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What is an Au Pair

An au pair is a young person between 18 and 30 years who becomes a temporary member of your family. Usually, it's a young girl (90 percent) but more and more often, young boys are taking the opportunity to improve their language skills and get acquainted with a new culture.  

In exchange for free board and lodging, a private room and pocket money (in the western European countries between 200 and 280 Euros per month (140 and 170 pounds), the au pair will take care of your children and help with light housework including vaccuming, dusting, preparing the table for meal times and emptying the dishwasher. The costs for flight and language courses are usually paid by the au pair.

The term au pair is French which means on equal terms.

Nowadays, with few exceptions, it tends to be a trend that Asian and East European au pairs are more and more interested in learning German, Italian or English. Therefore, they tend to search for a family in Western Europe. The West European au pairs prefer Southern Europe and the United States (USA). The languages they want to learn are: Spanish, English, Italian, German and French.

American au pairs search for famillies in Australia / New Zealand, for convenience sake. They have also discovered that speaking a second language (beside English) will increase their chances on the job market. For this reason, they are interested in Western Europe as well. 
 

Is an Au Pair a Nanny?

Actually "not", there are some differences. Nannies are certified in this field, which enables them to care for children round the clock. They have an excellent knowledge of parenting issues (Psychology) and know how to solve educational problems. Au Pairs are not required to have such knowledge. Having an au pair is like having an older daughter instead of an employee.
 

Live In or Live Out?

We recommend to integrate your au pair in your everyday family life by providing board and lodging. This helps the au pair feel as a member of your family. Consequently, both of you benifit from this: you will have the needed assistance ready at home and the au pair will have the opportunity to learn more about your family and your culture.

 

More Questions & Answers

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• What is an Au Pair
• Why should I register as Au Pair or Family?
• What is the EasyFind?
• How to find an Au Pair or a Family?
• How to register as an Au Pair or a Family?
• Do both - Au Pair and Family - have to be Premium Members in order to be able to contact each other directly?
• How can I find my own profile?