What is an au pair?
Let's start with the basics
An au pair is a live-in caregiver who becomes an integral part of your family, offering personalized childcare and household assistance within your home. Hosting an au pair is a flexible and affordable childcare option that also offers the benefit of cultural exchange. Au pairs are treated as family members and are provided the opportunity to experience the Australian lifestyle while improving their language skills. Au pairs are often reffered to as a "parents' helper" or "big sister/brother."
Our au pair roles
All our au pairs are fully screened by our trusted global partners. While regular babysitting is the minimum expected experience, many of our au pairs have additional qualifications and experience, including work experience in day care centres, holiday care, homework assistance, tutoring, and sports coaching. It is important to remember that an au pair does not serve as domestic help or a qualified nanny. They should be considered an additional pair of hands who participates as part of the family unit to assist you on a daily basis. Whilst being supportive, enthusiastic and friendly is expected, possessing significant childcare experience is considered an added bonus. All Smart Au Pairs will have completed comprehensive Au Pair training before joining your family. Candidates with more extensive experience are classified as Gold or Diamond au pairs.
Silver
Smart Au Pair
- Beginner English skills
- Babysitting experience
- Often non-drivers
Gold
Smart Au Pair
- Intermediate-good English skills
- Additional childcare experience such as babysitting, tutoring, sport coaching, kindergarten internship, summer camp etc.
- Usually drivers
Diamond
Smart Au Pair
- *More experienced*
- Good English skills
- Most have 6 months childcare experience or a Childcare Qualification
- For example, some may have been au pair before or have studied Childcare at University
- Better prepared for additional au pair duties, including care of children under 2 years old
- Usually drivers
All over the world
Celebrating diversity
Au pairs come from all around the world. Many of them, especially from Europe (like the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, or France), choose Australia to explore its beautiful nature and improve their English. Lots of them take a gap year to enjoy the program to the fullest. We advise families to prioritize finding the right fit rather than fixating on nationality, as each au pair and family is unique. Choose someone who feels like the right match and warmly welcome them into your home. All our au pairs are fully screened and ready to start. Find your au pair in 4 easy steps
Read some of our Smart Au Pairs' Succes Stories
Au pair qualifications
All au pairs take part in our cultural exchange program to experience family life in Australia. As part of the cultural au pair experience, in exchange for helping out with childcare and light housework (25-35 hours per week), they are welcomed as members of the family and provided with full board accommodation in their own room, along with weekly pocket money. Au pairs enjoy two days off per week to make the most of their experience abroad, meet friends, and explore Australia. To be eligible for the au pair program, our au pairs need to meet certain criteria.Age: must be between 18 and 30 years old. Visa: eligibility for either Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) or Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462) is required. Passport: a valid passport is mandatory. Personal traits: ideal au pair should be flexible, friendly, and open-minded. Childcare experience: a minimum of 200 hours of childcare (babysitting) experience is necessary. First Aid & Au Pair training: all au pairs have completed comprehensive au pair training. English level: proficiency in English at least at a basic level is required. Responsibilities: willing to assist with childcare and light housework, typically 25-35 hours per week. Minimum commitment: expected to commit to a minimum period of 6 months. Health requirement: be in good health with no pre-existing medical conditions. Background check: have a clean criminal record. Driver's license: possession of a driver's license is preferred but not mandatory. Non-smoking: be non-smokers. Marital & parental status: be unmarried and without children.
Au pair support
For all our Smart Au Pairs we offer support throughout their whole placement in Australia. We organise several events, give them access to our exclusive network, help them with their Working With Children Check, opening an Australian bank account and getting a SIM card. We also have an exclusive Smart Au Pairs' travel agent, au pairs with all travel plans including discounts.
All our au pairs have completed comprehensive First Aid & Au Pair training. While it is a complimentary service for our au pairs, we extend a 10% discount to anyone interested in enrolling in this course. The training covers essential aspects such as understanding children, basic childcare, home safety, first aid and medical procedures, safety protocols outside the home, and specialised au pair training.
More information? We're here to help!
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All you need to know: learn more about our au pair program, team, process and read some inspiring stories.
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