Become An Au Pair In Australia
For 6 or 12 months, live like a local. Earn AUD$800+ per month.
au pair
/ō ˈper/ noun
A young person who lives with a host family and takes care of the children in exchange for room and board and a weekly or monthly allowance.
COVID TRAVEL ALERT: 25 June 2021.
Au Pairs may be permitted to arrive in Australia by February 2022 with the proper Working Holiday Visa. Applications for Au Pair in Australia are welcome now. But no travel is permitted until the visa is secure (check with visa processing times) and the borders are officially open. We hope to begin sending au pairs to Australia during February 2022.
How To Become An Au Pair In Australia
Becoming an Au Pair in Australia is an affordable international educational experience that will enhance your resume through practical experience. And when you return home, imagine the kind of job you can get when you list this experience.
Overview
What do Au Pairs do? They take care of the children during scheduled hours. Help the children with their homework and assist in keeping children’s rooms and play areas clean. Prepare snacks and meals for the children and drop them off or pick them up from school or activities. If this sounds like something you’d be good at, being an Au Pair in Australia is definitely for you.
With GeoVisions Foundation, your host family is screened carefully. In addition, you have the ultimate safety net … local coordinators in Australia you can call on anytime. All of this is to ensure you have a safe, comfortable environment and that your host family is a suitable host. Receive a clear set of guidelines and expectations that are set with your host family. Through monthly meetups, make new friends with other au pairs during your time in Australia. Don't take your chances on a host family that has not undergone any screening. GeoVisions Foundation provides a supportive network of agencies and other au pairs nearby.
How Long Can You Stay?
Because of the visa, you must stay in Australia for six months minimum and 12
Visa
You will need to get the Work and Holiday visa (US citizens) working holiday visa (Canadian citizens). To read up on current fees and requirements, use the link we have provided. The cost of this visa is not included in the program fee. If you're from outside the USA or Canada, you can read up on the qualifications of each country for this visa.
Your Work and Holiday Visa is valid for 12-months. You can work as an au pair for six months and then find a different kind of job for the other six months after you get to know Australia.
Start Dates
We have families available year-round.
Eligibility And Fees
You must meet a series of requirements established for most all au pair positions in Australia. In addition to that, to become an au pair in Australia, you must meet the Working Holiday Visa requirements set forth by the Australian Government.
Qualifications
- Be between the ages of 18 and 30. (Female Au Pairs are placed quickly, while male Au Pairs can take a bit longer to be placed.)
- Have previous childcare/babysitting experience with references and a genuine love of children.
- Commit to a minimum of 6 months as an au pair in Australia.
- Provide a medical statement and a background check.
- Be interviewed by phone or Skype to be accepted by the family.
- Have
driving experience. - Hold a passport so that you can obtain the Working Holiday visa 462 (US citizens) or the Working Holiday Visa 417 (Canadian citizens). This visa allows you to live and work in Australia legally.
Fee
$689
What Will I Earn?
The average monthly stipend is AUD $800 for between 28-40 hours of childcare per week. If you stay six months, you'll pocket around USD $5,000. Obviously, if you stay a year you'll earn double that. Remember ... your visa is good for one year. Be an au pair for six months, and then you can work anywhere else in Australia if you want and possibly earn a lot more.
Before you arrive in Australia, you will receive a timetable with duties and working days/hours, so you know exactly the working time. The family must respect your time off. Should the family require you to work outside the usual working hours, both sides must agree that any extra hours worked must be paid.
Usually, au pairs are provided two days off per week. (Plan to provide one weekend evening per month to watch the children.) Some families provide 1½ days off, but that information will be provided in advance.
What's Included
- Your placement with a screened host family.
- A private room and full board. In addition to your monthly stipend, you're getting your room and board free.
- The possibility to use the family’s car.
- In-country support.
- An end of program bonus from the host family for qualified au pairs:
- 6-month au pairs receive $500 or 1-2 weeks additional pay at the end.
- 12-month au pairs receive $500 and 1-2 weeks additional pay. You may also choose 4-weeks of paid holiday as your bonus.
- Pre-departure assistance.
- Monthly au pair coffee group and occasional special events.
- 24-hour support while abroad.
- Most families will pick you up at the airport.
What's Not Included
- Your international flights.
- Visa costs.
- Meals when you travel or go out on your own.
- Spending money for personal expenses, when you travel, or optional activities.
- International insurance with 24-hour emergency assistance services.
Become An Au Pair In Australia
There is no commitment on your part for reaching out to us.
Application Process
If you're ready to make your application and pay your program deposit of $350, take a look at the Application Process and then click the red button below.
- Submit the online application along with the deposit.
- You'll receive a link for a supplemental form and additional materials to submit.
- We work with our partner in Australia to match you with a well-screened host family.
- We'll email you the host family information. Then set up a skype call with the host family for your interview.
- Once you and the host family agree that it's a good match, you and the family arrange the exact arrival and departure date.
- Find and purchase your flights.
- Arrange your international health insurance.
- If you need a visa, please arrange for your visa.
- Fly to Australia and begin your au pair program and cultural experience!
Click the red button below to:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the process?
- Fill out and submit your application to be an au pair in Australia. Pay your $350 deposit.
- Upload a video, your Dear Family letter, and other documents. Fill out and submit your Supplemental Information. This is information that is shared with our partner agencies and host families interested in hiring you.
- When you agree to a match with one of our screened Australian host families and agree to a contract, we will review the contract and ensure everything is as it should be.
- Pack your bags, get your visa, fly to Australia, and start earning money.
How is this better than an online matching site?
- No one has screened your host family, the house, the kids, your bedroom.
- There is no agency to support you when you need a new family or need serious medical attention.
- There is no legally binding contract. You're trusting people you've never met to pay you on time and pay you the amount you've agreed to, and no one to make sure they pay you overtime when you go over the minimum hours.
Can I choose my location?
We recommend focusing on family interviews and choosing your location based on the host family that you really “connect with.” Let the family connection guide your decision on where you will live.
What if I don’t like my placement when I arrive or I have host family issues? Can I move?
Before you depart, we connect you via email, phone, and Skype with your new host family. You’ll have all the details you want before you ever leave home. Some au pairs Skype with their new host family once a week to check-in. GeoVisions spends a great deal of time on match-making. It is the only way the program will be successful. There needs to be a “connection” between you and your host family.
But after you arrive, if you’re having issues, we have a way to start the process to fix things or change your placement, if necessary. This is extremely rare, but we’ve done this long enough to know things can come up on all sides.
Can I be placed with someone? I’d like to travel with a friend.
Unfortunately, Australian host families needing an au pair only have one au pair in the home at a time. So we are unable to provide a homestay for anyone except one au pair per household. If you want to apply with someone else, they would be placed with another family. We would try hard to find a host family so you would be close to one another, but we could not guarantee that. We are successful most of the time.
Will I be a part of the family or an employee?
Some of our au pairs tell us the bond they form with their host family can last a lifetime. We know some au pairs who actually fly back a few years later for a reunion or to attend a milestone event for one of the children they cared for.
You will participate in family activities, share cultures, make friends in your new community, and other au pairs in the area.
Should I become an au pair?
Becoming an au pair in Australia is a serious position … and while you do get paid to travel … your main responsibilities are the children you care for. While you might consider yourself patient, fun-loving, and perfect for a job like this … think about how responsible you are and your previous experience with children under your care. It's an amazing cultural exchange! If you’re ready … we have incredible families who need you right away, living in amazing locations.
Can't I use a matching site?
Yes! But you'll still pay to subscribe to the matching sites for a year of premium service if you want good jobs. Plus, no matter what you pay, you won't get a screened host family. Au pair professionals have screened 100% of GeoVisions Foundation host families.
PLEASE BE CAREFUL
You can find sites on the Internet that will encourage you to find a family for free (and still ask you to pay for a premium service.) Some of those sites boast 2 Million registrations. How can any company screen 2 million families? Please think twice before you agree to travel thousands of miles from your family and friends and move in with a host family advertising that they want a young woman or a young man to move in with them. They remind us of dating sites.
If things go wrong and your host family violates your agreement with them, resolving the problems will be all up to you. And today, you may not be concerned. But know that any family that ducks under the radar and doesn’t want to be screened that regularly goes beyond the terms of your contract, making you work too much, too often, on the wrong kinds of tasks will likely keep on doing it unless there is someone right there to step in and help you. Or get you out of that situation quickly and safely.
In the USA, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and The Netherlands, au pairs are required to use an approved au pair agency. This government requirement is all about protecting you.
Want some real down-to-earth ideas? The website, AuPairMom.com is a great source. At that site, they “get about one email a week from an au pair in Europe or Australia who is working without the support of an agency. She is usually being expected to work far too much, has limited to no use of a car, can’t leave the host family’s house, and/or is having her pocket money withheld for problems she does not think she caused.”
With GeoVisions, every family is screened carefully and visited in person. Many of these families have hosted au pairs before. We brag that we have a few hundred host families, not millions. It’s a number we can screen and stay connected to. It’s not about the money. It’s about your safety.
Are there Blog posts about being an au pair in Australia I could read?
Here are plenty of examples, written by our au pairs in Australia, from our SeekExperiences Blog.
"I had the best experience in Australia living and working as a nanny I loved it so much I am currently trying to move out there permanently on a skilled working visa.
My family was amazing and the staff with GeoVisions offered so much support and guidance I want to do it again or try another program!
"
Natalie
2018
"Going across the Sydney Harbor Bridge for the first time in the early morning and catching a glimpse of the Sydney Opera House. I wanted to travel and continue to work as a nanny, GeoVisions gave me a way to do that.
I have my own room and share a bathroom with the kids, I can use the cars for outings with the kids, and am also provided pocket money and three meals a day.
"
Jessica
2020
"I have been in Australia for nearly 3 months now, and I am so happy with my decision to come! GeoVisions has been wonderful throughout the entire process.
Both my sister and I had applied for placements in New Zealand and then decided that we also wanted to go to Australia first. Because they had a few host families available GeoVisions helped us to get everything set up, and not only found us both families but found them in close proximity to each other (though not always guaranteed).
I have really enjoyed my experience with my family, and so has my sister. There have been no major problems, and the children and host families have been absolutely lovely!
The people at GeoVisions have kept in contact with us the entire time that we have been here as has the partner in Australia. The people that I have gone through were Ann Sherer, Rebecca LeGrant, and Melynda Davis. Every month I have received an email checking in on how we are doing as well as asking if there is anything that we would change about the program. All of them have made this experience so much easier! I would highly recommend using GeoVisions, and I certainly will be again very soon.
"
Karissa
2019
"Australia is a dream come true, and it's going great! This is SUCH a great program, I'm really glad that I chose it and I'm thankful for the assistance you guys constantly provide."
K.S.
2018
"My friends at home are constantly asking me if I am out seeing everything I came here to see. I always say yes and no... because I have already seen a lot, but have a lot left on my list to see.
Many people go 'aw that sucks I hope you see everything!' But this experience has been so amazing that even though I have not seen everything I want to see, I am so happy where I am and very comfortable with my host family!
That said, I have seen the Newcastle beaches many times, and have been up to the Hunter Valley where my host family is moving, but there are also beautiful vineyards and many Kangaroos.
I recommend this program highly. I'm finding myself a little more each day and the program lets me do that. And I still have 5 months left, and it's exciting to think about who next I'll meet.
"
Shannon C.
2020
If you've been an au pair in Australia with The GeoVisions Foundation, you can review the program here.
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Request More Information - Opportunities For You
This experience will look great on your CV or Resume.
There are no official "start dates." You can set your dates up with your host family in advance. The age range is 18+
Become An Au Pair in Australia
Earn Money While You Travel
We would love to talk to you when you're ready!
years we have been sending au pairs to Australia
Learn More From Our Alumni
Posts From Au Pairs
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Schedule a call with one of our experienced staff to learn more about how you can become an Au Pair in Australia for 6 - 12 months.
