Unique selection process for French Au Pairs
At Pebbles, we aim to do more than source you an Au Pair, we aim to find you the right Au Pair and ensure that your placement is a success.
We are the only UK agency to recruit our own Au Pairs directly through our office in France. Created in 2006, Pebbles France is accredited by both I.A.P.A. and UFAAP. The agency is based in Sophia Antipolis, near Nice, but our Au Pairs are recruited from all over France.
Only a small percentage of our applicants are accepted on to the Au Pair program. The following vetting procedure applies to all our French Au Pairs :
The Au Pair must provide the following items digitally :
- A detailed application form and “dear family” cover letter.
- A copy of their I.D. card and driving licence (if prepared to drive).
- A medical declaration stating they are in good health*.
- 3 references, at least 1 must be childcare (nearly always 2 childcare) and the remaining one(s) is a character reference. All three references are systematically verified by our French office.
- A French police check (Extrait de Casier Judiciaire*).
- A signed copy of the “Au Pair Commitment’ outlining the Au Pair’s obligations and duties.
- All French Pebbles Au Pairs must complete an online training and evaluation prior to being accepted on to the Au Pair program.
The interview process
Every French Au Pair is interviewed by a recruitment consultant, where possible in person otherwise via Skype/telephone. A decision is then made regarding their application taking into account their interview, the feedback from their references, the quality of their application/ paperwork as well as their general attitude towards the agency starting with their very first interaction with the team. Copies of the above documents are available on request.
We only accept candidates that we feel demonstrate maturity, flexibility, honesty, independence and most importantly a real interest in children.
Our partner agencies selection processes
We have also established excellent partnerships with a small number of hand-picked agencies providing Italian and Spanish Au Pairs.
Our partner agencies provide us with detailed application forms, a “dear family” cover letter, photos, references and medical reports. Our partners carefully choose their candidates through interviewing and a careful selection process. We will forward you details of the security checks that have been carried out.
All our partner agencies are I.A.P.A. approved or commit to respecting the I.A.P.A. code of conduct. The agencies we have chosen to work with focus on preparing their Au Pairs for the reality of living abroad, looking after children and integrating into a host family. Our success rate is exceptionally high for these candidates.
*French doctors may not have access to a patient’s complete medical history. The “Extrait de Casier judiciaire” is similar to the British CRB but not as in depth.
