The first step is to fill out our pre-application form. It allows us to assess how well you already fulfill the program requirements. Once your pre-application has been reviewed you can then start our comprehensive application. It contains of the application itself, a host family letter, a picture collage, a video, a medical report from your doctor including an HIV test and all necessary immunization, two childcare references, one character reference and a police clearance report. After you have submitted your application, we will conduct a short interview by Skype before releasing your application to our registered and screened host families.
Ayusa International is part of Intrax Cultural Exchange, an international exchange organization headquartered in San Francisco. Founded in 1980, Intrax today has over 1,300 Student Support staff, 100 dedicated Partner Services staff, regional offices in 7 countries, and a presence in more than 80 countries. Intrax is proud to welcome more than 20,000 participants into its programs each year.
Intrax has been running the AuPairCare Program to the USA since 1989 and has grown to become one the largest and most successful au pair programs in the USA with more than 30,000 successful au pair placements and participants representing 45 countries. The committed Ayusa staff in the German office in Berlin has extensive experiences in educational and cultural exchange programs. Ayusa prides itself for premium programs resulting in high customer satisfaction and excellent referral rates. Supported by a national network of about 100 representatives, Ayusa Germany is offering the following programs for Germans to go abroad: Au pair, high school exchange, language classes, internships, and work & travel. Aside from the au pair program to Germany, Ayusa also organizes a high school exchange program to Germany.
Unfortunately it is not possible to work shorter than six months due to au pair visa regulations. That does not apply if you possess an EU passport. Then you can stay for a shorter period of time.
Ayusa places au pairs in areas where there are other au pairs, too. For a list of these areas please see the answer to the question above. Our main objective is to help an au pair find a compatible host family. While we will certainly try to accommodate your request for a particular region, placement may take longer than usual. The best way of finding your “perfect” host family is to stay as open-minded and flexible as possible. As an au pair you will be spending the next six to twelve months with your host family, therefore we encourage all our au pairs to accept a match based on the individual family rather than on their location. From experience we know that the success of a placement is not determined by the area where the au pair is living but how well the au pair gets on with the family. While some places in Germany like i.e. Berlin are probably more familiar to au pairs, all parts of the country are interesting, and each has its own advantages. The country has a lot to offer and as an au pair you may be surprised to discover cities or regions that you didn't know about before. You will have a chance to visit other parts of Germany during your vacation time.
It always depends on each applicant but the application itself can be completed within a matter of days. The additional documents such as a basic police check, medical record and obtaining childcare references can take a little longer but should not take more than four weeks.
Moving to a new country, having a new family, and being responsible for teaching English to children can be overwhelming at times! With the help of your local Ayusa representative, your host family and other participants in your area, you will quickly become comfortable and adapt to your new surroundings. If you have a problem during your stay with your host family it is very important to first try to sort it out directly with them. As always, communication is the key! However, if the problem persists or you do not know how to address it with your host family you can always turn to your local Ayusa representative for support and advice. She will act also as a mediator between you and your host family. If the problem between the tutor and family cannot be resolved and was not due to the tutor neglecting her duties there is always the possibility of re-matching with a new host family. Nevertheless, this should always be seen as the last resort after every other effort to resolve the issue have been made.
German host families rely on their au pair to be committed and to stay with them for the entire length agreed on in the contract. In the event that the contract is being terminated earlier, the au pair will be responsible for paying her / his own return flight home which would otherwise have been paid for by the host family if you had previously agreed to stay with them for full 12 months. Furthermore, your visa will expire after termination of the program. (In case of a rematch with another host family, the visa will have to be changed over to the new family.)
Yes, we will send you all necessary documents and also samples on how to fill them out.
Depending upon your au pair qualifications, it can take as little as one or two weeks for you to match with a family. Once you are matched, you and your host family will agree on a start date in order to book a flight. Your host family will pay for your flight to and from Germany if you have agreed to stay with them for 12 months.
Not necessarily. It really depends on your host family and their situation. Host families that live right in the city often don’t need their au pairs to drive due to an excellent public infrastructure being in place (i.e. bus or underground train services). Families that live in the outskirts of cities or in smaller towns might require the au pair to drive their children to school, kindergarten, appointments or play dates. It’s recommendable to speak with the family about it during the interview to see whether driving skills are required or not. You can still apply to become an au pair in Germany even if you do not have a driving license or don’t feel comfortable driving in a foreign country. It just may take a little longer to find a host family.
Moving to a new country, having a new family, and being responsible for children can be overwhelming at times! With the help of your local Ayusa representative, your host family and other au pairs in your area, you will quickly become comfortable and adapt to your new surroundings. If you have a problem during your stay with your host family it is very important to first try to sort it out directly with them. As always, communication is the key! However, if the problem persists or you do not know how to address it with your host family you can always turn to your local Ayusa representative for support and advice. She will act also as a mediator between you and your host family. If the problem between the au pair and family cannot be resolved and was not due to the au pair neglecting her duties there is always the possibility of re-matching with a new host family. Nevertheless, this should always be seen as the last resort after every other effort to resolve the issue have been made.
As an au pair in Germany you have the fantastic opportunity to experience first-hand the German Way of life by living with a host family. In exchange you will provide personalized live-in childcare for your family's children for up to 30 hours per week.
As an au pair you will:
- Supervise, play, do sports or make handicrafts with your family's children
- Get the children bathed and dressed
- Feed and change diapers of infants
- Make the children's breakfast, lunch or dinner
- Drive the children to school, kindergarten, appointments, lessons, play dates, etc.
- Help the children with their school homework
- Keep your and the children's rooms neat and tidy and do your own and their laundry
- Do light household work such as vacuuming, un-/loading the dishwasher, taking out the trash, do some grocery shopping, etc.
- Share your culture and traditions with your host family and vice versa
- Accompany your host family on trips and celebrate holidays and birthdays with them
Yes. Au pairing means providing live-in childcare for a host family in a foreign country. It also gives the au pair the fantastic opportunity to really get to know the German way of life.
Yes and no. You do need to know at least the basics of German in order to be granted an au pair visa. This means you need an official A1 German certificate. You don’t necessarily need to know German to live with a host family. (Of course, it does prove helpful in the beginning when trying to bond with the children). Most host families speak really good English. The families also pay parts of the monthly stipend as an educational allowance, so you can take German classes while you are in Germany allowing you to expand your knowledge. And being with children is a great way to explore a new language as you will be learning together with them! When you are done with the program, you will be an advanced or perhaps even a fluent German speaker, which will set you apart from many of your peers when applying for a job.
Homesickness can be quite tough to deal with at first and some au pairs may find the first few months of their program challenging. Our Ayusa representatives understand this very well, and will be there to support and advise you as you adjust. It also often helps to get out of the house during your free time and meet up with other au pairs in your area. Talking with them and hearing how they have managed to overcome homesickness, and how much they are enjoying their stay now in Germany can also help you remember why it is that you wanted to come to Germany in the first place. Remember, ups and downs are normal when living in a foreign culture. It takes time to adjust to another lifestyle but in the end it’s always worth sticking to it. Imagine the sense of achievement you will feel!
You will gain so much from it! The majority of au pairs state that they have gained more independence, maturity and self-confidence from their stay in Germany. They have had the chance to get to know another culture, make friends with au pairs from other countries and discover hidden talents within themselves. Staying abroad for an extended period of time is also a great way to enhance future careers options as au pairs learn to adapt and adjust to a new lifestyle, to be flexible and to further develop intercultural competencies.
Ayusa host families are usually hard-working, friendly, busy, and want the best for their children. They participate in the program because they want dependable care for their children, and look forward to sharing their home with an international au pair. Ayusa carefully screens all families who apply to the au pair program including an in-home interview with an Ayusa representative. Host families must agree not to schedule the au pair to work more than 30 hours per week. Families must also be German citizens (or permanent residents), and have a sincere desire to share their home with an au pair.
While you will be surrounded by the language 24/7 once you have arrived here in Germany and hence will “have no choice but” to learn the language along the way, attending a German language class will ensure you learn the proper grammar and pronunciation.
If you would like to brush up on your German before arrival try using an online language learning system like Rosetta Stone, go to your local library to check out whether they have any German (childrens) books in store, search on the Internet for a free German web radio station, read German magazines or newspapers online or rent a movie you already know by heart and set the language to German this time. There are many different ways to practice German even before you get here.
As an au pair you have the fantastic chance to advance your German language skills and thus gain a new qualification which might even aid your career afterwards. The German au pair visa requires all au pairs to attend German language course(s) during their stay in order to improve their language skills. And what’s even better: your host family contributes an educational allowance each month of 90 € (as part of the 370 € monthly salary) towards your educational experience.
If you become an au pair with Ayusa you will be supported all along the way and you will have a very safe experience. Our agency visits each host family in person and helps you with applying for an au pair visa. You will also sign a contract with the host family which details all duties and rights of each party for your own protection. For up to 30 hours of childcare per week you will receive a total stipend of €370 per month, 2 days paid vacation per month, comprehensive insurance coverage, as well as a free room and board. And if you decide to come for one year, the host family also pays your roundtrip ticket from your home country. Our local Ayusa representative will visit you at your host family’s home 3-4 weeks after your arrival. She will also organize au pair meetings on a regular basis and will help you with any questions or queries you might have during your stay. During the meetings and your time in the language classes you will be able to make new friends from around the world, just like Bobbi from Minnesota in the USA: “Some of my best memories were meeting and interacting with the wonderful people from around Europe and the world! I have gained so many perspectives on other cultures, languages and countries - even without having traveled there! I have made some life-long friends during this experience - which has been irreplaceable.”
We currently place au pairs in the following exciting German cities and their surroundings: Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Karlsruhe / Heidelberg, Essen, Hannover, Bielefeld, Stuttgart, Ulm and Munich. In each of these regions we have local representatives who are qualified and fully trained and often have been au pairs once themselves. They will be your main point of contact during your stay. They will meet you in your host family’s home within the first 3-4 weeks after your arrival and organize au pair meetings on a regular basis so you can get in touch with other au pairs in your region.
If you fulfill all the requirements to become an au pair then have a look here for a detailed overview on how to apply successfully for one of our au pair positions.
Once you have arrived in Germany your host family and your host family or local Ayusa representative can provide you with information on the local institutions near your place where German is being taught.
The minimum duration for au pairing in Germany is six months due to au pair visa regulations. The maximum stay on an au pair visa is 12 months. If you are from Europe you do not need a visa at all and can thus stay longer than 12 months if you and your host family wish to extend the contract.
Unfortunately it is not possible to place you and your friend together in the same family. Our host families only need one au pair in their family. However, this way you get the chance to really get to know your host family, to truly immerse yourself in another culture and to experience Germany to the fullest.