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From the salary above, your employer (host family) will deduct specific
amounts in order to pay various contributions. Part of the contributions
is paid by you, part of them by your employer and there are
contributions paid both by you and the employer. The principal
deductions are:
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Room and board (the amount will be specified in your contract)
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Income tax
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Employment insurance
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Canada pension plan
As an example for Ontario the maximum your employer can deduct weekly
for your room is $31.70 for a private locked room or $15.85 for a shared
room.
For example if you have a salary of $1,540.00 and $369.42 is your room
and board contribution, your net salary after paying the taxes will be
$950.00(*).
(*)The amounts stated above are presented as an example only.
In most of the provinces, overtime is paid one and a half times your
regular rate of pay and you will have 8 public holidays (New Years' Day,
Labor Day, Good Friday, Thanksgiving Day, Victoria Day, Canada Day,
Christmas Day and Boxing Day).
Both you and your employer need to understand clearly the terms and
conditions of your employment. The relationship between employer and
live-in employee is much like any professional relationship. It is
worthwhile to set out clearly what each person expects of the other to
avoid any misunderstandings about the terms of the working relationship.
The objective of setting out the relationship in a contract is to get
the fairest working arrangement possible for both you and your employer.
A contract can help to avoid future problems by protecting your rights
and providing a clear statement of your obligations. A contract is a
written, detailed job description that also describes the terms and
conditions of employment and usually includes the maximum number of
hours of work per week and the wage rate for those hours of work.
Nothing in the contract should violate provincial labour laws, which
establish minimum employment standards such as the minimum wage.
Eligibility requirements
Our program eligibility requirements for a foreign Caregiver are imposed
by the Canadian Government and our agency as well.
Governmental requirements:
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You must have completed a high school education that is equivalent
to a grade 12 education in Canada.
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You must be able to speak, read and understand English or French.
You must be able to function independently in a home setting. For
example, you must be able to contact emergency services if required
and to understand labels on medication. You will be unsupervised for
most of the day and may be put in a position of having to
communicate with someone outside the home. A good knowledge of
English or French will also enable you to read and understand for
yourself what your rights and obligations are.
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Within the last 3 years, you must have completed 6 months of
full-time training in a field related to the job you want in Canada;
or, you must have completed 12 months of full-time paid employment
(this must include at least 6 months of continuous employment) in a
field related to the work you want to do in Canada. This training or
employment could be in a field such as childcare, early childhood
education, geriatric care, special education, paediatric nursing,
first aid, any health profession, to name just a few areas.
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You must have a clean criminal record.
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Our agency requirements:
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You must provide us with three not family related references
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You must pass an interview to determine if you meet the program
requirements.
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You must be willing to follow the rules of your host family's home,
treat them, their children and their possessions with care and
respect.
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You must be willing to commit to stay for a full year (*).You must
pay a good faith deposit to ensure your commitment to the program.
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You must be a non-smoker or be prepared to sign a non-smoking
declaration.
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You must be willing to provide at least 35 hours of childcare,
related responsibilities and light housework per week.
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Application process
If you are a nurse, nanny or care worker, qualified to independently
take care of children, elderly, challenged or disabled people and you
satisfy the eligibility criteria, then you can follow the steps of the
application process.
1. The first step is to contact us by e-mail or fax. (
0244020131-0271478816, 0302-305786)
2. After the first step, you will receive an information package
on what you need to qualify for our Live-in Caregiver Program, to accept
an offer of employment from a Canadian family, to come to Canada as a
Caregiver, and to extend your stay so you may continue working in
Canada. The package also includes an application form, two
childcare reference forms and a
character reference form. In order to receive the package
from one of our partners, you have to pay a "good faith" deposit.
3. If you decide that the program is for you, you will have to
schedule an appointment for an interview with one of our local
representatives. At the interview you will have to bring the application
form that needs to be neatly filled out and signed by you, a "Dear Host
Family" letter both neatly hand written in English, two pages long and
typed, three not family related references, a photo collage with
children you cared for and that includes you, documentation of school
completion, criminal check report or authorization for criminal check.
4. Once you are accepted in the program you will correspond with
the families that we find for you until a perfect match is found. After
that we will guide you through the entire process until your arrival in
Canada.
5. Once you are here you will receive our Welcome Hand-book,
designed to welcome you by providing guidelines to help you stay and
help you transition smoothly and effectively to live into Canadian life.
You will be asked about your diplomas, school certificates or
transcripts that lists the courses you have taken. Be honest about your
education, training and experience because you could be disqualified
from the program if you are not. Your marital status and the number of
children you have will not affect the outcome of your application; you
must be honest in providing this information.
Because of the existence of an agreement between the federal government
and the province of Quebec, there are differences in the way the Program
operates for Caregivers who will be working in Quebec.
Services we offer to Caregivers
As a specialized Au Pair agency, we offer services both to the families
and Caregivers, as a perfect fit is our goal.
Once you have applied, your application is screened, your references
checked and your file completed and presented to different Canadian
families. After we find you a family, we assess your compatibility and
if it looks like a perfect fit, the family and you will have a
correspondence period to get to know each other.
If you and the family decide that you would like to work together, we
can negotiate the contract for you and do the paperwork for the Work
Permit.
Once you are here you may be required to attend a training course, such
as First Aid or CPR within the first month following your arrival.
Program costs
If you want to participate in the program, you will have three basic
categories of costs: agency costs, governmental costs and miscellaneous
costs.
1. Agency:
We have a system of good faith deposits and customized placement fees
according to your experience, country you are from and period of time
you want to stay. After receiving your application we'll let you know
the amounts in your case. Sometimes you might be required to pay a part
of your "good faith deposit" before starting the placement procedure.
2. Governmental:
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Application processing fee paid to the Canadian Government
(currently this fee is CAD$150.00; however the fee may vary from
time to time) .
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Medical exam fee (approximately CAD$125.00).
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Canadian visa fee: We will furnish you with this information.
3. Miscellaneous:
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Medical insurance for the first 3 months (even if it is optional, we
highly recommend it). The price is around CAD$328 / 3 months.
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Transportation costs - please check with your local travel agents
for the best airfare to Canada.
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Baggage insurance (even if it is optional, we highly recommend it).
Pls note these prices can change. |
