A Useful Guide To Being An Au Pair In Australia

Living in Australia is a brilliant once in a lifetime opportunity. This post is a useful guide to being an Au Pair in Australia.

Becoming an Au pair is one of the most rewarding, unique experiences that you can get as a solo traveller. Also, it is a great opportunity to see a country from a different perspective.

Being so far away from home will allow you to develop resilience, character, new friendships, and long-lasting memories.

What is the Difference in Nannying and Being an Au Pair?

An Au Pair is usually someone from a different country who is on a cultural exchange. An Au Pair will work for and live with a host family in exchange for accommodation and meals.

The main role for an Au Pair is to share the responsibility of childcare and receive an allowance for personal use. 

Also as a side note – a nanny is an employer who works for the family, sometimes they live with the family too. Nannies are responsible for school drop off and pick up, cleaning toys and equipment and preparing meals.

Now you have made your decision that Au Pairing is the way that you are going to see Australia. Follow the steps to make you prepared to be an Au Pair.

These steps can also relate to other countries, however, bear in mind that visa requirements will be different.

Au Pair in Australia Requirements

Get The Relevant Experience

Although there are no specific entry requirements to become an Au Pair. There are recommendations that you should have some experience caring for children.

Just to show that you understand the job role. Also, it gives you something to talk about in the interview process.

Little things like being the oldest sibling of four or babysitting your cousins every weekend is enough to sign up for Au Pairing. If your previous paid jobs or education corresponds with childcare, then even better!

Previous jobs that I did were camp counsellor and gymnastics coach prior to applying to become an Au Pair.

Another thing to consider is your ability to speak good English (or the language that your host family speaks). Even if you are looking after babies, the biggest skill you need is communication with the parents.

Finally, it will be handy if you have a driver’s license, so you are available to do school runs etc. However, this is not necessary.

Make Sure You a Valid Passport

When getting everything organised for going to Australia the number one most important thing is to make sure you have a valid passport from one of the eligible countries.

Also, to save some hassle, I would suggest that you have at least 2-3 years left on your passport. Depending on your circumstances you might end up deciding to stay in the country longer than you anticipated.

Get The Correct Working Holiday Visa

If you are a UK citizen, you will need working holiday visa subclass 417. And if you are an USA citizen you will need subclass 462.

You can find the full list of countries and visa types on the Australian Home Affairs website. The cost for a visa is 510 AUD and the process can take a matter of minutes.

Click the link, you can find a guide for getting organised for going to Australia.

Find The Correct Family

Now that you know you are eligible for living and working down under it is time to find the perfect job for you. I would recommend creating a free profile on Au Pair World.

You should not pay to use any website or agency to find a host family. Au Pair World is a good website as the host family pays to advertise their profile. This is a good way to know that everything is legit.

You can search for your family based on location, likes and dislikes. Au Pairing is massive in Australia and there will be so many families to choose from.

Make sure you take time to search properly and do not accept an offer if you do not feel comfortable with it.

There will be a family out there who are perfect for you. And they will respect your religion, culture and values.

If you are not sure where to live in Australia, then just search for the perfect family and leave the location to fate. When I was looking for my family, I was set to live in Western Australia but did not know what area would be best.

I ended up in a suburb near Mandurah which was a great experience. I got to meet so many people, try new things and saw a part of the country that a normal backpacker would skip or never think of visiting.

Interviews – Au Pair Interview Questiona

Once you have narrowed your list down to one, two or three potential host families it is time to conduct the interviews. Most people will have an online chat with you, or add you on Facebook or Skype.

I remember feeling very nervous about my first video call. But just remember that you are the one in control as this will be your once-in-a-lifetime experience.

You might be in a situation where you are going to the family’s first-ever Au Pair, and they will not know what to expect or ask either. Some questions you can ask if you are stuck are:

• What is the normal daily routine? – What time do the kids wake up? When do they have school? Any evening activities? What time is bedtime?
• Who is expected to do the school run? How often?
• Are there any extra light housework duties that you expect me to do?
• What is the local public transport like? Where is the nearest bus or train station?
• Is there access to a car? Who pays for the fuel?
• Do they know any families who also have Au Pairs? (This is a great question to ask to build connections.)
• How does the host family relax? How often do they see family and friends?
• Will the host family provide you with mobile SIM for your phone?
• Can they recommend places to go on your days off?
• Ask if you can get in touch with their current Au Pair. You can get advice from someone who has done the same job role as you.
• Ask for a tour of the house. You can get to see the bedroom that you will be living in.

Questions to Ask Previous au Pair

• Are there a lot of other Au Pairs to meet in the area? Is it easy to meet people? Maybe the previous Au Pair can pass on contact details of other Au Pairs in the area.
• Are the family quite strict? Relaxed? Tidy? Sociable? What do they do in their spare time?
• Ask if there is anything she wished she would have known before starting that she knows now.
• Cool things to do in the area with the children and on your days off.
• What is public transport like? Or how often is the car free to use?

Book The Flights

Once you have successfully found your host family it is time to start planning flights.

Host families will probably prefer it if you can start during the school holidays. Some host families might cover a part of the price of your flight.

Therefore, it is good to wait until you have found a host family just in case they offer to cover this for you.

Furthermore, the host family might arrange to greet you at the airport which is good after a long couple of days of travelling.

Insurance And Other Important Things

Now you know the exact date you will be entering the country, it is time to look for insurance. The best one to get for a Working Holiday visa is backpacker insurance.

Also, think about other important steps that you will have to do. For example, transfer your savings into the correct currency and get proof of funds to show at the border.

Additionally, think about Medicare, getting a Tax File Number and organising a bank account so you can get paid.

Plan Your Trip

I would recommend looking for local Au Pair Facebook groups to try and make connections. So, when you get there, you will already have a few people to hang out with on your days off.

Next on the list is to pack your suitcase and purchase some items to bring over as gifts for the host family. Make sure you have a copy of your visa printed off, along with your passport and other documents.

How Much Pay Do You Get As An Au Pair?

Au Pair only gets an allowance, for example in Australia you will get 200 AUD or in the UK you will get £80 as a minimum guideline.

This will vary depending on how many hours you look after the children. Some families look for an Au Pair in Sydney or London where it is more expensive so you will get a larger allowance.

Signing up for an agency or making a profile online for an Au Pair should be free. I would not recommend paying for an agency as it is so easy to find a host family on Facebook for free. 

How Long Does it Take To Become An Au Pair?

If you are searching by yourself and not using an agency there isn’t a time length for this.

I have met some Au Pairs who were hired last minute and started a few days after applying. Other families like to be super organised and have their Au Pairs planned out months or years in advance.

How Long Can You Be an Au Pair For?

Au Pairs are hired for different lengths of time depending on their host family requirements.

Au Pairs can be hired for 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months and 24 months. Alternatively, you can be an Au Pair for longer if you want to move between families.

Do Au Pairs Clean?

Au Pairs are not expected to clean the house however, Au Pairs are expected to tidy up after themselves. For example, keeping your bedroom tidy, cleaning the kitchen after they have prepared a meal or unloading the dishwasher. 

If you feel like you have been given too much cleaning chores but you are not getting extra money for it, then I would speak to your host family.

Final Note

This post is a simple step by step guide to become an au pair. There are so many things to considers when becoming an Au Pair. It is so important to clarify your job role before you start working with the family.

So, you can prepare yourself mentally and make adjustments where necessary. Or, decide that the role is not for you.

When I was an Au Pair I looked after a toddler, even though it was hard work, we got on very well and I loved every minute of it. However, another friend who was an Au Pair looked after older kids who were essentially easier to look after.

However, then she ended up getting used as a taxi service and felt disrespected by the family. So, asking lots of questions about the role during the interview process is completely okay.

Also, when you get started make sure you are doing everything that you agreed to in the contract.

Au Pairing is an amazing cultural exchange programme. There are so many small things that you can share from cooking, to hobbies, to learning each other accents and languages.

And finally, the host family will appreciate you for who you are, just being there and signing up to look after their kids is a major achievement and an important role in itself.

Hopefully, this post has provided you with enough information to get started on your year abroad as an Au Pair. I worked as an au pair in Perth, Western Australia for 6 months.

During this time the family were kind enough to take me away on trips to Broome and Margaret River. Also, I made lots of friends are explored south west Australia and visited places like Augusta and Dunsborough.

Head north and explore the tropical paradise of Broome which is located in the Kimberley region.