in the Phillipines. Still, if laying a bit low during the stay, it should be possible to bring some money with you, when you return to the Phillipines. But be sure to know, exactly what you are entitled to, and ensure, that you get this amount. Some families will try to brake the rules here as well.

In order to qualify, applicants must have completed at least 9 years of school education, which in the Filippines means the second last year of highschool. Since it is silly to take 3 years of highschool and then not the 4. and final year, I recommend, that people simply finish highschool before considering an au-pair stay abroard. Both men and women can apply, the applicant must be less than 28 years old, and must not have any kids (or at least not bring them with him/her).

The largest problem is currently, that the Philippine government has issued a ban on female au-pairs, officially to protect young girls from getting into trouble. If a girl turn up in NAIA with a visa saying, that she is going to Europe as au-pair, she will be declined right to leave the country.

There are two ways to get around this problem. The first way is to pay someone in the immigration at NAIA to look the other way and let you through. The other way is to apply for your au-pair visum in another country than the Philippines.

There is nothing illegal about going to Europa as au-pair, it is only the Philippine government, which - for reasons I don´t really understand - is trying to keep its own citizens as prisoners in their country.

The processing of an au-pair visa will take about two month, and for this time you would then need to stay as a turist in e.g. Thailand or another near-by country.

This costs money of course, so if possible a better solution is to find a job as maid in e.g. Singapore, and then find a host family in Europe, who like to accept you as au-pair, while you are working and earning money already.

The longest time an au-pair can stay in Europe is 18 month. When the time has expired, please respect the law and go back home again. Do NOT try to stay in the country of your host family as an illigal immigrant.

First, you will most likely be caught and then send home anyway, second you ruin the chances of other philippinas to have the same opportunity, that you had. If things like these happen to often, it is very likely, that the country, you are in, will issue a temporary or permanent ban on au-pairs from the Philippines.

It is legal to get married, while you are in Europe as au-pair, so if and only if you meet a person of the opposite sex, and the two of you decide to get married, can you stay after the 18 month have expired.

Best regards and best luck to all!

Lars

 

This old trick has been practiced already years ago. Sisters and nieces are invited to work as an au pair and within the year of before the contract ends, they are 'matched' with men.

These men will give them the "security" to return to the country after the contract ends.

Some are lucky will get the love they expected; some not. After a 5-year stay (and after they get the passport) they can always get a divorce, anyway.

Then it becomes a 'business' thing - for the financial assylum seekers; and for the men who are desperately searching for love (and lust).

Some have pure and honest intentions, though!

 

yes and in addition, although what is spoken of here may not be an example, many young girls have been offered jobs abroad, only to be sold into prostitution. The Philippine government is reacting to the fear of human trafficking, sorry that maybe a good program suffers.

 

Human trafficking

The solution to the problem of human trafficking can never be to make it illigal for people to leave their own country. This is just so ridiculous, and a law that belongs in a dictatorship state not a democracy. Remember, the former communist east block countries did this, and it is certainly not an example to follow.

With this attitude, we should also forbid people to drive cars or motorcycles, because some people have accidents, when they do. The solution, obviously, is to improve trafic safety, not to make cars or motorcycles illigal. Same goes with young filipinas wanting to travel abroard.

Best regards, Lars

 

I didn't say it was a good policy, nor did I in any way endorse it, it is what is. It (the au pair program)is a small part.

There are many examples of programs supporting workers abroad, whether you know it, the amount annually that comes to the Philippines is over 13 billion USD in remittances, 10% of the PGNP. So to say the Philippines is holding it's young people prisoners is patently false. Teacher, nurses, and care givers have good opportunity. The Philippines even has an trade exchange agreement with Japan involving foreign workers.

Frankly your advice to cheat the system sounds suspect to me. Itis not advisable to lie on behalf of a young Filipina to get her abroad. That makes you no better than the system you criticize, and puts the person in jepoardy.

 

???

I think there is some kind of misunderstanding here. Where did I write, that somebody should lie?

What I did was outline the two possible ways to get around this law, that in my opinion is not only ridiculous but also a clear violation of personal freedom. One way is illegal (to pay someone in NAIA) but is used by a lot of people. The other way, to simply get out of the country without an au-pair visa in your passport, is NOT illegal, and if u ask me, this is of course the solution, that I would recommend.

I do not have any moral obligations to people breaking laws in cases, where the laws are clearly unfair and a violation of personal freedom, and where breaking the law harms nobody else. Which is clearly the case here. However, one should of course also consider the potential consequences of beaking the law if one is "cought", not only the moral aspect.

I agree that there are other options for filippinos to leave their country, but this still does not justify this law.

In my opinion everybody would be a lot better of if politicians would concentrate on solving whatever problems a country faces and make life good for its people, rather than trying to protect people from getting into trouble by limiting personal freedom. This is a general opinion I have, and true not only for the Philippines but for many other countries as well.

Unfortunatly, what often happens is that the media take some isolated cases, where things have gone wrong, and blow them completely out of proportion. Which politicians then use as an excuse to limit personal freedom "because we need to do something to stop this".

This, again, is true not only for the Philippines but for many places.

 

Hello Lars,
Thanks for the post. In San Francisco, where I live, there are a great many Au pair from South America and the Philippines and I often wonder what it took for the family and the employee to secure the position.
Personally, I would assume that the Philippine Government is only acting out of the concern for the welfare of their citizens (ok, call me gullible!). Agreed, it is just an unfortunate side effect of the laws designed to protect it's citizens appear to infringe on the personal rights of people. I would also agree, that the less the government interferes with people and their passions the better.

Jim

 

Ignorance and nationalism

Hi Jim

I have no idea what the real motivation for this law is, but I would presume also, that it is am attempt to protect people i.e. that is it "well meaning". I do not think however, that this law is necessary, nor that it solves any real problems. It is not like the many filippinos, who work as maids in the Middle East, are treated particularly well there, so the law seems a bit misguided to say the least, if the purpose is to protect people.

I do think however, that there is also some tendency for nationalism in the Philippines. Which by the way is also the case in Denmark, where I was born and currently spend most of my time.

In Denmark the nationalist attitudes are expressed mainly in the way of people objecting to foreign nationals moving to the country, and in particular if these foreign nationals are muslism and/or from less developed countryes.

We currently have a right wing government, that has limited the right for danish citizens to live in their own country with their wife/husband of another nationality so much, that this is obviously a violation of human rights. I am very sad, very embarressed and very angry about this situation.

In the Phillippines, I think the ban on au-pairs and many other laws are also the result of nationalism, in this case the belief, that the world outside of the Philippines is generelly much worse and more dangerous than the world inside the Philippines, and therefor it is better for people to stay home. Since very few filippinos have ever been abroard, these kind of misconceptions can easily thrive.

I also think, that the government of the Philippines IS trying to prevent, that to many people leave the country. It is often quite difficult for filippino citizens to optain a passport, and they need to explain, why they want to have a passport, it is not considered an obvious right to get one.

If a filippine citizen wants to leave the country to live in the country of his/her foreign spouse, then he/she now needs to partake in a seminar, that must be kept in his/her hometown. This cause extra traveling between Manila, where most embassyes are situated, and the hometown, and there are quite a few other requirements as well. So it is a very tedious and expensive process for people in this situation to just get out of the country.

Needless to say, no information whatsoever is given at the seminar, that the leaving person did not know already from his/her spouse, so it is a complete waste of time and money. This is a new law, that Arroyo is responsible for also.

Finally, as I have understood it, philippinos signing the common OFW contracts can not freely dispose over their own income. Not only do they need to pay taxes to the Philippine government, even they are staying and working abroard, the bulk of their salary is also frozen in a philippine bank account, until they return to the country.

I am not quite sure however, exactly how these OFW contracts work, so people, who know more about this, are more than welcome to fill in and enlighten me and others.

Finally, as for the au-pair ban, a possible explanation for this could also be, that the Philippine government is able to tax the income of maids working abroard, but not the income of au-pairs. This could theoretically be the true motivation for the ban, but I am really just guessing here.

Best regards, Lars

 

There certainly doesn't seem to be any problems preventing filipinos coming to Western Australia. We have a mining boom here and one perth company alone recently signed up 400 tradesmen from the visayas and brought them here. One of them is a friend of mine from Bohol on a new two year visa. After one year he can bring his wife and child here and after 2 years they can apply for residency. I don't know what their tax arrangements are in the phils but they pay aussie tax here (around 30%) and earn around A$30 per hour. This is less than the market rate as the company pays their airfares and visas etc.

I also hate laws that are designed to protect me against myself but I can understand the Philippine government being suspicious of naive young girls entering into such arrangements after the way some filipinas have been treated overseas.

Another interesting program is being run in Hong Kong for filipina maids nearing the end of their contracts. It is 100 hours of intensive english language training in preparation for jobs in call centres in Manila, Cebu and Bacolod.

As a working couple we would love to get an au pair for 20 000p per month but I think that would be considered slavery by the aussie immigration.

 

There certainly doesn't seem to be any problems preventing filipinos coming to Western Australia. We have a mining boom here and one perth company alone recently signed up 400 tradesmen from the visayas and brought them here. One of them is a friend of mine from Bohol on a new two year visa. After one year he can bring his wife and child here and after 2 years they can apply for residency. I don't know what their tax arrangements are in the phils but they pay aussie tax here (around 30%) and earn around A$30 per hour. This is less than the market rate as the company pays their airfares and visas etc.

I also hate laws that are designed to protect me against myself but I can understand the Philippine government being suspicious of naive young girls entering into such arrangements after the disgraceful way some filipinas have been treated overseas.

Another interesting program is being run in Hong Kong for filipina maids nearing the end of their contracts. It is 100 hours of intensive english language training in preparation for jobs in call centres in Manila, Cebu and Bacolod.

As a working couple we would love to get an au pair for 20 000p per month but I think that would be considered slavery by the aussie immigration.