UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (USA)

American Families, wishing to host an au pair should know that the only legal way for an au pair to enter the USA is for the au pair to have the required J-1 visa through one of the 6 United States federally designated Au Pair Agencies or through one of its partner organistions. Au Pairs can visit on a tourist visa.

US Visa Law prohibits anyone admitted to the US as a visitor from working as an Au Pair, Nanny, or Mother's Helper.

Au Pairs are not employees and should be welcomed into the home as an extension to the family and be willing to include the au pair in family meals, outside and other events, speak English, be able to provide meals and a private room for the au pair, reside in an area covered by the Au Pair USA local programme co-ordinator, agree to the terms set by the U.S.A. Department of State

The world’s leading au pair programmes to the USA

The chance to have the best year of your life. 

Spend a year with an American Family.

Benefit from exiting study programmes.  

Enjoy a month of independent travel.

You will receive:

• Free return flights from many major cities
• 4 day orientation programme
• US$ 139.05 weekly payment
• College course of your choice
• Year long support
• Medical Insurance
• A J – 1 Exchange visitors visa

Apply if you:

• Are 18 – 26 years old
• Have practical childcare experience
• Hold a full driving licence

Au Pair Extraordinaire all of the above plus:

• Have a recognised childcare qualification
• Have 2 years’ full-time childcare experience.
• Receives $200 weekly payment

Au Pair in America

Through the Au Pair program foreign nationals between 18 and 26 years of age participate directly in the home life of a host family by providing limited childcare services for up to 12 months.  Childcare is limited to no more tan 10 hours per day and a maximum of 45 hours per week.

Au pairs are compensated for their work according to the Fair Labor Standards Act as interpreted and implemented by the US Department of Labor.  Participants in the au Pair program proficient in spoken English, and are required to complete at least six hours academic credit or its equivalent at an accredited US post-secondary educational institution.  Host families are required to pay to $500 toward the cost of the au pairs required academic course work.

Au pair participants may not be placed with a family having an infant aged less than three months unless a parent or other responsible adult is at home.  Neither may au pairs be placed in homes with children under two years of age unless the au pair has at least 200 hours of documented infant childcare experience.  Au pairs are not to be placed in a family with a special needs child, so identified by the family, unless the au pair has specifically identified prior experience, skill, or training in caring for special needs children and the host family has reviewed and acknowledged the stated prior experience, skills or training in writing. Please refer to the regulations for details.

Sponsors are required to screen and select both host families and au pairs as program participants according to selection criteria stated in the regulations.  Interested parties should contact the sponsoring organisations directly to obtain additional information regarding their program.  All au pairs are to receive specific orientation and program information from the sponsor prior to departure from their home countries for the United States.  Please refer to the regulation for details.  Pre-arrival information for all exchange visitors is defined at 22CFR 62. 10(b)(1-8) and specifically for au pairs at 22CFR 62.31(f).  Orientation material (post-arrival) is defined at 22CFR 62. 10(c)(1-7).

Selected host families also receive specific information from the sponsor.  Orientation for host families is discussed in the regulations at 22 CFR 62.31(i)(1-4). 

The sponsor is to provide au pairs with training in child development and child safety prior to their placement with a host family.  A minimum of eight hours of child safety instruction, of which at least four relates to infants, and a minimum of 24 hours of child development instruction, of which at least four relate to children under two years of age, are required.

Host families and au pairs must sign a Host family-AuPair Agreements prior to the au pair’s placement in the host family’s home.  In the event of questions regarding refunds or other adjustments host families and au pairs should refer to their agreements.  The Department of State does not have jurisdiction over contractual obligations.

EduCare in America

The Au Pair program includes the EduCare component.  The EduCare component is only for families who have school-aged children and require childcare before and after school hours.  Accordingly, au pairs participating in the EduCare component may not be placed with families having preschool children, unless alternative, full-time arrangements are in place for their supervision.  The EduCare au pair may work no more than 10 hours per day, and a maximum of 30 hours per week.  Au Pairs participating in the EduCare component receive 75 percent of the weekly rate paid to au pairs. EduCare au pairs must complete a minimum of 12 hours of academic credit or its equivalent during the program year.  The host family is required to provide (up to) the first $1,000 toward the cost of the au pair’s required academic course work.  Please refer to the regulations for more details,

Below are the designated official Agencies appointed to operate the Au Pair Program:

a) American Institute For Foreign Study, River Plaza, 9 West Broad St., Stamford. CT 06902. Tel: 203-399-5025, Fax: 203-3995592

b) AuPairCare Inc., 600 California St., Floor 10 San Francisco, CA, 94108. Tel: 415-434-8788 ext. 501, Fax: 415-674-5211

c) InterExchange Au Pair, 161 South Avenue, 13th Floor, New York NY 10013.     Tel: 212=924-0446 Fax: 212-924-0575

d) EUR AuPair Intercultural Child Care Programs, 250 North Coast Highway, Lagune Beach CA 92651, Tel: 949-494-5500 ext. 215 Fax: 949-497-6235

e) Cultural Care Au Pair, 1 Education Street, EF Center Boston, Cambridge, MA 02141. Tel: 617-619-1444, Fax: 617=619-2102

f) Go Au Pair, 151 East 6100 South, Suite 200, Murray, UT 84107. 

Tel: 1-801-2557722

At the Department of State, there's an au pair brochure available, online.  Here you will find many questions and answers that might be of interest to you.

Host families have to pay from US$5,700 and US$6,345 fees upfront plus US$500 towards academic course work, plus the $139.06 (approx) the au pair's weekly pocket money.

In all a host family expenditure on acquiring an au pair can range from $13,000 to $14,000, compare this to the cost of acquiring a permanent Nanny at $500 per week or $26,000 per annum plus.