Amazingly, our 2 under-21 APs have been happy hanging out at Starbucks and going to the movies every Friday night. And both were very responsible/mature.

Has anyone found that where the AP was from mattered as much than or more than their age?

That said, I do agree that if you are in a city (or near one) then you'd esp. want the AP to be 21 so they are legally of drinking age just so they can go to a bar and hang out, even if they aren't going to drink. Because if you've been doing that for a few years then move here at 20 and can't go anywhere to hang out with friends, that's frustrating. At that age you don't want to go to an expensive restaurant to be with friends, and you can only hang at Starbucks for so long.

We have had two 19 year olds from Europe and don't have any regrets.

If you read all this together, I think you can see that it is difficult to screen by age. Maturity, common sense, commitment, personality, patience. . . . presumably all qualities you are looking for, are not qualities that come at any certain age. You may have good reasons for choosing any certain age, but you can't correlate success or maturity with age for au pairs.

I've had mostly 19 year olds. Some were good, others not as good. My 21 year old was least mature.

I had switched to an au pair after having my mother taking care of my child. I went with a younger au pair (she was 19 when she arrived) and she has been nothing but fabulous. Personality wise, she is mature and that definitely means more than her age. If driving is a part of the responsibilities, definitely can't hurt to go with an older AP.

We've had three au pairs, all 25 or 26, and all wonderful.

We have had eight au pairs. The oldest @ 26 was a DISASTER. The next oldest pretty fabulous. The next oldest after that was a DISASTER. Of the remaining five, all were in their late teens and one was 20. Three were great and two were DISASTERS.

I do think a lot of the issues people have with the au pair program are bc they select an 18-20yo that just graduated from high school and expect her to be a professional nanny. That said, our two wonderful au pairs were both 21-22 they had both lived away from home and had extensive Childcare training.

I think after about age 21, it's really going to vary based on the experience and personality of who you choose. I have heard success with 18-20yos of course, but I've heard tons if bad 26yo stories. I think by 26, I would expect dobro be to be more settled down in their life than you can be to be an au pair. Seems like 22-23 might be the sweet spot.

Anonymous wrote:Our au pair will be 25 in May. Most programs are 18-26 years old. Our au pair is very mature and I think that is part age part personality. I wanted an older au pair and more importantly someone who didn't seem like they'd have a hard time moving away from home; like maybe she travels a lot

We did the same. We've had two APs (both extended, so in our 4th year) and we limited our search to 23+, with a preference for 24+. We found great, independent women who have worked and lived outside the home. They were/are wonderful additions to our family.

Our au pair will be 25 in May. Most programs are 18-26 years old. Our au pair is very mature and I think that is part age part personality. I wanted an older au pair and more importantly someone who didn't seem like they'd have a hard time moving away from home; like maybe she travels a lot

Likewise, our best APs have been younger than OP's limit too. Our good ones: 22, 23, 19, 19, 21, 21. Our worst two APs: 26 and 26.

Agree with PP about the older APs not being good fits for a family that actually wants a relationship with the AP beyond employer/employee. Our 19 year olds had wonderful years in the US and didn't worry about not being legal to drink - our current 21 year old rarely drinks either.

I am not sure age alone is enough to judge. Our best au pairs have been 21-22, our least successful years were with two 25yrs old. I think the older the AP, the more independent they tend to be, and perhaps least interested in integrating a family, and least likely to appreciate house rules.
Another consideration for me... Why do they want to become an au pair at that age? Have they completed their studies? Are they just delaying adulthood?
Last note: we only consider 21 and up though bc of underage drinking concerns. I think most 19-20yrs old au pairs coming to the states don't even realize they won't be allowed in drinking establishments before they apply in the program. Must be frustrating when you can legally drink in your home country...

Well if you limit yourself to 25+ in age, you're looking at just 25 and 26 year olds. So, that's gonna limit your applicants mightily right there. Also, it may limit the origin of the AP, just based on what I've seen out there and available. Few europeans at that age range. Good luck!

Hi! I'm new to the search for an au pair and am just getting started on learning about the program. I've read quite a few sites and lots of threads here. I've also been a small business owner, so I have an understanding of the hiring process and how to be fair so we're all happy. I'm pretty reluctant to hire someone less than 25 for a variety of reasons. Anyone have any opinions.