Regulations / Visa

An au pair (plural: au pairs) is a foreign-national domestic assistant working for, and living as part of, a host family Typically, au pairs are girls or young woman and take on a share of the family's responsibility for childcare as well as some housework, and receive a small monetary allowance for personal use.

An au pair placement is an arrangement where an unmarried person between 17 and 30 years old (age 18-26 for the U.S. program) lives for up to two years in a foreign country as a member of a local family, helping in the home for a set number of hours a day, often with at least two full days off per week. In return, they receive a reasonable allowance and a private room.

The usual practice is that au pairs eat with the family most of the time, and join in some of the usual family activities such as outings and trips. However, host families normally expect to have some private time to themselves, particularly in the evenings. During this time, an au pair might retire to his or her room to watch television, study, or go out with friends. Being an au pair can be a great opportunity to experience a different country and culture. The "job" of the au pair will vary depending on how much the host family expects. Jobs vary from taking children to and from school, taking children to after school activities, cooking, cleaning, ironing, babysitting, etc. The au pair is given a monthly allowance and all expenses are paid by the host family.

Please check with each country for visas and immigration rules!