Frequently asked questions

Becoming an au pair is easy with our help! (And to travel legally to the USA as an au pair, you must go through a designated agency like Cultural Care.) To get started, you’ll download our app, register for free and create a profile. You’ll also want to join an Info Session and interview with a Cultural Care staff member so they can get to know you better. Once your profile is complete and reviewed by us, you can search and connect with host families. When you find your match, we’ll help you prepare for your appointment at the U.S. embassy to get your visa. You’ll also attend our Au Pair Training School and helpful pre-departure workshops before traveling to the U.S. to start your adventure as an au pair.

To be an au pair in the USA, you need to be between 18 and 26 years old and a secondary school graduate (or the equivalent). Cultural Care au pairs must have at least 200 hours of childcare experience and a driver’s license (or the ability to get one). You should be able to have a simple conversation in English and, above all, be excited about spending a year abroad with an American family!

Yes, all Cultural Care au pairs must have a valid driver's license from their home country to be accepted onto our program. If you don’t have one right now, we recommend that you register and complete the rest of your profile while you work towards earning your license. Once you’ve passed your driving test and your profile is complete, you can start matching with families.

First, we have 35+ years of experience and the largest number of host families to choose from. (Your perfect match is waiting for you at Cultural Care!) Our insurance coverage is the most comprehensive around, and we have support staff in 3 U.S. offices and local representatives in 48 states who want to help you have an incredible experience. We offer online support sessions, fun in-person events and an Au Pair Ambassador community that au pairs are invited to join during their time in the U.S. and stay part forever. For even more on why Cultural Care is the most popular choice for au pairs, explore our website and follow us on our social media channels @culturalcare.

Once you’ve registered and been through our screening process, your profile will go live in our matching system. Host families can then view and favorite your profile and start a chat in our app if they want to get the conversation going. You can have as many calls as you need to in order to figure out if you’re a good fit for each other. Au pairs and host families are both able to request a match, and the other party can either accept or reject the offer. Staff in your home office will be available for support along the way.

It’s possible, yes! First, you’ll both need to register with Cultural Care Au Pair, create a profile and go through our screening process. Once you are active in our matching system, you can connect with each other, confirm you’ve had at least one in-person conversation and choose an arrival date. Then you can request to be matched!

Au pairs must commit to spending one year with their American host families, and this is a requirement followed by all au pair agencies in the USA. It may sound like a long time, but our au pairs always tell us the time flies! In fact, more than half of our au pairs decide to extend their program for 6, 9 or 12 more months.

Yes! After one year, you can extend your stay for 6, 9, or 12 more months. When you extend, you can choose to stay with your first host family or choose a new family and explore a different part of the U.S.

It’s different for every au pair, but it usually takes at least 2-3 months from the time you register to the time you board your plane heading to the USA! To make the process go more quickly, set aside focused time to complete your profile and talk with potential families. Being open to many different types of families will also help you find a match sooner. If you’re not in a hurry, you can apply up to one year in advance.

American host families pay their au pairs a minimum weekly stipend of 195.75 U.S. dollars, an amount set by the U.S. Department of State. Host families and au pairs can discuss and agree to compensation higher than this amount, as long as they continue to stay within the program rules and limits.

In the USA, the au pair program is regulated by the U.S. Department of State, meaning there are rules au pairs and host families must follow. These rules are in place to protect the well-being of au pairs and include a strict limit on the number of hours au pairs can work and what they can do. The cost of an au pair’s housing, food, car and insurance is covered by their host family while nannies are typically responsible for bearing those expenses themselves. For this reason, an American nanny’s salary is typically higher than an au pair’s stipend. While nannies are considered employees, au pairs become extended family members and share their culture and language while learning about how Americans live.

An au pair’s biggest role is to care for their host kids—up to 10 hours per day and for a maximum of 45 hour per week. They can also assist with household duties related to the children including laundry, meal preparation and tidying kids’ rooms and play areas. While on- or off-duty, au pairs can help with tasks shared by the whole family, like clearing the table, taking out the trash and vacuuming common areas.

Don’t worry, there are lots of ways to make new friends as an au pair. Your first opportunity will be during the Training School classes. Here, you’ll meet other au pairs who are leaving for the U.S. the same time you are (making them perfect travel buddies during your travel month!). As soon as you arrive in the U.S., your local representative will connect you with au pairs who live close by. Au pairs tend to stick together and plan lots of casual outings together. You can also connect with au pairs during monthly calls run by our team in the USA and in the classes you’re taking at local universities and during weekend courses across the country.

One of the best parts about being an au pair is getting to take classes at an American college or university. It’s actually required that au pairs earn 6 semester credits (or 72 hours) at an accredited post-secondary institution, and host families contribute up to $500 per year. You can choose a class aimed at improving your English, one related to your area of study—or one that’s just for fun. Our au pairs have signed up for classes in computer studies, American culture, business, marketing, photography and more.

If things with your host family aren’t going well, your local representative or a Cultural Care staff member will help you figure out why and share tips to sort out the problems. Most times, issues can be solved through better communication, but if they can’t be improved it may be in everyone’s best interest to part ways. Assuming you’re in good standing with the program, we’ll help you find a new host family who is a better fit.