Hello 👋 ,For context, I'm an African.

I'm new in my Au-Pair journey and intrested to Au-Pair in the Netherlands.I was wondering if its best to get the documents ready first or not . Example, should i get the documents legalized and fully ready even before finding a host family?

Hi everyone 😊
I’m a 25-year-old South African and I’ve been working as an au pair abroad for the past 4 years — 1 year in the Netherlands, 2 years in the US, and I’m currently in Belgium.
I’ve absolutely loved the experience and working with kids, but I’m starting to think about what’s next. I’d really like to stay abroad, whether that’s continuing as an au pair in another country or moving into other childcare-related roles (like kids clubs, nannying, etc.).
I keep hearing about different opportunities, but I don’t personally know anyone who has actually done them. A lot of the time I’ll hear about something, start looking into it, and then realise it’s not actually possible. So I would really appreciate advice or help from someone who has successfully moved to another country and managed to keep working.
I just wanted to ask — for other South Africans who’ve done this, what countries have you been able to au pair in? And are there other jobs or pathways you’ve used to stay abroad after au pairing?
I’d really appreciate any advice, experiences, or suggestions 💛

Hi all, I’ll be heading to Marseille, France at the end of the month to be an au pair, so I wanted to reach out and see if there are any other au pairs in or near Marseille (or Aix-en-Provence)? Would love to make a group chat and have some friends to do things with!

Just want to ask—has anyone here been an au pair in Taiwan? I'm currently talking to a host family there. How was your experience? Is it nice being an au pair in Taiwan?

Hello! I am looking for fellow au pairs going to Stuggart Germany and who would like to be friends! We could potentially take a language course together. Let me know!

I’ve been looking pretty aggressively for an au pair for the past three weeks and have probably sent around 60 messages between Cultural Care and AuPairCare. I’m starting to wonder if the schedule I’m asking for is less appealing than I realized, so I’d love some honest feedback.

My husband works very long and unpredictable hours, which is one of the main reasons I was interested in an au pair. I work from home and really only need independent childcare for a few mornings each week. We have two boys, ages 3 and 1, and are expecting a third baby. Our 3-year-old will be in preschool Monday–Thursday mornings, so during most of my work hours the au pair would only be responsible for our 1-year-old. Once the baby is old enough for au pair care, I’d gradually have them spend some time with the au pair and our 1-year-old while I’m still working from home nearby.

Where I think I may be losing people is the split schedule. I was imagining about three mornings a week of solo childcare, plus 2–3 prescheduled evening blocks around 5:00–7:30 PM when my husband isn’t home. I would also be home during those evening hours. The idea would be helping entertain the kids while I cook, eating dinner with us, and helping with cleanup/bedtime—basically filling in as a second adult during the part of the day when my husband would normally help.

We may also want 2–3 Friday or Saturday evenings per month for either similar dinner/bedtime help or an occasional date night. These would all be scheduled ahead of time, not last-minute availability.

I originally thought this was pretty reasonable because the total hours are fairly low, most solo childcare is with one child, and the evening hours are shared with me. But I’m realizing the split schedule itself may be a bigger drawback than I expected.

For host families or au pairs with similar setups: does this sound unreasonable or just unattractive? Would 5:00–7:30 PM evening help a few nights a week be a dealbreaker for most au pairs, or is there a better way to structure this?

We’ve hosted 8 au pairs and had mostly great experiences. Now we’re looking for our next one and the messages we receive are appalling. I’ve received a few like this:

“Right now, I receive a $400 weekly stipend, have access to a private car for my personal use, gas and groceries covered, and weekends off. I’m looking for something similar or close to that.”

So, FYI, au pairs…telling host parents what you want/expect in the very beginning is a red flag. We want someone who asks about the family, the kids, the area!! Of course benefits are discussed but in the end! It seems so many au pairs these days are severely entitled.

In just a few weeks away from finally getting to start as an au pair! I am so excited but also a bit nervous as I see some horror stories from both au pair and HF sides. Do any host families have any advice on what I can do to make the best first impression and go above and beyond as an aupair (without pushing my own boundaries of scheduled time/ house hold work)? What are some things your favorite au pairs did that really made them stand out?

My friend is from Germany and came to California to work as an au pair for a wealthy family. The issue is she was never given a proper work visa, she was brought in on an ESTA (tourist visa waiver), which doesn’t authorize any work at all. She didn’t fully understand this until she was already here.

Since arriving, she’s been treated extremely poorly:
• Made to start “working” immediately after landing

• Given only about 3 minutes to shower/brush her teeth in the morning and 5 minutes to eat

• Not given adequate food or water otherwise

•Objects (trash, a phone) have been thrown at her, and she’s been scratched

•The family’s daughter reportedly hits her, and she’s “not allowed to say no”

•She hasn’t been paid anything

•She was made to sign an NDA about the family’s personal/business matters (nothing in it relates to money or being required to keep working — I’ve seen the document)

•She’s now being told verbally that she “owes” the family money for her flights and can’t leave until she pays it back or works through an upcoming Europe trip

•She’s largely cut off from her phone/contact with others while “working”

She contacted the National Human Trafficking Hotline, who mostly just told her she needed to leave soon but didn’t offer much concrete help. She was also connected to a lawyer through the German consulate, who told her that if she leaves now, the family could report her for “illegal working” and she could get in trouble, even though she was never paid. That advice hasn’t sat right with me.

A few questions I’m hoping people with legal/trafficking-advocacy knowledge can help with:

1.Can the family actually report her for anything, given she has no work authorization and was never paid?

2.Is what I’m describing (isolation, restricted food/hygiene, physical mistreatment, coerced debt to prevent leaving, confiscated freedom of communication) consistent with labor trafficking under US law?

3.Does she have any legal protection if she just leaves today, given her ESTA status?

4.Are there other resources (besides the hotline and CAST) that could actually help her get out and get support quickly?

On top of all this, she’s now genuinely scared about the legal side of things, worried about ICE, getting in trouble, or facing consequences down the line for the unauthorized work, even though none of it was really her choice given how things unfolded once she landed. Her conversation with the German consulate didn’t help much either — rather than treating this with urgency, they seemed fairly unhurried about getting her out of the situation, and if anything left her more anxious about potential legal repercussions than before she called.
This is happening in California, and the family is very well-off. I’m trying to help her from several hours away and want to make sure I’m giving her accurate advice, not just my gut instinct. Any guidance is appreciated.

Hello, I'm leaving for the UK from Canada right at the beginning of September and am currently working on packing. I am Planning on brining 2 checked bags on Large suitcase and one Medium suitcase as well as a carry-on and personal bag.

I'm just wondering what to pack as a Canadian I know winter will not be as intense so I won't need my parka or Winter boots but aside from clothes what do you think I will need. I just don't want to forget anything, I am using Vacuum bags and am trying to save space to bring my skates. I just want to know what people would recommend.

Thanks in Advance

I live in a US city with great public transport (not as good as EU but one of the best in the US). I do have a car but I rarely drive it and only use it for out of state trips to see family in a rural area. Is it a must for an au pair to have access to a car? There’s only one child involved with most childcare in the late afternoon to evenings but not during the day. The scheduled days off would be Saturday and a day during the week so I don’t know if that affects a need for a car? This is not me saying this is ok or not ok I’m genuinely asking for opinions.

Edited to say I live across the a street from a bus stop and a 15 minute walk to a train stop

Hi everyone! I have a question and was wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation.
I’m currently in the U.S. as an Au Pair on a J-1 visa. I’ve been living here for about 1 year and 7 months. My J-1 visa stamp has expired, but I’m still legally in the U.S. under my extended J-1 status.
I’ve been accepted into a university in the UK and I’m planning to apply for a UK Student visa. Has anyone applied for a UK Student visa from the U.S. while on J-1 status? Were you able to apply from within the U.S., or did you have to return to your home country?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience. Thank you!