An au pair is generally a foreign national who lives as a part of the host family and works as a domestic assistant. They are mostly girls or young women that take a share of the responsibility towards taking care of the child of the family and receive some monetary allowance to take care of their personal expenses.



The term "au pair" is derived from French. In French, it means "on a par" or "equal". This shows that the relationship between them and the family is as equals and they should not be treated like a domestic servant. Both au pair and the family benefit by learning about each other's culture. Au pairs are treated as a member of the host family and even travel with the family on vacations.

But, everybody could not afford to avail of au pair service. First of all, it requires a spare room to accommodate them. It would also entail some loss of privacy before an outsider. Therefore, you should consider these points before taking help of any au pair agency for making such an arrangement.

are generally unmarried ladies and they are generally aged between 17 and 30 years. They are generally contracted for a period of one or two years. But, actual period of engagement depends on agreements made or in the success of the endeavor.

An au pair is generally required to work in the home, mainly involved in childcare, working for a fixed number hours each week and getting two days off each week. They are provided with a room for their privacy. They also receive a small amount as an allowance. Generally, they are provided with paid vacation too like any regular employee. They generally eat with the family and take part in many family activities, but both sides are required to provide some amount of privacy to each other, generally in the evenings. They generally works for 40 hours each week, though taking care of the child in the evening could depend on mutual agreement. They are never treated as a domestic servant and they are not required to wear any uniform.

If you are very interested for an au pair to care of your child, you would definitely like to know whether she would be compatible with the family. You would also like to know about her background before choosing her.

There are a large number of au pair agencies that could help you in proper selection. Additional details of such agencies could also be found out from the website of International Au Pair Association (www.iapa.org). Therefore, you would not have any problem for you to locate an au pair to take care of your child if you take the help of these au pair agencies