Whether you want to be an au pair or a host family it helps to find a good agency. Here are five reputable international Au Pair agencies
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There are many reasons to be an au pair. This old school cultural exchange designed for 18 to 30-year-olds means better language skills as well as experiencing another country on the cheap – you’ll get lodging, food and a small salary. For the host family they receive live-in childcare which allows them to continue with their careers, as well as the chance to enrich children’s lives by being connected to someone from a different country and culture. The idea is that the au pair is a fully integrated family member with his or her own room. Au pairs receive an amount of pocket money that changes from country to country but is approximately between €260 and €450 per month. Whether you want to be an au pair or a host family it’s a good idea to start with an agency, whether that is a cheap online platform that acts as a connection or a company that organises everything.
Nina.care
This international au pair agency based in the Netherlands helping connect au pairs and parents in countries as diverse as China, the UK, the United States, Germany and Belgium. Nina.care was founded by Jasmijn and Lyla Kok with help from the Dutch version of the UK TV show Dragon’s Den, where they secured an investment that kickstarted the company. The company has grown rapidly ever since and is the largest babysitting platform in the Netherlands. Nina.care has strict entry requirements to make sure its database is filled with reliable and loving nannies and au pairs. Through nina.care costs for a live-in au pair from abroad start at €500 per month for 30 hours of help per week.
AuPairWorld
AuPairWorld has been around since 1999. It is based in Germany but connects au pairs and families from all over the world. This is more of clever website that connects people, using an algorithm to find the best matches between au pairs and families. You can register for free and then a Premium Membership (starting from 39.90 EUR) allows you to connect via a messaging service. Then you pay the au pair directly. It’s a very cheap way to find and au pair or host family but after the initial contact much of it is down to you. So far AuPairWorld has helped four million people get connected.
AuPair.com
Online platform AuPair.com has thousands of candidates and host families worldwide and a database with more than 600 new members daily. It’s free to join but there are various premium membership packages starting at €39.90 for a month which allow personal messages and a host of other features. There are also handy video tips and a telephone and email support team.
Au Pair International
This US agency specialises in international au pairs who want to work in the USA and abroad. Host families need to be based in the US and pay a minimum Yearly Program Fee of $8,690 and a minimum weekly stipend of $195.75 directly to the au pair. Whereas other agencies charge a fee per child, this is on a per family basis, meaning anyone with multiple children could save money. The company prides itself on a multi-level screening process for au pairs, with a training program which only uses courses accredited for certified childcare provider designation.
AuPairCare
AuPairCare is an award-winning au pair agency matching host families in the US with international au pairs, as well as connecting Americans with families abroad. AuPairCare has been around since 1989 and has matched 85,000 au pairs with families in the US. It was also one of the first agencies to provide training programs focused on the specific needs of infants and toddlers. Everything is included in the Standard package, from flights to the au pair’s stipend, with an average annual cost of $21,505.