Driving and Insurance

Please Check your Au Pair or Mothers Help has a current driving licence with no convictions and find out how long she/he has been driving.
If your Au Pair is from an EU* or EEA* country then she/he can use her licence to drive in the UK.
Au Pair from most other countries outside the EU or EEA can drive for up to 12 months provided they have a full licence which remains valid. To carry on driving after 12 months they must have obtained a provisional British licence and passed a British driving test before the 12 months elapses. For more information visit www.gov.uk/driving-nongb-licence
It is essential to ensure you are satisfied with your Au Pair’s driving skills before allowing her/him to drive your children. The Au Pair will probably be used to driving on the opposite side of the road and may be used to quieter roads. BAPAA recommends that host families arrange driving lessons for their Au Pair to make sure he or she is safe and understands our highway code. Ensure that the driving instructor reports back to you when he/she feels the Au Pair has reached the correct degree of confidence required.
Petrol used by the Au Pair in connection with work is paid for by the family but most Au Pairs will have to pay for petrol for their personal use. This needs to be discussed at the beginning of the Au Pairs stay.

Insurance

The family is responsible for insuring the Au Pair to drive the family car. Your Au Pair should only agree to drive if he/she is satisfied that they are insured. Please show your Au Pair evidence that he/she is included on your motor insurance policy before they drive in the UK for the first time.
Au Pairs under 25 will be more expensive to insure than those aged between 25-27.
Au Pairs from within the European Union are cheaper to insure with some insurance companies than those from other countries.
If your Au Pair has an accident in your car you will lose your no claims bonus so it may be worth insuring your no claims bonus.
Some families put their Au Pair on their company car policy to save the cost of insurance.

*Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom. (Iceland, Liechenstein and Norway are not members of the European Union (EU) but citizens of these countries have the same rights to enter, live in and work in the UK as EU citizens. Switzerland is not in the EEA but an international treaty means that from 1 June 2002 Swiss nationals have similar rights).