Find Host Family

Every au pair wants to find a suitable au pair family.

As a potential Au-Pair you first have to find a Host Family. This choice requires good planning, because an Au-Pair lives with a local Host Family for 3 to 12 months, depending on the country programme.
There are two ways to quickly find a suitable Host Family:

You can start an Au-Pair placement with a full-service agency, or
search for a Host Family yourself with AuPair.com.

We offer you both options. If you are looking for a Host Family by yourself, it is often cheaper than cooperating with an agency. The question that you should ask yourself is which option is more appropriate for you. Below we have compiled more information so that you can compare the two methods. As a young person this experience might be quite new for you. Therefore you should rely on the support of your family as well. Moreover the decision to cooperate with an Au-Pair agency involves higher costs which might be of interest for your parents if they support you financially in your adventure.

Reasons to find a Host Family on your own with AuPair.com

Au-Pair can decide about the matching process
Huge choice of Host Families from all over the world
No additional cost for hiring an agency
Webstie offers all you need to know about the Au-Pair stay
Support via phone and email

Au-Pairs live in a private room in the Host Family’s house or apartment. Usually, Au-Pairs stay in the host country for a period of 6-12 months.

An Au-Pair takes care of different tasks that are connected to childcare just as playing with the kids, doing some crafts, giving them a ride to school or kindergarten and helping them with their homework. Besides, the Au-Pair helps with light household chores just as any other family member, small meals and cleaning up the kids’ room. In exchange for her work, the Au-Pair gets accommodation, full board and pocket money.

There are many benefits of being an Au-Pair. We will also tell you everything about our favorite programs for Au-Pairs and give you an overview of all the general requirements, just as the application process.

Let the advantages of an Au-Pair stay convince you. Start your Au-Pair adventure now!

Most popular Au-Pair destinations

If you want to become an Au-Pair in a foreign country you have a huge choice of Au-Pair destinations. The most popular ones are Australia, the UK, New Zealand and the USA.

Australien
UK
New Zealand
USA

Down Under is a special destination, you can explore Australia’s nature, culture and language while au pairing. Become an Au-Pair in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or somewhere in the outback.

Here you can find detailed information about the Au-Pair program in Australia.

Start: whenever you like
Duration: The Working Holiday Visa is usually valid for 12 months
Working time: 25-40 hours/week
Pocket money: AU$ 150-300/months

The UK is one of the most popular destinations in Europe. Explore the streets of London, the halls of Oxford University and enjoy the amazing landscapes of the country.

If you find a Host Family in the UK with a visa you can stay for one year. If you happen to be from a country of the European Union you can even stay longer or only for a few months.

Au-Pairs in England work up to 30 hours per week, depending on the Host Family.

This is some general information about England:

Start: whenever it fits you
Duration: Visa holders can stay up to 12 months, EU citizens can stay longer
Working hours: 30 hours
Pocket money: starting at 75 GBP/week

Au-Pairs can explore the amazing landscape of New Zealand. Who knows, maybe you even see a hobbit passing by.

These are the general requirements of the Au-Pair program in New Zealand:

Start: whenever you like
Duration: you can stay up to 12 months with the Working Holiday visa
Working hours: 30-40 hours
Pocket money: 150-200 NZ$/week

The Au-Pair program in the USA will show you the American way of life. We place Au-Pairs in America together with our partner agency. An Au-Pair stay is only possible for 12 months. You cannot stay for less than 12 months.

You will take care of the Host Family’s kids for up to 45 hours a week, help with light household chores and take a cultural or language course at a local college. The Host Family supports you with $ 500 for that course.
If you want to travel around America you will have a 13th months to do that.

These are the general rules of the Au-Pair program in America:

Start: anytime, agencies have about 2 dates a month to go to the USA
Duration: 12 months
Working hours: max. 45 hours/week
Pocket money: $ 195,75/week, $ 500 for college courses

Benefits for Au-Pairs

As an Au-Pair you have the opportunity to go to a foreign country for a couple of months without spending a lot of money. Your Host Family will provide you with free accommodation and full board in exchange for you to take care of their kids. This will bring you a lot of new experience.

Since you work and live together with the Host Family you’ll get to know a new lifestyle and the culture of your host country. You will also improve your knowledge of the language. Prepare to dive into the new lifestyle and culture!

Show your Host Family your traditions, because it is not only you who can experience something new. Tell them about your culture and teach your host kids some words in your language.

An Au-Pair stay is perfect for a gap year. If you have some time between school and university or between your bachelor’s degree and the beginning of your master’s the Au-Pair program is the perfect solution. Do you just need some time off of your everyday life or to find out what you want to do next? Participating in the this program could just be right for you.

Another plus is that you will have a very positive reference in your CV. A stay abroad for a few months will look great in an application.

The Au-Pair experience will not only help you to expand your horizon, but also your personality. You will become more independent and learn how people of other nations live together. Furthermore, you will become more tolerant and open-minded and will master a huge responsibility by taking care of children.

If you choose to be part of the Au-Pair program you’ll also have the chance to find friends all around the world.

Reasons to hire a full-service agency

Professional support regarding everything related to living with the Host Family
Check of suitability for the Au-Pair program
Support during the visa process
Conflict prevention between Host Families and Au-Pairs
Help with finding solutions to problems between Host Families and Au-Pairs, before and after their arrival
In order to participate in the Au-Pair program in the USA, you must contact an agency for a legal Au-Pair stay
24/7 support hotline
Higher costs
Smaller choice of Host Families and Au-Pairs than on AuPair.com