A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my time as an au pair in Rome. Although my experience with my first family wasn’t great, I would still recommend working as an au pair to anyone looking to go abroad. If you are a native English speaker, getting a job as an au pair is fairly easy. Here are a five tips to help answer any questions about how to get an au pair job.
1. Use the Internet.
As it is 2012, this should be fairly obvious, but the most common question I get when I tell people I was an au pair is about how I found a family. And the answer is online. Great Au Pair and Au Pair World are the two most popular sites out there and where I found both my jobs. First, in what kind of seems like online dating, you fill out a profile detailing your experience, where you want to work, and why you want to be an pair. Attaching a picture (one where you aren’t holding a bottle of beer, preferably) is a good way to attract more families. Once your profile is submitted you can start looking for families and contacting them. Families can also browse your profile and contact you if they are interested. The great part is that for the au pair this is all free, while the families have to pay to contact you.
Besides being a job hunting portal, both websites offer a lot of valuable information about being an au pair, such as sample contracts, visa regulations for various countries, and typical salaries.
2. Talk to the family.
After you’ve narrowed your list of potential families down to the most promising candidates, speak to them over the phone or, preferably, on Skype. Actually being able to see the family, or hear their voices, can help you get a better idea of their personality and what they expect. I’d emailed with several families thinking they were a good fit, but didn’t click with them during the video chat. Since you will be both living with and working for this family it is very important that you are a good match. Weeding out jobs now that sound perfect, but aren’t a personality a personality match will save you a headache months down the line when you’re in a foreign country with a host mother who is nuts.
3. Ask a lot questions and don’t compromise your sticking points.
This is the most important piece of advice. Make sure you ask questions. A lot of questions. Ask about anything and everything. If you don’t feel annoying, you probably aren’t asking enough. Ask about pay, working hours, vacation time, and the room where you will be living. Inquire about the personalities of the children you’ll be caring for, and their likes and dislikes. Have them go into detail about all of the duties, such as housework, that’ll be required to do. After your conversation you should have a good outline of the expectations of the job. Both of the websites listed above have good ideas of the kinds of questions you should ask during an interview.
Going along with this, don’t compromise your sticking points. I know. Telling someone not to compromise when looking for a job would normally seem like bad advice, but with au pairing, it’s not. If there are certain things you want, don’t change those for a certain family, not matter how good they seem. Now, not everything you want may happen, but if you don’t want to drive or have your heart set on living in the Left Bank in Paris, then don’t agree to drive or live in the Parisian suburbs just because the family promised you the world. You’ll end up unhappy. There are other families out there.
4. Contact the previous au pair.
If the family has had previous au pairs, ask for their contact information. Use the previous au pairs as a resource and a character reference. Also, they can provide useful tips and helpful insight on how to get along with the family. Of course, this isn’t foolproof. I talked to the previous au pair of my first family and while the au pair said she’d had some issues with the mother’s personality, she didn’t seem to mind it nearly as much as I did. Not everyone has the same idea of great working or living conditions.
If the family doesn’t want to give you the contact information of any of their previous au pairs? Huge red flag. It might not mean anything, but it’s certainly a chance I wouldn’t take.
5. Sign a contract and get a visa.
Make it official. Have your hours, vacation, and pay documented on paper and signed by both you and your host family. Great Au Pair and Au Pair World both have sample contracts online you can use. Though a contract might not solve a problem should one arise, it can be helpful to use to negotiate with your employer or get out of a less than desirable situation.
Make it legal and get a visa. This might mean foregoing your first choice location (Italy, for example, does NOT grant au pair visas) but for your safety and sanity you want a visa. Germany, Switzerland, and Austria all have au pair programs set up that offer visas, health insurance, and requirements that host familie must meet. Though it may seem like an extra hoop to jump through or just an unnecessary hassle, do not leave your home country without a visa.
Navigating the waters trying to find the perfect au pair job can be overwhelming at first. If you are patient, organized, and thorough you can land yourself an au pair job that is both fun and incredibly rewarding.
Have you ever been an au pair? Are you thinking about taking the plunge? Have any questions about becoming an au pair? I’d love to hear about your au pair experiences in the comments!
If you haven’t already, please ‘Like’ Farsickness on Facebook and stay up to date on all my travels and posts! Your support is greatly appreciated.
 Au Pair Job - /how-to-get-a-good-au-pair-job/){kind=link}
Thanks Amanda! This is all great advice. Looking into it now!
Glad I could help! You won’t make a lot of money as an au pair, but it’s definitely a great way to move abroad and do some traveling! I think you’d like it a lot.
This is great information! I am doing a teaching assistantship in France this coming fall for 7 months, but if I want to stay in France/Europe afterward, I’m considering au pairing. One of my friends au paired in Munich and really enjoyed it.
If I may ask, what kind of experience do you have? I have taught elementary age kids ESL for the past year here in Korea (and will be teaching middle school kids ESL in France) but I never did any sort of babysitting or anything like that.
Thanks, I’m glad I can help! Au pairing can be a great way to live in Europe. When I was applying for jobs I had taught swim lessons and babysat, but your experience teaching ESL will be more than enough. I think most families aren’t looking for a childcare professional (like a nanny) as much as they are looking for a cultural/language exchange. The fact that you’ve taught before will be an asset! Good luck and if you have any other questions, let me know
You mention that Italy does not grant visa’s for au pairs to US citizens… and yet, you mention having worked there… How did you manage that, from a legal stand point?
Do you know what families are typically paying per week (in Rome)?
Technically my employment wasn’t legal. Italy isn’t known to be strong on adhering to immigration policy. Americans get 90 stays to stay in the country as a tourist (every 180 days) so I went in on a tourist visa. I wouldn’t recommend this, though, unless you are planning on going for a short period of time. You can get a student visa for enrolling in languages classes, but that can be pricey.
Depending on the hours families pay between 40-80 euro a week with 60-70 being the most common for about 5-6 hours a day of work.
hello
i register my profile to an aupair website and a family emailed me showing their interest to hire me, since its my first time i dont have much idea how the process really works. am i the one to spend money for my travel expenses like plane tickets and visa? pls help..tnx
Are you an American? Or are you coming to America? It really depends on the country you are planning to au pair in and what nationality you are. Please contact me via email and I can give you a more detailed response! Thanks.