Can anyone explain the whole au pair system to me? I ran into a few on a recent vacation (which they were doing as an educational thing), and while I got some basic info, I was left with some questions on the details. In truth, it all seems like a bit of a scam.
What kind of visa do they have that lets them work what is essentially a full time job? And where does the money go? The actual au pairs seem to get very little, but I can’t imagine that the families get a full time nanny for free.
You can try this website AuPair Care for background info. Basically, the girls work a full time job, get room and board and a weekly stipend for spending money.
As the host family, you pay placement fees and the stipend, as well as providing food and a room for the aupair. The aupair is also not a housekeeper, though they do cook for and clean up after your child.
The placement fees go towards the agency managing any issues regarding the aupairs, the agency also has to find and screen everyone across the globe, and make sure they are placed appropriately.
I’ve known a number of aupairs in my area, it seems to be a decent enough job for a young lady. They complain, for sure, but no more than people working regular jobs. You won’t get rich, but you do get an opportunity to live in a far off country and gain a great deal of experience.
One of my former co-workers, an immigration attorney, hired an au pair to take care of his twins. It’s perfectly legit; au pairs get a J-1 visa, which is used for various kinds of international exchange programs (grad students, research scholars, trainees, professors, etc.). A requirement of the program is that the au pair can only be working a certain number of hours per week and must be enrolled in a certain amount of college coursework in order to participate.
Some info on the program from the horse’s mouth (the State Department):
http://exchanges.state.gov/education/jexchanges/private/aupair_brochure.htm
Eva Luna, U.S. Immigration Paralegal
Thanks for the links. Very useful.
The stipend is around $7K, which isn’t bad considering they don’t need to pay room or board. In theory they could end up with most of that at the end of the year. Once you add in the fees, it’s pretty pricey for the families as well, around $14K/year.