Au pair

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 young women who take on a share of the family’s responsibility for child care as well as some housework, and receive a small monetary allowance for personal use.

The title comes from the French term au pair, meaning “on a par” or “equal to”, indicating that the relationship is intended to be one of equals: the au pair is intended to become a member of the family, albeit a temporary one, rather than a domestic servant. In the best circumstances, both parties benefit from learning about the other’s culture.

Arrangement

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 Council of Europe recommends that every au pair be issued a standard contract with their family.

Treatment

An au pair should be treated as an equal part of the family, not as a servant, and shall not be required to wear a uniform. There can be misunderstandings on both sides about what this means. 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.

As an employee, many countries have government limits as to how many hours an au pair is allowed to work. Tasks can include taking children to and from school, taking children to after school activities, cooking, cleaning, ironing, and babysitting. Each placement varies depending on the host family. The au pair is given a monthly allowance and all expenses are paid by the host family.