What is an Au Pair?

The French term "Au Pair" means "on par" or equal. Au Pairs are international visitors who travel to Australia on the Working Holiday Visa to acquire a better understanding and appreciation of Australian life while living with an Australian family and caring for their children. They become full-fledged family members, sharing a cultural exchange experience that often leads to a lasting relationship with the Host Family.

They are very motivated to come to Australia, because the strict approval prcess demands a lot of effort from the applicant's side. The Au Pairs have extensive childcare experience and are genuinely interested in children. They are not "professional nannies" and there will be some explaining and instructing required from the host parents, especially during the first few weeks.

Childcare is a meaningful way for international visitors seeking insight into Australian life to help their Host Families. Their responsibilities may include:

waking and dressing the children, bathing and playing with the children
preparing meals for the children, looking after their belongings, making the children's beds, doing their laundry and straightening their rooms, cleaning up the kitchen after the children eat or straightening up the playroom once playtime is over
driving children to and from school, appointments or outings as requested by the Host Family

The Au Pair's responsibilities do not include housework unrelated to the children such as cleaning the home or doing the parent's laundry. They are not professionally trained childcare workers or capable of running an entire household when parents are absent for business or personal travel. Responsibility for the welfare of the children always remains with the parents.

Au pairs make a substantial financial and personal commitment to participate on the program. As such they are committed and extremely enthusiastic about their role caring for the children of their Australian Host Family.

If you are interested to learn about another culture by hosting a young woman who, in turn, will provide childcare, then AIFS Au Pair in Australia is the perfect option!