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WORKING IN DENMARK

What is Denmark’s au pair scheme and who can apply?

What is Denmark’s au pair work permit scheme and how does it work?

Published: 7 August 2023 16:52 CEST
Updated: 16 May 2024 16:35 CEST
What is Denmark’s au pair scheme and who can apply?
How does Denmark's au pair scheme - which has recently been criticised after 35 host families were banned from using it -- work? Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Danish authorities banned 35 individuals in the 2 years up to August 2023 from hiring au pairs due to reports of poor working conditions.

The rejections relate to issues including underpayment and overtime, according to a Danish newspaper report. People in Denmark on au pair visas are permitted to work no more than 30 hours per week and must be paid at least 4,700 kroner per month.

READ ALSO: Au pairs in Denmark: 35 people banned over poor working conditions

Denmark’s au pair scheme is designed to allow people to work in the country under certain conditions. The type of work that is permitted under the scheme is limited and there is a minimum pay or “allowance” which must be provided to the au pairs.

As such, host families which do not comply with these conditions can be banned from using the scheme.

To qualify for a Danish work permit as an au pair, you must have an agreement (in the form of a contract) to live with a Danish host family. Danish immigration authorities state that one of the aims of the scheme is to give “insight into Danish culture” by allowing the au pair to live with a Danish family as part of their visa terms.

The host family is obliged to provide food, accommodation, and a monthly allowance. In return, the au pair must take part in ordinary domestic chores. The scope of these is defined under the rules of the au pair scheme.

Citizens of a countries outside of the EU or EEA, must submit an application for a residence permit to work as an au pair in Denmark. The application form can be submitted online and is found here.

If you are a citizen of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland, you do not need to apply for a residence permit but do need to apply for a EU residence document.

Which conditions must I fulfil?

The agency that processes au pair applications, the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI), states that it will assess “whether your stay as an au pair is in accordance with your life story, or whether there is a reason to assume that your purpose for applying differs from the intention behind the scheme”.

In general, you must have completed school and be able to speak English, German or Danish (or another Scandinavian language). You must be aged between 18 and 30, must not have children and your civil status must be single.

Any previous visa applications in Denmark, past au pair jobs in Denmark or elsewhere and any relation you might have with your host family are among other factors the agency looks at, as are your motivations for wanting to work as an au pair.

What is required of the host family?

The host family must have at least one adult and one child under the age of 18. They must be registered as living at the same address.

They are also required to have “thorough knowledge of Danish culture” which they can pass on to the au pair during the stay. This means they must either be a Danish or EU citizen or have lived in Denmark for an extended period. They must not be related to or the same nationality as the au pair.

Families found to have previously abused the au pair system, such as in the 35 cases recently reported in Danish media, can be excluded for using the scheme again for either 2,5 or 10 years, depending on the severity of the offence.

They must also finance Danish lessons – this means an obligatory payment to the Danish state, even though the au pair is not obliged to actually take the lessons. They are also required to take out the relevant insurance policies covering things injury and illness, whether or not these are work-related.

Au pairs must be given a own separate room and eat for free with the host family.

What work are au pairs expected to do?

Au pairs participate in domestic duties that are “normal in a family”, SIRI states. This means simple house work and childcare, and the work must be set out in a weekly schedule ensuring the au pair works 3-5 hours per day for a maximum of 6 days per week (or between 18 and 30 hours per week).

Au pairs must be paid at least 4,700 kroner per month as an allowance or “pocket money”. This is paid into a Danish bank account and is subject to tax.

Au pair residence permits can last up to two years, but are limited to the validity period of the contract the au pair signs with the family. They also expire if the youngest child in the family turns 18.

The application fee for the au pair scheme is 4,320 kroner and the processing time is around 3 months.

More detailed information on the scheme, as well as the application process, can be found on SIRI’s website.

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JOBS

How much Danish do you need to learn to get a job in Denmark?

Learning a new language like Danish is a process that can take years. So at what level can you test out your new skills and apply for a job in Danish? We spoke to a language teacher to find out.

Published: 8 May 2024 15:38 CEST
How much Danish do you need to learn to get a job in Denmark?

There are many international companies in Denmark where the workplace language is English – opening up opportunities to many nationalities who want to live and work in Denmark. However for some professions, a certain level of Danish is a requirement and for others, working in Danish opens up more doors.

“The level we say you need to get a job is to have passed the Prøve i Dansk 3 (PD3), which is the official exam by the Ministry of Education. It is equivalent to the B2 European Framework level,” Maria-Sophie Schmidt, language consultant at Studieskolen’s private Danish department told The Local.

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is an international standard for describing language ability. It uses a six-point scale: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, where C2 is for those who are advanced and fluent in the language. It means employers and educational institutions can easily assess language abilities.

“When you pass Prøve i Dansk 3 and are B2 level, you’re not completely fluent but you can function in Danish and read newspaper articles in Danish. Usually I say B2 level is like a driver’s license we give you on your Danish. So you can drive a car but if you want to be a really good driver, you have to go practice in traffic. So after PD3 and with practice and with help perhaps, you should be able to write an application in Danish and go through an interview,” Schmidt said.

“PD3 will always help you get a job because companies appreciate you have the certificate. There’s a worry for some companies that you aren’t fluent.

“It is also helpful because Danes like to socialise in our workplaces such as at julfrokost (Christmas lunch) or fredagsbar (Friday afternoon drinks) and some are uncomfortable having to change their language to English all the time, maybe because we don’t feel we speak it well enough. So if you come as a foreigner and have a certificate of Prøve i Dansk 3, I think it’s a big advantage,” Schmidt added.

Foreign dentists and doctors need to have passed Prøve i dansk 3, as well as other professional tests before being able to start an evaluation period of working. 

However there are some sectors where passing the Danish language exam isn’t a requirement. Due to current pressure on hospital waiting times in Denmark, nurses outside of the EU are no longer asked to pass Prøve i dansk 3. Instead, they can demonstrate their Danish language ability, in line with the requirements used for nurses from EU and EEA countries. This includes a six-month probation period where Danish communication skills are assessed.

READ ALSO:

The construction industry and engineering, as well as hospitality are other sectors where Danish language skills won’t necessarily need to be B2 level or need certification. But whether or not you require the Prøve i Dansk 3 certificate, practicing Danish is the key to gaining confidence in the Danish workplace.

“Sign up for a language course or sign up to a sports club and surround yourself with Danish language. Insist on speaking Danish and if you know anyone speaking native Danish, ask to have a coffee and practice your Danish. If you have kids and meet other parents, speak Danish, or volunteer at somewhere like a nursing home,” Schmidt suggested.

READ ALSO:

Language schools offer a Module 6 course, called Studieprøve to get to C1 level. Here you learn to read, write and speak more academic Danish. It is a requirement for those wanting to study in Danish but you don’t need it for a job.

“At Studieskolen we offer Classes after PD3 – a conversation class at B2 and C1 level where you don’t focus on grammar and writing but on speaking relevant topics in society such as what’s going on now, newspaper articles, TV shows and practice speaking to colleagues in small talk and more complicated conversations. PD3 is a driver’s license but you often can’t join a conversation spontaneously or you may lack confidence and vocabulary, so those classes help that.”

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