If you are young and looking to learn English, get a paid job, take a short study course in any subject that you are interested in and learn about American culture, Au Pair in the U.S.A. is the ideal program for you.
Experience an authentic English language and cultural immersion: Live with an American family and work taking care of their children for a few hours each week.
Our Au Pair in the U.S.A. program is the cheapest and easiest way to learn English and you will also have the opportunity to; follow a training course in the United States, get to know American culture and get paid to work.
Under this program an au pair in the U.S.A. has the opportunity to work taking care of children in an American family home in exchange for; accommodation, all meals, international return flights, a monthly salary of at least $780 (around €600 depending on exchange rates) and financial assistance of $500 towards study costs.
You can work, study and live as part of an American family for 12 months with the possibility to extend the program duration.
Be between 18 and 26 years old.
Hold a valid driver’s license.
Prove that you have a minimum of 200 hours childcare experience (experience caring for children under the age of 2 years old is desirable but not obligatory).
Have an upper-intermediate level of English: good knowledge of the English language and great communication skills (It will be necessary to undergo an interview to check your English level).
Be willing to be in the United States for a minimum of 12 months.
You must not: have previous experience as an Au Pair in the United States.
12 months.
Possibility to extend the program duration for an extra 6, 9, or 12 months.
Ability to travel around the U.S.A. for one month with your J-1 visa (on completion of your program).
Live with an American family for 12 months with the option to extend the program for an extra 6, 9 or 12 months.
Single room accommodation and all meals at the family homedurat are included.
International return flights (return only included if you complete the program).
Receive a minimum weekly wage for childcare of $190 (childcare will never be more than 45 hours per week – maximum 10 hours per day).
Follow a childcare training and orientation course before starting the program.
Domestic flights from the city where your training and orientation course is carried out to your destination city (where the family resides).
Pick up on arrival at the airport by the family you are going to live with.
Medical Insurance is included.
$500 towards study costs is included.
One complete weekend free each month.
Two weeks paid vacation.
Preparation of necessary documentation for the J-1 visa (valid for 12 months).
1 month J-1 visa to travel around the U.S.A. at the end of your program.
Personal experience and in sourcing of your resume.
Social and cultural activities with other au pairs and permanent personalized guidance from local coordinators.
Local coordinators monitor and control program development and resolve any questions that may arise.
24 hour emergency telephone helpline.
Enrollment in the program: €50 (non-refundable, see program requirements).
Program price $1,000 (equivalent to €770 at the current exchange rate of 0.77 euro to the dollar). (Program price to be paid in full once you have been selected by a family).
Telephone / Skype interview to check your English level.
Once you pass the interview you need to complete the online application process.
Submit all required documents.
Undergo an interview during which all the details of the program will be explained to you: with aptitude testing, videos, presentations and personalized guidance.
Acceptance into the program (your profile page will be available to all registered families).
If you are selected by a family we will contact you to arrange an interview with them.
Final payment is due once you have been selected by a family and accepted their offer.
Submission of documents for processing and completion of the J-1 visa.
Travel to the U.S.A. to take part in the training and orientation course.
Arrive at the family home.
FAQ
FAQ
If you are interested in being an au pair and you meet all the requirements then the next step is to register your application. In order to register for the program you have to complete the online application process and pay the €50 inscription fee.
The online application consists of 7 pages where personal information about the student must be provided: academic history, languages, child care experience etc. All documentation required for the program must also be submitted.
Letters of presentation to the family (in English).
Letters from personal referees.
Your family doctor must complete the attached medical report.
At least three letters of recommendation demonstrating your child care experience.
3 recent photographs with your family / children.
A copy of your passport.
A copy of your high/secondary school diploma.
An up to date Criminal History Record Check Certificate.
Signature of agreement.
Personal interviews are conducted in three stages.
First there will be a telephone or Skype interview to assess your level of English and ensure that you fulfil all the program requirements.
Once you have passed the interview you will need to complete the online application process and submit all required documents. Once all documentation has been received you will have a skype interview where we will explain all the details of the program to you, there will be: videos, presentations, an aptitude test and personalized guidance (interview duration is between 1 and 2 hours).
There will be a final interview in English with the family that selects you to finalise the process before you accept your placement.
Your level of English has to allow communication and understanding. We know that one of the reasons why you are choosing the Au Pair program is to improve your level of English, as such we do not require an extremely high entry level of English. However it is important to be aware that the better your English language level the more successful your application will be.
A minimum of 200 hours of proven childcare experience is required. The more hours of experience you can demonstrate the better. Experience with children under 2 years of age is desirable but it is not obligatory.
The children you will be looking after are never less than three months old without adult supervision.
There is no limit, but families usually have 4 or less than 4 children.
All tasks related to the care of the children. You will be like a big brother or sister; taking the children to school, helping them do their homework, cleaning and tidying your room, washing and putting your clothes away, feeding the children, doing leisure activities with them and looking after them if their parents have to go out.
Housework for the whole family: cooking, cleaning the house, etc.
Visa or J-1 visa processing consultancy is also included in the price but management on your behalf is not included and neither is the payment of embassy fees.
If you want us to handle the visa on your behalf, click on the following link to check out our visa or J-1 visa management quotes and the discounts you could benefit from (optional): https://united-studies.com/visado-j1-f1/
We recommend that you apply sometime between April and July.
Bear in mind that most of the families require their au pair to begin before the school year starts so travel dates are usually between the months of June and October.
The exact date will depend on the needs of the family that selects you.
We will always try to solve any problems with the family.
If you want to change families a new family will have to be found. The au pair will need to actively participate during the search for a new family.
