An au pair is not an employee

The au pair ruling misreads the typical relationship between an au pair and the family they are living with, writes Ellie O’Byrne.

Every year on my daughter’s birthday, Facebook messages and cards arrive from far-flung places. It’s our former au pairs with well-wishes; I jokingly call them “the fairy godmothers”.

For 20,000 families in Ireland, all or some of their childcare needs are being met by au pairs, so it’s not surprising that there’s been a heated response to the news of the Workplace Relations Commission’s ruling in favour of a Spanish au pair, awarded €9,000 when the WRC found that her host family were breaking employment law for paying her €100 a week.