There are a bunch of misconceptions about au pairs, so I thought I would try to put together one document that clears up the ones I personally hear most often.

First, having an au pair is not only for rich people. An au pair costs about $365 per family per week (plus room and board.) The average cost of care for an infant at a center in the Twin Cities metro area, according to mnchildcare.org, is $321, and $179 at an in-home daycare. This is per CHILD, not per family. So for one child, it’s slightly more expensive but significantly more flexible. For more than one child, it’s actually less expensive!

Second, au pairs do not come here to get married. While some of them do end up falling in love and marrying, the vast majority stay for the duration of their visa and then go back home. The State Department is constantly reviewing all au pair programs to ensure this is the case.

Third, au pairs are here to do childcare, to share their culture with Americans, to learn about our culture, to take classes, and to meet new people. They do not come here to party – it’s a lot easier and cheaper to do that at home!

Fourth, au pairs can drive. They all come with either an International Drivers License, or their home country’s license if they aren’t able to get an IDL where they live. So they all have passed at least one driving test. It is true that some of them have difficulty transitioning to our roads. We offer a course at our orientation that helps with that transition.

Fifth, au pairs are experienced, caring child care providers who love children. We exhaustively check childcare and personal references and provide transcripts to prospective host families. We give them personality tests and we are careful to only select candidates we feel will be successful with our host families.

If you have questions about au pairs, please let me know! I’m happy to answer anything!