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Au Pair Pros and Cons: Why should I become an Au Pair?

The Au Pair experience can be incredibly rewarding — it offers the chance to live abroad, improve your language skills, and become part of a local family. You’ll usually receive free accommodation, meals, and a small salary in exchange for helping with childcare and light household tasks. However, living with a Host Family can mean limited privacy, cultural differences and sometimes emotionally demanding job. In this post, we explore both pros and cons of the Au Pair program to help you decide if it suits your goals and expectations.

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Au Pair program advantages
Au Pair program disadvantages

Would you like to spend some time abroad, but you are not sure if the Au Pair experience is the right choice for you? Let us help you find the answer.

Au Pair is a cultural exchange that helps you discover another culture while living with a Host Family. As an Au Pair you will get a room, regular meals and a certain amount of pocket money in exchange for help with childcare and some light housework.

Below we listed some of the pros and cons of the Au Pair experience, so you can decide if it is suitable for you.

Au Pair experience Pros

The cheapest way to live abroad for up to a year
Being part of a local family
Improve your language skills
Find international friends abroad
Learn more about another culture
Share your culture with others
Become mature and independent
Help raise and educate kids
Enhance your CV with international experience

Au Pair experience Cons

Au Pairs need to adapt to another family’s lifestyle
Specific requirements, especially experience in childcare. At times dealing with children can be difficult.
Family and kids are most important - then come international friends, parties, travelling and other benefits of the program. In any case, the family’s plans are always your first priority.
Living with your “employer” - when you live and work in the same place, at times it’s hard to split working time from free time.

Your profile at AuPair.com
Do you want to become an Au Pair? If the answer is YES, just register and create a profile on AuPair.com. Learn more

Nevertheless, the Au Pair program offers a way to live a unique experience abroad on a budget. Below is a short checklist to help you decide whether Au Pairing is the right experience for you.

You like working and spending time with kids
You are interested in staying abroad for a long time
You would like to discover a new culture and show tolerance towards cultural differences
You are okay with living away from home for some time
You are ready to do some light housework
You are willing to adjust to the needs and rules of the family

If you are sure that the Au Pair Program is the right choice for you and you are meeting the program requirements, start looking for a Host Family on AuPair.com!
Free Registration as Candidate

Can you help me with the paperwork and the placement process?: Unfortunately, we can’t help you with it. We are an online matching agency, thus we can’t interfere in your searching or placing process. We are happy to provide you with all our searching and matching tools and the information about the Au Pair experience. As our platform is available worldwide, we are unable to take care of all the applications we get daily. Feel free to use our service to visit your dream destination and find a great Host Family. We will be also glad to get your feedback! If you have any ideas or comments, get in touch with us.

How long does it take to find a Host Family?: It depends on several factors. Create your profile and make it attractive for other users. Check that you meet the Au Pair requirements set by the Au Pair program. Be active and contact 20-30 Host Families per day. While contacting the Host Families, make also sure that you fulfil the family’s expectations. Be active, open minded and try to convince families that the time spent with you will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for their kids! Generally speaking, it takes from one week up to a few months to find a Host Family.

Can I become an Au Pair?: The Au Pair program accepts participants who meet mainly education, family and age requirements. Please take a look at the full list of Au Pair requirements. If you meet them, register as an Au Pair today and find a Host Family that matches your criteria.

Why is AuPair.com the best au pair online agency?: Since 1999, AuPair.com has been trusted by countless Host Families and Au Pairs, earning its reputation as the best au pair online agency. With over 80.000 active users and the largest pool of candidates as Au Pair world wide, we provide families with exceptional options. Our platform is available in 9 languages and offers free resources, affordable memberships, and an intuitive, user-friendly interface. Our fast and efficient customer service and safety team ensure a seamless and reliable experience, making AuPair.com the preferred choice for childcare and cultural exchange.

Can an Au Pair have a second job?: It depends. If the Au Pair is an EU citizen and is staying within the EU, then he/she can have another job. For the rest of the cases, it depends on the visa the Au Pair holds, the amount of hours she already works and the specific labour laws of the Host Country.

My Au Pair stay went wrong! Can you help me?: We always recommend to have an honest conversation with your Host Family about the problems occurred and find a solution together. Most of the troubles can be solved through communication and feedback! If you can’t find a way out, you can consider contract termination. We recommend you to respect the notice period that is mentioned in your Au Pair contract. During this time both you and your Host Family can find an alternative solution. E.g. you can reactivate your profile at AuPair.com and try to find another Host Family. Be supportive to each other in any case. AuPair.com can’t help you personally in this case as we are an online matching agency with no external offices in the host countries.