Pocket money, working hours and au pair contract in Italy

Au pairs and families should discuss their mutual expectations together prior to commencement of the au pair stay. These points should be specified in a written contract.  In Italy, there is no official standard au pair contract. However, you can download the general European au pair contract can be downloaded from our site and this can be customized by the family and au pair together to fit their needs.

Termination
The au paircontract can be terminated giving two-weeks notice. In serious circumstances, the contract can be terminated with immediate effect.

The primary responsibility of an au pair is to help with taking care of the host family's children. Additionally, take care of some light household chores. Au pairs and host families should clarify beforehand what these tasks will be and include these points in the au pair contract.

There are no official regulations when it comes to the amount of pocket money au pairs receive in Italy. Based on our experience, we recommend that host families pay their au pairs 250-300 euros per month.

Note: The pocket money paid by the host family should not be seen as a salary in any official sense.

In addition to pocket money, au pairs will receive free board and lodging with their host families. Au pairs, of course,  continue to receive these benefits also in the event of illness.

In Italy, au pairs and host families may flexibly agree upon the au pairs' working hours per week. However, au pairs may not work more than 30 hours throughout 6 days per week at most (babysitting in the evening included). Per day they may not work more than 5 hours.

In Italy, au pairs get at least one day off per week. At least once per month this day should fall on a Sunday.

In Italy, there are no official rules governing the holidays for au pairs. Therefore, au pairs and host families should reach their own agreement on this point in advance. In general, au pairs are entitled to a paid holiday of 2 weeks when employed for six months.

There are no official regulations with regard to public holidays for au pairs. We recommend that au pairs have a day off on public holidays. Only in exceptional cases should au pairs should work on public holidays. The host family should discuss this with their au pair beforehand.

Au pairs should have sufficient free time and the opportunity to participate in a language course. Au pairs are responsible for paying for the costs of language instruction. The host family can help in finding a suitable language course for the au pair. 

Au pairs coming from non-EU countries who intend to enter Italy on a student visa, should make sure to check that the institution offering the course is on the list of approved schools which are recognised in connection with a student visa. In addition, the language course needs to be for a minimum of 20 hours per week.

Au pairs who are citizens of an EU country and don't intend to stay in Italy more than 3 months will be covered by their home country's health insurance for this time period. Au pairs should contact their local health insurance provider prior to departure for more advice on access to health services in Italy. It is important that for au pairs to take the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with them, or to apply for one before departure if they don't already have one. Au pairs should bear in mind that upon receipt of medical treatment they will be required to pay a co-pay fee, known in Italy as the "ticket".

Au pairs who are EU citizens and plan to stay in Italy for longer than 3 months should check what options they have for accessing health care in Italy - for example. whether it will be possible to register with the Italian National Health System (SSN). To register with SSN, au pairs will need to have registered at the local Italian town hall (anagrafe), and also have a tax identification number (codice fiscale). Additionally the host family must pay the standard registration fee on your behalf. For more information the host family should get in contact with their local health authority (ASL).

Non-EU citizens or those unable to register for the Italian national health insurance need to take out a private health insurance policy  prior to departure. The costs for state or private health insurance are to be borne by the host family.

Italian Health Ministry: Access to the National Health Service for Non-EU Nationals

Au pairs who wish to work in Italy generally bear the cost of their travel to and from Italy themselves.

Au pairs and host families should clarify in advance whether the au pair will need to drive in the course of the au pair stay. Should this be the case, it should be checked in the au pair's driving licence is valid in Italy. It may be necessary to apply for an international driving licence. In addition, au pairs and host families should make arrangements for handling possible damages resulting from an accident while the au pair is driving and specify these in the au pair contract.