“Rest and be thankful.” – William Wordsworth
Holidays and vacations are a great opportunity to rest, recharge and explore the U.S.
Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start of summer travel season. Here are some reminders about program rules regarding holidays, vacations and international travel.
Holidays
- Host families are not required to give au pairs off on any specific holidays.
- Each host family will make different arrangements on holidays, some au pairs will be off and others will be required to work.
- Au pairs should not make plans for holidays without checking with your host family first.
Vacations
- During the pandemic, it is important that au pairs and host families discuss what travel and activities are an acceptable level of risk, before plans are made.
- Au pairs earns 2 weeks of paid vacation during the course of her year.
- Vacation time should be mutually agreed upon.
- All vacation should be preplanned (at least 4 weeks in advance).
- All au pair’s friends and/or family visits/vacations should be pre-approved prior to purchasing tickets.
- If an au pair travels with her host family, it should be discussed in advance whether this is the au pair’s vacation or if she is working.
- If an au pair travels with the host family to work, the host family is required to pay for her transportation, lodging and meals.
Travel Outside of the U.S.
Check out this blog post with current information on international travel.
Photo: Leah Kelly from Pexels
The public school children will be off several days in September and October. These are regular workdays for an au pair, unless your host parents tell you otherwise. As with any “school holiday” start making plans for activities with the kids now.