Question & AnswerQ&A (POEA MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 04, S. OF 2010)
The Circular applies to Swiss principals and employers hiring Filipino au pairs and Philippine recruitment agencies recruiting and deploying Filipino au pairs to Switzerland.
An au pair is typically a young person from a foreign country who helps look after children of a host family and provides light housekeeping, living on an equal basis in a reciprocal, caring relationship with the host family.
Documents include the Swiss principal's license to recruit au pairs, and an undertaking to comply with various responsibilities like conducting home visits, providing orientations, maintaining a help hotline, and ensuring no recruitment fees are charged to au pairs.
The registration validity is up to four (4) years unless sooner revoked or canceled due to grounds like expiration of business license, false documentation, or disciplinary actions.
They must be single, aged 18 to 25 years, at least high school graduates, and certified to have attended the OWWA Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) for au pairs.
Requirements include a completed request form, au pair information sheet, valid visa, individual au pair contract duly verified by POLO, and OWWA PDOS certificate.
No, direct or name hiring is strictly prohibited. Au pairs can only be recruited through entities authorized by the Swiss Federal Office of Migration (FOM).
No, charging recruitment or placement fees to Filipino au pairs deployed to Switzerland is prohibited. Fees should be charged to the Swiss principals instead.
Swiss employers are responsible for visa fees, airfare, POEA processing fees, OWWA membership contributions, and training costs if required.
The contract must include names of parties, monthly allowance, contract duration, working hours, schooling hours, days off, free airfare, passport custody by worker, responsibilities of parties, food and accommodation, insurance coverage, leave provisions, contract termination, and dispute settlement mechanisms.