Au Pairs

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The word “au pair” is French meaning “on par” or “equal to,” indicating that the relationship an au pair has is intended to one of equals. Usually an au pair is intended to become a member of a family, albeit temporarily. The au pair is usually a foreign-national domestic assistant and ideally both the family and the au pair reciprocate in learning about one another’s culture. The au pair will typically be a young person who lives with a host family and provides childcare in exchange for room and board and a small salary.

Each country that hosts au pairs has different criteria for the au pairs and the host families. In the U.S., a host family’s relationship with an au pair is one where the au pair lives and studies in the U.S. for one to two years while providing childcare for the family. The rules of the au pair program in the U.S. include that the au pair:

• has his/her own private bedroom
• is given meals
• compensated with minimum wage
• given 1 ½ days off, including a full weekend each month
• given two weeks paid vacation
• complete an educational component of 6 semester hours of academic credit or its equivalent, and be given the first $500 toward the costs of this coursework at an accredited institution
• not be asked to work more than 10 hours in a day or 45 hours in a week

Potential au pairs for placement in the U.S. must meet the following criteria:

• be aged 18-26
• have professional or practical childcare experience for at least 200 hours if caring for a child under the age of 2
• commit to staying in the U.S. for one year and be prepared to provide up to 45 hours of childcare per week
• have completed high school, or the secondary school equivalent
• proficiently speak English
• have no criminal record

The U.S. EduCare Au Pair Program is available for families with school-aged children and allows that the au pair work no more than 10 hours in a day and no more than 30 hours in a week. Under this program, the host family pays $1000 for educational expenses and the au pair is responsible for completing 12 hours of academic credit.

Au Pairs also work with families who have children under age 2. The au pairs placed in these families are required to have at least 200 hours of child care experience with infants under two.

When considering hiring an au pair, many families choose to hire an agency to deal with the paperwork. Many times these agencies will ask for an application fee or program fee (varying from $5k-$8k) and will use these funds to cover expenses related to the arrival of the au pair (including airfare, mandatory 32-hour education sessions on child development and safety, medical insurance, and making sure that the hiring complies with government regulations).

The benefits of having an au pair are plenty. Not only does the host family gain a new family member who has skills as a child care provider, but the family benefits by learning from another’s culture. Some families will host a French au pair, for example, if they want their children to become more proficient French speakers. The au pair benefits from the relationship by sharing his/her culture and learning of a new one while feeling at home in his/her own accomodations while taking classes and getting paid at least minimum wage. If you think an au pair is the right choice for your family and are looking to hire a nanny, the au pair option might be a perfect one for you.