The current weekly ceiling is 25 hours
Article L426-22 and the official placement form set a maximum of 25 hours a week for family tasks. The work is light household help and childcare connected with ordinary family life. It is not nursing, care of a dependent adult or a full domestic-worker position.
The Council of Europe agreement used by the official French contract says this work should generally not exceed five hours a day. Plan with both limits. Five hours on five days reaches 25; adding an evening after that does not fit. Some commercial summaries claim two babysitting evenings sit outside the weekly cap. The current French statute and current Cerfa do not state that exception, so this guide does not publish it as permission.
Rest includes a real day away from duties
The official form requires at least one complete day of rest each week. The European agreement adds that at least one of those monthly rest days should be a Sunday. A person who must remain in the home to listen for children is not resting, even when no child wakes up.
The timetable must leave time for classes and cultural life. Write down school collection, meal help and bedtime cover, but also write the free day and course times. A schedule that only records work invites the family’s unplanned needs to consume every remaining hour.
The agreement carries the important facts
France-Visas requires an au pair placement agreement describing work conditions, pay, French classes, subsistence, accommodation and insurance. The official Cerfa asks for the family, housing, weekly tasks, rest, monthly pocket money, education and the start and end dates. Both sides sign it.
Use the current France-Visas checklist for the consulate handling the application. Older contract translations refer to depositing a copy with the former departmental labour authority, the DDTEFP. Current institutions use DREETS or departmental services, but the current France-Visas page does not support a blanket claim that every agreement needs a DREETS approval stamp. Follow the visa wizard and competent authority rather than an agency’s recycled checklist.
The visa route has an age and purpose test
The young au pair route is for people aged 18 to 30 who are temporarily received by a family of a different nationality to improve language skills and knowledge of France. The au pair cannot be related to the host family. The applicant must show basic French, secondary education or professional qualifications.
Eligible non-EU applicants receive a long-stay visa serving as a residence permit, with arrival formalities. France-Visas describes a one-year visa and a possible extension to a maximum total stay of two years. Visa-free tourism is not a substitute for the au pair residence route.
Pocket money has a statutory floor
The ministerial order sets monthly pocket money at €320. The family also provides food and accommodation under the placement agreement and bears the agreed insurance arrangements. The Cerfa requires a private room of at least nine square metres with a window. Those provisions are part of the exchange, not deductions from the €320 floor.
Agree a payment date and method in writing. Keep a record of each payment. If a family wants to replace pocket money with travel, language lessons or “experience”, the offer does not match the official structure.
Children under three change what is permitted
The instructions attached to the official Cerfa say the young au pair must not care for children under three or for elderly, disabled or dependent people. Families must state the number and ages of children and identify other domestic or care staff. This is a material eligibility fact, not a preference hidden deep in a profile.
Ask directly who handles nursery-age care, illness and nights. If the intended daily work depends on the au pair taking sole responsibility for a child under three, stop before the visa process. A profile description cannot override the form submitted to the authorities.
Ending the agreement should not create a trap
The Cerfa allows mutual termination and immediate termination for serious misconduct. For an ordinary breach it requires a period long enough for both sides to make arrangements and no shorter than one week. The competent foreigners service must be informed where required.
A safe exit means access to passport and papers, final pocket money, belongings, temporary accommodation and travel. Neither party should add a penalty that makes leaving practically impossible. The official form itself treats exploitation and trafficking as relevant risks and includes victim-assistance information.
What to check before travel
Read the current Cerfa together. List no more than 25 weekly hours and generally no more than five each day. Mark the full weekly rest day and the monthly Sunday. Confirm €320 monthly pocket money, room, food, insurance, classes and the visa route. Keep the signed copy used in the application.
If the family says the contract can show one schedule while the real arrangement is different, do not travel. The written terms are there to make the exchange inspectable. A false schedule removes that protection before the placement even begins.
Questions people ask
- How many hours can a young au pair work in France?
- The current statutory weekly maximum is 25 hours. Official European placement terms say the work should generally stay within five hours a day.
- Are two babysitting evenings extra in France?
- The current statute and Cerfa do not state an extra allowance above 25 hours, so RealAuPair does not treat evening babysitting as outside the weekly cap.
- What must the French placement agreement cover?
- It covers tasks, hours, pocket money, classes, accommodation, insurance, rest and the dates of the stay. Follow the current France-Visas checklist for the application.