What is an Au pair?

The word au pair comes from the French word that means equal. Au pairs are usually young women who go to another country to learn a new language and experience a different culture. Au pairs live with a host family and look after the family's children and do light housekeeping. In exchange for child care, they are provided with accommodations, pocket money and treated as a part of the family.

Au pairs are usually between the ages of 18 and 26 years old. Aupairs wish to improve their foreign language skills and experience a new culture by living with the host families. An aupair should not be treated as a domestic employee rather like a part of the family.