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What Gift Should You Get for Your Au Pair?

A great gift for your Au Pair depends on the occasion and how well you know her. For the arrival, practical and thoughtful items like a local guidebook, cozy slippers, or a personalized mug or t-shirt work well. For birthdays or holidays, go for something more personal: a photo book, event tickets, or her favorite treats. The most important thing is to show appreciation and make her feel welcome in your home.

In this article, you will find many gift ideas for any occasion:

from the first meeting gifts »,
to birthdays and Christmas gifts »,

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In many cases, a gift is more about the gesture than the actual value or usefulness of what you are handing over to the other person. Giving a small present to your Au Pair when he/she arrives is a very nice gesture that will definitely be appreciated.

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As time passes, you will also have to think about birthday and holiday presents for your new family member. We have collected some gift ideas that might help and inspire you.

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This is an optimal gift if you want to give your Au Pair a special treat. You can easily choose your favorite piece between different designs!

Welcome present for your new Au Pair

You don’t know your Au Pair very well yet and will thus want to buy something that is practical or pleasant.

You will surely find some helpful tips here:

A guidebook covering the area you live in and the surroundings (including a map if possible)
A diary or notebook
A gift card for a local store, coffee house, cinema or a fun activity
A special cup/mug
Comfy home slippers
Nice shower gel and shampoo
Some sweets that are typical of your home country
A book about the history, literature or music of your home country

Birthday or holiday present for your Au Pair

At this point, your Au Pair has already stayed with you for a while and you should know by now his/her personality and interests. You will be able to choose a gift that suits better your Au Pair’s personal preferences.

Does the Au Pair like gifts that have a high practicality or does she/he maybe prefer more sentimental presents with an emotional value?

Here are some gift ideas:

Photo book with pictures of your Au Pair and your family...
...or get one special picture framed
A small personalized item with a special picture (mug, pillow, blanket…)
Tickets to some local event (concert, theater, sports game …)
A special piece of jewelry that will always remind her/him of you and the Au Pair experience
T-Shirt/sweater with the name/logo of your city/state/country
Throw a surprise birthday party
Have an individual cake made for her/him
Her/his favorite sweets/tea/spice in a special gift box
Winter accessories (scarf, hat, touchscreen gloves…)
Make-up or cosmetics
An activity that she will enjoy and that she could bring one friend with (afternoon tea, day at the spa…)
A travel voucher

Free Registration as Family

How can I contact an Au Pair?: You need to visit the Au Pair’s profile and drop a message there. You can also add an Au Pair to your hotlist. In both cases, the Au Pair will get notifications from you instantly. If you have a basic account, you can send standard invitations to Au Pairs. The Premium Membership allows personalized messages as well. Please get more information here.

How long does it take to find an Au Pair?: It depends on several factors. Make sure your profile is full and interesting for other users. Make sure that you meet the Host Family requirements set by the Au Pair program. Be active and contact about 10-15 Au Pairs per day. If you follow the three tips above you can find a suitable match within one to four weeks. Check out our Host Family guide for more advice and ideas on how to find an Au Pair faster.

What are the requirements to host an Au Pair?: There are three most important requirements: the Au Pair accommodation, full board and monthly/weekly sum of pocket money. We recommend to go through the full list of requirements for Host Families. If you meet them, you can register as a Host Family today and find an Au Pair that matches your criteria.

Who should pay for the travel expenses?: We recommend Host Families to help Au Pairs with travel expenses, though it’s not their obligation to do so. In any case, the Au Pair needs to cover the travel costs initially. If the Host Family would like to support the Au Pair, they can repay the ticket price in monthly installments that will be added to the Au Pair's salary during 10 months. In the case of Au Pair USA and China, the ticket will be covered by the Host Family. We recommend to discuss this topic before the Au Pair’s arrival and note down the conditions in the Au Pair contract. Learn more about other Au Pair costs to participate in the program or Host Family costs for hosting an Au Pair.

We can’t get along with our new Au Pair. What should we do?: Try to speak honestly with your Au Pair about the problems occurred and find a solution together. Most of the troubles can be solved through feedback and conversation! If the case is too serious and you can’t find a way out, you can terminate the contract. Don’t forget about the notice period that is mentioned in your Au Pair contract. During this time both sides can find a solution to the problem. Try to be supportive of each other in such cases.