Au pair in USA

You can find au pairs or nannies who are already in the US through our site if you don't want to pay agency fees. Otherwise, USA has an official au pair program that is run by twelve government designated agencies. By law, only these government approved agencies can bring au pairs from overseas on a J-1 visa. You can find your au pair at AupairConnect.com and the agencies can provide the documents that are needed for a J-1 visa and do a background check on your au pair. Aupair would need to register with a cooperating agency in her home country. Two agencies work together to coordinate everything. This includes background check of the au pair and the travel arrangements. Au pair applies for a J-1 visa at the US embassy or consulate in her home country and the visa is valid for 1 year.

You can also find a great deal of information about the aupair program at the web site of US Department of State.

Click here to see the au pair information on the US Department of State web site.


General Conditions for the Au Pair:

1. Au pair must be between the ages of 18-26.

2. Au pair must be unmarried.

3. Au pair must have a driving license.

4. Au pair must not have any criminal record.

5. Au pair must have 200 hours of childcare experience if she is to care for any children under two years old.

6. Au pair must have a high school diploma.

7. Au pair must make a 12 month commitment to the program.

8. Au pair must understand and speak English.


General Conditions for the Host Family:

1. Be US citizens or legal permenant residents

2. Provide a private room and meals for the au pair.

3. Make sure au pair's work hours do not exceed 45 hours per week.

4. Make sure au pair has at least 1 full weekend of every month.

5. Provide $195.75 per week as the au pair's stipend.

6. Provide 2 weeks of paid vacation.

7. Provide $500 for educational assistance.


The benefit of using AupairConnect.com is to speed up the process and pick the perfect au pair for your family. Agencies will not offer families several candidates to choose from. We have thousands of au pairs in our system and the families have a chance to interview as many candidates as they wish.

Agency fees are about $5000-6000 and they can give you a discount for finding your au pair on your own through AupairConnect.com. Au pair receives $195.75 a week pocket money for up to 45 hours of work. Educational assistance of $500 is often required as au pairs need to attend some classes while here. Health insurance and travel expenses are included in the agency fees. The total cost of au pair for a year is around $14000 which is pretty normal compared to some of the other child care options. Families should put thought in to the value of hosting an au pair. With the right match, it can be a very rewarding experience for the entire family.