What’s it like having an au pair?

[Anonymous]

This is a great job for an au pair, and a great use of an au pair.
Because it's a dream au pair job, you can afford to be very picky in choosing one. Look for confidence, maturity, experience with school-aged boys, city-savviness and a personality that you can live with.

[Anonymous]

So how much are they paid?

[Anonymous]

Having au pairs was great for me, a single mom by choice and also a teacher. My AP worked 6:30-8:30am and 3-6pm, plus 7-1 on Saturdays. (Except for one full weekend off per month). All 3 came from Brazil. We loved them and visited all of them in their own countries.

[Anonymous]

We had an Au pair. We stayed in the program two years (your contract is for one year and then they can extend with you for a second year if you and the Au pair both want to do that).

Agree that you will have the pick of the litter given your location and job description. At the same time, I encourage you to think seriously about whether you want a 20 something year old roommate for a year. Because that’s the trade off for the reliability and availability. Ultimately I decided not to get another Au pair because I value my privacy too much.

To the pp asking about pay - you pay the AP $200/week. You pay the agency about $10k (either upfront or installments). You need to pay for the Au pair’s food, cell phone, car insurance and $500 credit towards education. If you require her to travel with you, you pay for everything - flight, meals, hotel, excursions (if you require her to go on them). You are supposed to treat them like a niece or cousin, so you should also be buying her holiday gifts, treats, birthday presents, etc. I think we probably spent around $35k/year all in.