Au Pairs’ in Sydney – Helpers and a Cultural Experience
Families go through various childcare agencies in the hunt for the perfect babysitter. And it’s seldom about the experience – more often than not it’s about finding someone that will bond with your children and be able to help around the house every once in a while. Well, what if we could suggest an alternative? Yes, we’re talking about ‘Au Pairs’ in Sydney or Melbourne! Sydney constantly ranks at the top when it comes to the worst cities in terms of traffic congestion, and if you’re struggling to get home and feed your kids on time, ‘Au Pairs’ come in handy.
Similar to a babysitter, ‘Au Pairs’ are something families tend to use when they want someone that would take care of their children and help around the house, but also feel like a member of the family, not someone that just worked for you for a few months.
So, what is an ‘Au Pair’? How does the entire experience work, and why is it something that you should be considering if you want childcare without the need to go through various agencies? Let’s find out.
What is a Sydney ‘Au Pair’?
Whether you’re in Sydney or Melbourne, ‘Au Pair’s are something that families are falling in love with in recent years. It’s a system that gives the chance to people from overseas to be employed and live with an Australian family, and it’s a bit of a cultural experience for both the ‘Au Pair’ and the family. The family gets someone that would care for their children and house, whereas the ‘Au Pair’ improves their English skills and gets to live with an Australian family.
This begs the question, how is it different from a babysitter? Well, an ‘Au Pair’ tackles a few more responsibilities for the families – not just childcare. They are also expected to do some light child-related housework as well, and if they have a driver’s license, they’re also expected to transport children to school, daycare, or any afterschool activities.
So, what do the ‘Au Pairs’ in Sydney get from the experience? They get to live in Australia and experience the Australian lifestyle while also getting a bit of a monthly allowance they can use on whatever they want. Sydney is known for its incredibly high quality of life, as well as the fact that it is culturally diverse and is a historical paradise. This makes it an attractive destination for ‘Au Pairs’.
Usually, they get a twelve-month visa, but they don’t work for the duration of the twelve months. When they’ve worked enough and helped the families they lived with, most of the ‘Au Pairs’ use the remaining time to travel a bit and experience the lifestyle, the city, and other parts of the country.
How Much Does an ‘Au Pair’ in Sydney Cost?
As we mentioned, the cost itself isn’t high. Families agree on a monthly allowance for the ‘Au Pair’, and they also take up the costs of an additional family member. It’s another mouth to feed, but it’s a great experience overall, and when you consider all the responsibilities they’ll be taking on, both families and ‘Au Pairs’ finish the experience happily. Now that we’ve mentioned it, what are the responsibilities of ‘Au Pairs’?
‘Au Pair’ Responsibilities
Before we get into the responsibilities themselves, you should keep in mind that families tend to agree on the responsibilities with each ‘Au Pair’ individually, and they depend on a variety of factors. Some of the key ones are the ‘Au Pair’s age, your children’s age, and what your household’s organization looks like in general.
The first thing ‘Au Pairs’ will do is take care of your children in the morning. This includes waking them up, helping them wash and get dressed for school, and helping them make their bed and keep their room(s) clean in general. Aside from this, it would also be their responsibility to make breakfast and lunch for the children.
Whereas with most of the roles an ‘Au Pair’ would be helping kids with chores, it also includes taking on a few of the parent’s responsibilities, too. And of course, if necessary, they need to take the kids to school or daycare. As we mentioned, this does depend on whether or not the ‘Au Pair’ has a driver’s license and if the family would like them to do so.
Once the children are either at daycare or school, the ‘Au Pair’ can return to the home and take care of some lightweight child-related housekeeping duties. What kind of duties those are, is subject to agreement between the family and the ‘Au Pair’, so it varies from family to family.
Next on the list of responsibilities is picking up the children from school or daycare, and getting them home. The ‘Au Pair’ usually then prepares them a healthy snack, and if necessary, takes them to any after-school activities parents might have organised, and picks them up afterwards.
Once everyone is home, there are only a few things left – help them with homework and prepare them for bed. That’s what the day of an ‘Au Pair’ usually looks like, and families can relax and take care of their daily errands while also enjoying a new type of cultural experience.
Should You Look Into ‘Au Pairs’ in Sydney?
Definitely. However, there is a bit of a disclaimer here. If you only need someone to help around the house and do childcare, an ‘Au Pair’ is not right for you. It needs to be a whole experience, especially since it might be the ‘Au Pair’s first time away from home and they might feel a bit uncomfortable until they adjust.
But when they do adjust, you get one thing that makes everything worth it – flexibility. You’ll be able to go to work and know that during that overlap when you’re at work and your children need to be taken care of, there is a trusted person that does that for you.
At the end of the day, it’s supposed to be something both the ‘Au Pair’ and the families will enjoy. For families that want to get in on the experience, by all means, look into au pairs in Sydney!