Au Pair Definition
Your third hand, an extra hour, and peace of mind for any curve ball that's thrown into your schedule.
Who can be an Au Pair?
Au pairs are caring foreign nationals between the ages of 18 and 26 who are interested in providing childcare while experiencing American culture. Each au pair is fully screened and trained by GreatAuPair to provide flexible and dependable care. They speak English, have a driver's license, and can stay in the US for up to two years.
In order to be considered for the program, our au pairs are required to:
- Be between the ages of 18 and 26 years old
- Be a non-US citizen and live in a country serviced by GreatAuPair
- Love children and have at least 1,200 hours of experience caring for them
- Have at least 600 hours of caring for children under the age of two (if the au pair will be working with kids under the age of two)
- Speak English proficiently
- Have no criminal background
- Have secondary school complete
- Have a valid driver's license
- Be in good health and be a non-smoker
- Be willing to come to the US for one year
- Complete the 32+ hour GreatAuPair Training Academy prior to arrival
What can an Au Pair do?
In exchange for room, board, and a weekly stipend, your au pair will work for up to 45 hours a week helping you calm temper tantrums, conquering your kid's laundry, assisting with morning and bedtime routines, whipping up kids' meals and school lunches, solving burning math questions, transporting kids to school and activities, playing and having fun, and most importantly providing you with the satisfaction of knowing you can count on the best childcare possible.
For most parents, there simply aren't enough hours in the day to cross everything off the continuous 'to do' list, let alone have fun with your children, and find free time for yourself. It's a different story with an au pair. Not only will an au pair play with and supervise the kids, she will also help you with all child-related tasks:
- Preparing meals and cleaning up afterwards
- Making school lunches
- Help with bathtime
- Driving kids to school and activities
- Helping with homework and tutoring
- Doing kids' laundry
- Keeping kids' rooms tidy and organized
- Other specific duties as related to caring for the kids in your family
You might notice that au pairs are not responsible for heavy housework, yardwork, pet care, laundry, or meals for the entire family. However, they are also members of the family, as such you may ask them to participate in general household responsibilities that are shared among family members.