Becoming an au pair overseas is one of the most amazing things you’ll ever experience.

The travel. Immersing yourself in a foreign country’s culture. Free accommodation and meals.

It is a big decision to decide that you’d like to stay with a host family on the other side of the world. It will mean going out of your comfort zone.

However, an agency like ours can help manage the entire process to make it as easy as possible. And to make it the best year of your life.

Do you love children?
The number one determining factor on a successful au pair placement is how much you enjoy caring for children.

• Do you like children?
• Do you like to spend time with them, help them and watch them grow up?
• Are you able to take care of children and give them something fun to do for several consecutive hours?
• Can you deal with the responsibility of having to take care of the children and the household?
• Could you handle it if the children didn’t love you from the very beginning, or if they were stubborn just to test you?

If you don’t really know what to do with children or you don’t really enjoy entertaining children, then being an au pair may not be for you.  A terrific way to test the waters is by doing some baby sitting and caring for children in your local area.

Excited or nervous? Or Both
We find our au pairs are both excited and can be a little bit nervous at some point before they depart. That is perfectly normal.

And what happens if it doesn’t work out?  Going through an agency like ours greatly reduces the chance of a bad experience.

We can help you ask the right questions and find a family that best suits you to greatly reduce the risk. And if it isn’t working out (extremely rare, but can happen) then we’ll find you another family.

Is Being an Au Pair Right For You?

Keep in mind that an au pair stay is not a vacation, so make sure you have the right expectations.

An au pair job can be exciting and a lot of fun, but at the same time it can occasionally be challenging.

• Are you flexible enough to adapt to living with an unknown family?
• Are you open-minded and tolerant enough?
• Can you accept criticism and discuss problems objectively?
• Are you reliable enough to become an au pair?

If yes, then you’re on the right track!

The excitement of being an au pair

Being an au pair is an amazing opportunity to experience the world – and why so many young people choose to be an au pair overseas

As an au pair abroad you also have the advantage of living with a host family and becoming part of an already established social structure.

This means: you won’t have to worry about getting an internet connection or about where to do your laundry. Your host family will provide these and many other things for you. Furthermore, as an au pair, you will immediately be part of a social network.

With your host family, you will have people with experience on your side who will help you and explain their culture to you.

Your contribution to the family – taking care of the children and doing easy house work  – usually leaves you a lot of free time. As your family pays for your accommodation and food, you have the pocket money you get at your free disposal.

So you won’t have to worry about unforeseen expenses as an au pair. Altogether, this is exactly why being an au pair is so attractive to young people.

More benefits:

• You’ll have the opportunity to learn a new language in a foreign country and experience its culture at the same time.
• Also, you’ll speak and practice the language with your host family
• In your free time you can travel and get to know the country without spending a lot of money.
• You will also gain valuable experience in childcare and managing a household.
• If you are going to work in a field that involves educational or social skills, or knowledge of domestic economy, your au pair time can count as an internship.
• Also, if you have to wait before going to college or until your new job starts, going abroad as an au pair is a good option for this time
• The cultural knowledge that you will get from participating in an au pair program can be of great advantage for your professional future.