What is an Au Pair?

 

Glad you asked! After au pairing in Germany, I realized how the concept of au pairing is lost in the continental US. Considering I had a great experience with my au pair family, I wanted to share what I've learned with you.

So, first thing first - What is an au pair?

An au pair is a person who goes to live abroad with a family to help them with their childcare in exchange for a cultural experience and free room and board. 

It's the perfect chance to live abroad in a different country and learn about cultures. 

What are au pairs required to do?

Au pairs typically work about 30 hours per week and are paid from $300-$500/month. (Because you don't have to pay for room and board, nor several other expenses, it's really okay).

The daily life of an au pair can differ depending on the family, but typically, au pairs will help out around the house and with the logistics of the kiddos. My weekly 'chores' included: taking the kids to school, picking them up, biking with them to ballet/tennis, communicating and playing with them in English, setting the dinner table, cleaning up after dinner, and babysitting, amongst other activities. Honestly, you become a family member and participate in the family as you would your own.

Where and how do you choose a family to au pair with?

I met my au pair family on greataupair.com. When signing up, you're able to pick a handful of countries that you are interested in. 

After I created a profile, I had several people from all over reach out to me, including my (amazing) to-be au pair mom/best friend. After a few emails, the parents and I met on face-time alone, and then again later on with the kiddos.

This process for me took about one month, from me making a profile, to signing a contract. I've also heard of some people planning this process out more in advance, give or take six months out. (Tip: Most families are looking for candidates who are planning to stay for a full year).

After I signed the contract, the family and I would make a face-time appointment once a week to acclimate to each other before I even stepped foot on the plane. I highly suggest this for your future au pair family! It helped me get to know the family before I arrived, and it allowed them to meet my family and pets as well. 

What does an au pair do?

During one of our facetime calls, the parents and I were chatting about what they needed in an au pair. These tasks were laid out in our contract. One of the main reasons they wanted an au pair was to allow their girls to become more comfortable learning and speaking English. They also needed help caring for the girls since the dad worked out of town during the week. The parents also mentioned assisting with things around the house as they were needed. For instance, if I saw dishes in the sink, I would wash them or put them in the dishwasher, same thing you would do in your own house. These types of duties were to be expected, but weren’t included in my contract. While that was my experience, I know other families have other needs. Some families may need to help out around the house with laundry, vacuuming, making dinner, etc. It is best to clarify the extent of your job before you arrive. The main thing to keep in mind, is if you want the family to include you as a family member, that also means helping out where you can. 

Where can Americans au pair?

While au pairs are really popular in some countries, every country has its own rules and regulations on applicants based on citizenry and age. Each country has their own visa requirements and limits. Below is a list of the most popular countries for American citizens to au pair in. I've included the age limits, visas needed, length of stay, and pocket money amount.

 

American Au Pair Opportunities by Country
Country	Age Requirement	Minimum Pocket Money/Month	Hrs/Wk	Type of Visa Needed	Length of Visa	Extension Possible?
Australia	18-30	800-1000 AUS $	25-30	Au Pair Visa/Working Holiday Visa (Visa 452)	12 months	no*
Austria	18-28	475 EUR	18	Au Pair Visa & Residence Permit	12 months	no*
Belgium	18-25	450 EUR	20	Au Pair Visa & Work Permit for stays over 90 days (Long Stay Visa D)	3-12 months	no*
Canada	18-30	880 CAN$	25	International Experience Canada (working visa)	12 months	by case
Denmark	18-29	4150 DKK	30	Residence Permit	12 months	12 months
Finland	17-30	252 EUR	30	Au Pair Residence Permit	12 months	no*
France	18-30	320 EUR	25	Long Stay Visa	12 months	12 months
Germany	18-26	280 EUR	30	Au Pair Visa	12 months	no*
Iceland	18-25	60000 ISK	30	Au Pair Residence Permit for stays over 90 days	3-12 months	no*
Ireland	18-30	700-800 EUR	30	Long Stay Student Visa	unclear	yes
Italy	18-27	250-300 EUR	30	*None - no visa required for stays less than 90 days	2-3 months	no
New Zealand	18-30	600-800 NZ$	40	Working Holiday Visa	6-23 months*	yes
Norway	18-30	4000 NOK	30	Au Pair Visa	24 months	no
Portugal	21-30*	280 EUR	25-35	Au Pair or Student Visa	3 months	unclear
Spain	18-30	200-250 EUR	30	Student Visa for stays over 90 days	3-12 months	12 months
Sweden	18-30	3500 SEK	25	Working Permit or Student Visa	3-12 months	yes
Switzerland	18-25	600 CHF	30	Au Pair Visa (limited)	12 months	no*
The Netherlands	18-30	340 Eur	30	Residence Permit (VVR)	12 months	no*
UK	18-30	300-320 GBP	30	Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme, UK Ancestry visa or Student Visa	2 years	12 months*

 

***Please note that this research was done in February-July 2022 and that changes could occur.

If you have more interest in any of the above - the best websites that I found that had the most informative information were greataupair.com and gooverseas.com, as well as each country’s actual website on visa information, which I highly suggest including in your search.

I had an amazing experience while abroad and with my au pair family. I only hope the same is true for your experience!