Best Places to Au Pair

There are countless reasons to become an au pair, and no single one is better than the other. Maybe you’re eager to pick up a new language, maybe your own family is a bit chaotic and you’d love the chance to feel like a kid again, or perhaps you simply want to explore a new corner of the world and live like a local. For some, it’s about studying something unique to the city, for others it’s a smart way to save money while enjoying new experiences. And who knows—your time abroad might even spark bigger ideas, like figuring out how to open an LTD one day to turn your passions into a business. Whatever your reason, every path is valid—do what works best for you.

Best places to au pair for money: 
If you are looking to save money while being an au pair, then you’ll want to choose somewhere that pays better. Pay varies so much between cities and countries. Generally the more expensive the country, the higher you’ll be paid. The consequence of that is you’ll spend more when you are social, but you still might be able to save more overall, it really depends.  For a breakdown of how much you can expect to be paid, have a look at au pair world.  Unsurprisingly, Switzerland, America, Norway and Belgium pay the highest.

Best places to au pair for culture:
This is going to be a really personal choice, perhaps you’ve always been fascinated by the Slovak way of life, or maybe there’s a course you just have to study in Berlin. Be creative. There’s more to au pairing than just tending to children and getting to know a new family – it can be a really life changing experience for yourself. Do some research, think about what you’d love to do or learn and narrow down some places.

Best places to au pair for lifestyle:
Again, this depends on what you like – if you’re a ski bunny then head to Austria or Switzerland and find a family who also love skiing. If you’d be much happier lounging on beaches, then maybe Barcelona or southern Spain is something you should consider. Think about what your favourite activities are and then find a place that’s going to make it easy for you to do them. One thing I personally love about being an au pair in Europe is that I could spend the summers in Australia and then the European summers in Spain and I’ve never have to be cold again. Find what works for you and pursue it.

With the “right” family:
This is so important. I’ve heard horror stories of girls who have been placed with terrible families that make the au pairs do overtime without any real pay. Talk to the families and if you can find someone who’s had a positive au pair experience before. You can ask to write to the previous au pair and ask them how their experience was – hopefully they’ll be honest and you’ll get a real idea of what to expect from your host family. A good host family can make or break your experience.

Do you have any tips for someone wanting to au pair? Share them in the comments below.