The responsibilities of an au pair are generally restricted to child care and
or housekeeping duties and are mostly unpaid.
J1 visas are required for working as an au pair and can be secured once you've
been confirmed with an exchange program or sponsor family and a have completed
IAP66 form. Your visa is valid for 12 months and at the end of the 12 months,
you will be allowed to stay for an additional 30 days to visit the country at
your leisure. You must then return to your country of origin far a minimum of
a year before applying for another visa.
It is illegal to work as an au pair on a tourist visa.
There are companies specializing in finding au pair positions but opportunities
are at a premium and are immediately filled by girls with prior experience in
child care, a drivers licence and a strong command of English. Candidates must
be between the ages of 18 and 27 and a Bachelor's degree is a plus.
Au pairs placed with families who have children under 2 years old must have
at least 200 hours of child care experience with infants under 2. Au pairs may
only be placed in a family with an infant under 3 months old if a parent or
other adult caregiver is also home and fully responsible for the infant.
Au Pair USA 12-Month Program
There are 11 agencies designated by the State Department to run the Au Pair
Program. Both the host family and potential au pair typically pay these agencies
an application fee and a program fee which varies from $4,990 to $6,955, depending
on the agency used. Au pairs pay fees which vary depending on the US agency
and the home country agency they use (if they do not apply directly to the US
agency).
The Au Pair Program is administered by the US Department of State. A typical
12-month program may have fees that resemble these from Au Pair USA:
| Program Fees |
Amount |
Due |
Au Pair USA Services Covered |
Application Fee
(Non-Refundable) |
$250 |
With application |
Processing of the host family application and program approval |
| Deposit |
$2,500 |
Upon matching with an au pair |
Recruitment and screening of au pair, police clearance
report, medical history, interview, matching and placement |
| Program Fee Balance |
$4,400* |
Upon the au pair's arrival or according to payment plan |
Au pair's visa, most of the au pair's round trip transportation,
year-long support services of a local coordinator, a portion of the au pair's
medical insurance and the au pair's training and orientation program |
The designated US agencies are:
What the au pair must know
Basic application criteria vary from agency to agency, but there are a few
typical requirements:
- Speak and write conversational English
- Be willing to share your culture and learn about others
- Be willing to commit to 12 months in the U.S.
- Agree to having a background check performed
- Have at least 6 months childcare experience
- Be able to provide 3 non-family local references regarding your experience
and character
- Possess a driver's license (or be ready to get one)
- Be in good physical condition as evidenced by a Physician's Report
- Pass a psycho-metric test given by the Agency
In addition to these requirements, it is common for families to ask for non-smoking,
responsible or non-drinkers, and for females.
What the family has to do
It is the families responsibility to choose an agency that offers adequate
screening of an au pair's background and mental make-up. The best situations
are those in which the family and au pair truly like each other. It is also
the families responsibility to be able to offer adequate room,
board, and salary for the au pair as they are not a servant, but a valued
employee.
Other addresses...
For assistance in securing au pair positions you may contact the following
organisations.
www.europairservices.com
www.greataupair.com
www.airrecrutement.com
www.aupairinamerica.com
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