To sum up, the definition of AuPair, think nanny abroad. Typically an AuPair will go to a foreign country that utilizes a language other than their home country’s language; this coincides with using a student visa by taking language courses. For the duration of their stay in another country, most AuPairs will use a student visa because being a nanny, similar to being a babysitter is seen as an under the counter job. My chosen country is Spain because I went to Spanish Immersion school and am fascinated by the country, however, I was unable to obtain a student visa and will return home after three months to try again [I can be in Spain as a tourist for three months without any visa]. The family I am staying with is a sweet family of five with two boys, ages 3 and 7, and one girl who is 5. The family is located in Madrid, a city I am very eager to get to know. I just arrived last night and as of now am not feeling any type of jet lag, thank god! So I think I will take a dip in the pool at the apartment building while the parents are at work and the kids are at camp. Life is not bad.
If you are interested in becoming an AuPair or simply curious about how I did it, there are several different options. I used a website called “AuPairWorld.com” and was able to make a profile and contact families all around the world who are in search of an AuPair. I liked this website because I was able to be very specific in what I was looking for: no cleaning or cooking from me, no smoking from either party, a big city, etc. AuPairWorld was able to match me up with other families who narrowed down their profiles the same way. Another thing I liked about the website is knowing that all of the families have had background checks and pay a monthly fee to use the website, so I know they are legit. The website didn’t offer this but I asked the families I was choosing between if I could contact their previous AuPairs as references and all of them had said yes which made things much easier! The website is free, super easy to navigate, and has lots of good advice! I have friends that have found families to work for on other AuPair websites, who have found personal agents, and who simply have family friends they are working for in another country, so there are many options! If you are becoming an AuPair and have already found the family you will work for, I advise you get your visa taken care of ASAP, time constrictions and interview appointments will sneak up on you. I would take at least three months working on your visa before it is time to depart.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post! If there are any questions about becoming or being an AuPair, I would love to answer them 🙂