The Program

What is a Caregiver?

Caregivers are individuals who are qualified to care independently for children, the elderly or people who have disabilities.

There is a shortage of Canadians who are available to work as live-in Caregivers. In order to keep up with such a demand the live-in Caregiver Program was developed to bring qualified foreign people who are available to work on a live-in basis.

If you want to gain Canadian work experience, upgrade your skills to the Canadian standards, and have the time of your life in Canada, you are more than welcome to join the program. If you have a background in education, medicine or healthcare, then you are the Caregiver we need. There is also the possibility of applying for Permanent Residence in Canada after completing at least two (2) years of work.

Through the program you will become a member of a Canadian family for at least one year and will be paid a salary as a Caregiver.

The host family, which is your employer, will pay you no less than the minimum wage set by the province in which you are working.

Prevailing minimum wage in the Canadian Provinces:

Alberta $9.17

British Colombia $8.00

Manitoba $8.75

New Brunswick $7.25

Newfoundland $7.50 /$8.00

NWT & Nunavut $9.68

Nova Scotia $7.60

Ontario $9.25

Prince Edward Island $7.50

Quebec $8.00

Saskatchewan $9.50

Yukon $8.37

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:

· Room and board (the amount will be specified in your contract)

· Income tax

· Employment insurance

· 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:

· You must have completed a high school education that is equivalent to a grade 12 education in Canada.

· 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.

· 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, pediatric nursing, first aid, any health profession, to name just a few areas.

· You must have a clean criminal record

Our agency requirements:

· You must provide us with three non-family related references.

· You must pass an interview to determine if you meet the program requirements.

· 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.

· 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.

· You must be a non-smoker or be prepared to sign a non-smoking declaration.

· You must be willing to provide at least 35 hours of childcare, related responsibilities and light housework per week.

(*) Please contact us if you can stay for less than a year. Some families request Au Pairs for the summer. The Live-in Caregiver program is different from the Au Pair program so don't hesitate to e-mail us.

	Alberta	$9.17
	British Colombia	$8.00
	Manitoba	$8.75
	New Brunswick	$7.25
	Newfoundland	$7.50 /$8.00
	NWT & Nunavut	$9.68
	Nova Scotia	$7.60
	Ontario	$9.25
	Prince Edward Island	$7.50
	Quebec	$8.00
	Saskatchewan	$9.50
	Yukon	$8.37