What is an Au Pair?
An au pair is a young adult, from overseas, who lives with your family and provides childcare and light day to day domestic assistance. In exchange, they receive board and accommodation plus weekly pocket money. The general age for an au pair is between 18 and 23. The term Au Pair comes from France and translates to ‘as equal’, meaning that an au pair is welcomed into a family. The experience is beneficial to both family and au pair. Older children can benefit from the opportunity to learn about the au pair’s home country and culture.
Au Pairs don’t necessarily have formal childcare qualifications but they must have experience in caring for children on a regular basis. A minimum of 200 hours childcare experience is generally required.
Reliable, flexible and affordable help in your home
A typical working week for an au pair is between 25 to 45 hours per week and anything in between, depending on your needs. Au Pairs require two days free per week, ideally on weekends, to sightsee, explore your city and meet up with other au pairs.
We will introduce your au pair to other au pairs so they will have a social network and become independent in their free time.
The majority of au pair applicants are female but we do also offer male au pairs.
What to expect from an Au Pair
- Au Pairs can work full time or part time depending on your needs, 25-35 hours per week with two free days per week.
- Au Pairs can assist working families with all aspects of before and after school and kindy care. From the early morning rush hour to after school collection, afternoon activities, homework supervision and evening meal assistance. Plus all child-related domestic duties.
- Au Pairs can assist a busy family or a large family, who require another pair of willing hands at the frantic times of the day and evening. Helping with childcare, either sole charge or as mother’s helper plus assisting with domestic duties.
- Au Pairs can assist when a family is expecting a new baby and are in need of care for the older children. A great mother’s help, giving mum some rest and relaxation time.
- Au Pairs can work full days and in sole care of children over 18 months or can assist mum with children under 18 months.
Watch our video
Violette’s day as an au pair in Australia
Our help
For over 28 years we have been there to advise and support both families and au pairs.
Many families regularly have au pairs as they find them invaluable, but finding the perfect au pair for your family can be difficult and time consuming. We do all the hard work for you and offer ongoing support to both the family and au pair.
If you are new to au pairs, having a young adult live with your family can be a little daunting. We have made the process of sourcing a suitable au pair easy and we give every placement our personal attention.
We can help smooth out minor difficulties; you may be unaware of what is reasonable to expect from an au pair, or feel awkward asking the au pair to do something differently, some au pairs feel homesick and we can help overcome this.
Our partner overseas agencies are also willing to assist and skype with au pairs, if any problems do arise.
For over 2 decades we have addressed and helped resolve practically every imaginable issue. You may not need our help during the placement, but it's reassuring to know we can help and that we have the experience needed.
Want to know more?
Contact us today, fill out a family registration form or read our FAQ to find out more about our au pair service, and how your family could benefit from having an au pair in your home.
