Do you want to travel and learn new languages and cultures? But you're short on the money to do it?
You're female and enjoy household chores or love playing with kids and caring for them lovingly? Then we'll show you below how to successfully do an au pair gap year and which requirements you should meet.

What exactly is an au pair?

Being an au pair is much more of a job and can't be compared to a nice vacation.
As an au pair you live with a host family, take care of the children and help with the housework, for about 8 hours a day like at a regular job.
In return you usually get free room and board and a small allowance.
On this trip you have the chance to become part of the family and truly experience the culture and the new language.
But you should never take an au pair position lightly.
Be aware beforehand that the host family depends on your help and must always be able to rely on you.

Planning your au pair gap year properly

There are different ways to plan it. You can try to organize everything on your own. However, that would take a lot of time, because apart from finding a suitable host family, you'll also need a visa, the flight and health insurance.
To make all of this easier for women, there are special au pair programs that take these tasks off your hands or help you with the organizations involved.

What requirements should you meet as an au pair?

  • You should be at least 18 and no older than 30
  • You must be single and must not have children
  • You should be willing to work between 30 and 45 hours a week
  • Basic knowledge of the spoken language is an advantage, but not a must
  • You should be able to handle stressful situations calmly
  • If possible, you should not smoke or drink alcohol regularly
  • You should have no criminal record
  • You should like children and treat them lovingly
  • You should already have experience with childcare, whether private or professional

Au pair gap year: entitlements and duties

Being an au pair is an affordable way to travel, but also keep in mind that you may run into some bad apples. Don't let your host family take advantage of you, because you are by no means cheap labor that has to be available around the clock.
Your duties generally include looking after the children as well as the household tasks that come up.

Enjoy a great time, get to know the family, the language and the culture in a truly unique way, celebrate family occasions with them, spend your free time with them or go on trips together.

Au pair gap year



As a rule you are entitled to two days off per week. The amount of the allowance depends on the country and the host family, but it's usually between $100 and $200 a week.
Your accommodation and meals are free.
In your free time you can visit sights, take language courses or plan other leisure activities however you like.

Au pair gap year: duration and possible countries

So that it's worthwhile for everyone involved and you don't have to leave right after a short settling-in period, an au pair stay usually lasts between 6 and 12 months. In rare cases there are host families for 3 months.
Popular countries available to you include:
Canada, New Zealand, the USA, China, Australia, and Western and Northern Europe. There are certainly also a few host families in Asia, Africa,
Eastern Europe or Latin America. But for program providers, the search there is rather difficult.

Before you set off, you should take out suitable international health insurance and apply for the appropriate visa.