Working as an au pair has been less popular in the United States then in other countries, but is gaining credence as a efficient method of childcare. There are 11 agencies designated by the State Department to run the Au Pair Program. Both the host family and potential au pair typically pay these agencies an application fee and a program fee which varies from $4,990 to $6,955, depending on the agency used. Au pairs pay fees which vary depending on the US agency and the home country agency they use (if they do not apply directly to the US agency).
Along with room and board, au pairs are paid a salary or stipend. This job is often combined with an education requirement in which the au pair is required to complete 12 hours of academic credit. Au pairs placed with families who have children under 2 years old must have at least 200 hours of child care experience with infants under 2. Au pairs may only be placed in a family with an infant under 3 months old if a parent or other adult caregiver is also home and fully responsible for the infant.
The Au Pair Program is administered by the US Department of State. Au pairs enter the United States on a J-1 Visa. A typical 12-month program may have fees that resemble these from Au Pair USA:
Au Pair USA 12-Month Program Fees
| Program Fees | Amount | Due | Au Pair USA Services Covered |
| Application Fee (Non-Refundable) | $250 | With application | Processing of the host family application and program approval |
| Deposit | $2,500 | Upon matching with an au pair | Recruitment and screening of au pair, police clearance report, medical history, interview, matching and placement |
| Program Fee Balance | $4,400* | Upon the au pair's arrival or according to payment plan | Au pair's visa, most of the au pair's roundtrip transportation, year-long support services of a local coordinator, a portion of the au pair's medical insurance and the au pair's training and orientation program |
What the au pair must know
Basic application criteria vary from agency to agency, but there are a few typical requirements:
- Speak and write conversational English
- Be willing to share your culture and learn about others
- Be willing to commit to 12 months in the U.S.
- Agree to having a background check performed
- Have at least 6 months childcare experience
- Be able to provide 3 non-family local references regarding your experience and character
- Possess a driver's license (or be ready to get one)
- Be in good physical condition as evidenced by a Physician's Report
- Pass a psycho-metric test given by the Agency
What the family has to do
It is the families responsibility to choose an agency that offers adequate screening of an au pair's background and mental make-up. The best situations are those in which the family and au pair truly like each other. It is also the families responsibility to be able to offer adequate room, board, and salary for the au pair as they are not a servant, but a valued employee.
Some addresses...
The designated US agencies are:
Update 26/03/2008
Babbel is an international success with millions of active subscribers and ranked as the world's #1 innovative company in education.
Why Babbel?
Learn and review on your own schedule: Mobile, tablet or desktop compatible, with lessons about 10-15 min.
Expert-made courses: Learn the basics or focus on topics like travel, culture, or business.
Start speaking right away: Learn to speak a new language naturally and conversationally.
Every learner is different: Each course is based on your native language and personal interests.
Remember everything: Babbel employs proven cognitive techniques that move new vocab to your long-term memory.
Refine your pronunciation: Practise speaking and improve your pronunciation with speech recognition technology.
Try Babbel for free today
Registration with Babbel is completely free of charge and the first lesson in every course is FREE to try (Depending on the language you choose, that's 30-80 free lessons!).
If you want full access to Babbel's courses, simply choose a subscription that works best for you. Buy with confidence: 20-day money back guarantee!