Young woman playing with two children on the floor
Parent & Child

Hosting an Au-pair : Requirements & process

Hosting an Au-pair at home means not only relief in everyday family life, but also cultural exchange at eye level.  

Michelle Mihm, Au-Pair Product Manager & Specialist Consultant for Care in Private Households at pme Familienservice, explains what requirements must be met, what the process looks like and what prospective host families should look out for when choosing an au pair. at pme Familienservice.

What does it mean to host an Au-pair in Germany? 

Hosting an Au-pair means welcoming a new family member - usually a young person who comes from a different culture and first has to get used to life in Germany.  

During the stay, the Au-pair takes onlight care and household tasks, while in return receiving accommodation, food and pocket money. For the host family, this means above all investing time, patience and openness in order to make the Au-pair 's start in a new country easier. At the same time, an Au-pair enriches everyday family life through cultural exchange and new perspectives 

"An Au-pair should be seen as a younger sister or brother who is integrated into everyday family life and with whom you grow together," says Michelle Mihm, Product Manager Au-Pair & Specialist Consultant for Care in Private Households.

Can anyone host an Au-pair ? 

In principle, anyone who meets the necessary requirements can take on an Au-pair . These include a suitable living situation, the care of a child and certain legal conditions. Anyone who meets these criteria can benefit from the many advantages that an Au-pair brings to the family.

What are the requirements for hosting an Au-pair in Germany? 

For a family to be able to host an Au-pair in Germany, a number of requirements must be met: 

  • There must be at least one child under the age of 18 in the family. 
  • The Au-pair must have their own furnished, lockable and heated room of at least 8 square meters. 
  • The colloquial language in the family should be German. 
  • At least one parent must have German citizenship. 
  • The family covers the costs of accommodation, food, pocket money and insurance as well as a subsidy for the language course. 
  • The host parents enable participation in the language course and other courses and leisure activities offered by the pme Familienservice. 
  • The Au-pair is entitled to 4 weeks paid vacation (or 2 days per month pro rata) for a 12-month stay.

How much does it cost to host an Au-pair in Germany?

If a family takes in an Au-pair in Germany, the cost of living increases accordingly. This is because there is another adult living in the household.   

The costs that families should consider when taking in an Au-pair are made up of various items: 

  • Pocket money: at least 280 euros per month 
  • Accident, health and liability insurance: around 50 euros per month 
  • German course: approx. 70 euros per month 
  • Costs for board and lodging, including during the au pair's free time or illness: around 250 to 300 euros per month 

How long can an Au-pair stay in Germany? 

An Au-pair can stay in Germany for a minimum of 4 months and a maximum of 12 months . The length of stay is agreed individually and can be adjusted according to the needs and possibilities of the family and the au pair. 

How do I find an Au-pair? 

At pme Familienservice , we place au pairs with selected families throughout Germany and support both au pairs and host families throughout their stay. We attach great importance to careful selection and continuous support from our experienced local staff. 

In addition to pme Familienservice as an Au-pair in Germany, there are also other platforms that place au pairs. 

"Many families find their Au-pair independently and then come to us for further support. We offer consultations in advance and explain what to look out for when Au-pair on your own. It is important to know that au pairs must be between 18 and 26 years old. While some platforms don't always check the age exactly, we make sure that all requirements are met." - Michelle Mihm

pme Familienservice is the leading Au-pair

pme Familienservice is one of the leading Au-pair in Germany and is an official member of the international Au-pair IAPA and the German Au-Pair. The pme Familienservice Familienservice are also certified by the Gütegemeinschaft Au-pair e.V. with the RAL quality mark. 

Challenges that families and au pairs may face

Hosting an au pair in Germany enriches everyday family life with new perspectives and cultural experiences. But it also brings challenges. 

Many au pairs who come to Germany often experience a culture shock, and language barriers can make the start a little bumpy. This phase requires a lot of patience, understanding and loving support. For the families, this means investing time in intensive training and good organization.  

This intensive initial period pays off, as the Au-pair gradually becomes a great relief and enriches everyday family life with new perspectives and experiences. 

The pme Familienservice is there to support families and au pairs throughout their stay, e.g. with tips against homesickness, assistance with language problems and help with health issues.

We look after au pairs during their entire stay! 

Our au pairs are well looked after during their stay. We offer WhatsApp groups, a Facebook group, regular meetings and a 24-hour emergency hotline just for au pairs. This means they are well connected and supported at all times. 

All information for au pairs in Germany. 

How long does it take to get an Au-pair in Germany? 

The time it takes for an au pair to arrive in Germany can vary greatly. The appointment for the visa at the embassy depends on the country of origin and can range from 8 weeks to 8 to 10 months. There are often au pairs who already have an appointment so that the decision can be made within 2 to 4 weeks. Overall, the process can take between 2 and 10 months, depending on the country of origin and the political situation.

Is the process also supported with your own au pairs? 

Yes, we also support families exclusively with the visa process. Here, too, we conduct preliminary consultations with the families who would like to look for an Au-pair on their own and then support them in the further process.

Which countries do the au pairs come from? 

Our au pairs currently come mainly from India, Madagascar, Indonesia, South America and Armenia. Countries such as Australia, America or New Zealand are hardly represented, as no visa is required for au pairs there.

Au-pair with pme Familienservice

pme Familienservice is your strong partner for safe and qualified Au-pair in Germany. With over 30 years of experience in Au-pair, pme Familienservice offers families and au pairs comprehensive information, qualified advice and reliable support throughout their stay. 

Placement is free of charge for au pairs.

zero IKEA: "Generation management is part of basic knowledge"

Ikea furniture store
Leadership & HR

IKEA: "Generation management is basic knowledge"

Sybille Räther is HR Manager at IKEA in Walldorf. At the beginning of the year, she completed training to become a generation manager at pme Familienservice. In this interview, the HR expert explains how she benefited from the training and why she considers generation management to be part of basic HR knowledge.

Ms Räther, you completed further training to become a generation manager with the pme Familienservice . What was the impetus for this?

Sybille Räther: I looked at our company's KPIs and worked out how many people we employ in which age segments. We actually map everything - with different weightings, of course. And then I kept coming across the same questions: Why are there sometimes conflicts between people who work here? Why are the expectations different?

I questioned whether this has something to do with cultural or social backgrounds - but perhaps also with the values that people in their generation grew up with. Many baby boomers who are now retiring, for example, have worked with completely different values in the world of work and sometimes expect this from much younger people. In extreme cases, there is a lot of potential for friction.

But we're not just talking about baby boomers and Gen Z, but about the many people in between. That's why I found it very interesting when pme Familienservice offered the Generation Manager training course last year alongside lectures on the topic.

What did you like most about the Generation Manager training course?

What I find exciting about this format is that you can think outside the box, as you work in a small group with other people from other companies and get to know different perspectives and ideas. The mix of different companies is also great. There are not only people from large companies, but also from small businesses. This means that the employers have very different perspectives in the background.

Certificate course for generation managers (IHK)

Nine modules to become a generation manager (IHK):

Certificate course Generation Manager (IHK)
from February 05, 2025 from 09 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Are there problematic situations between younger and older colleagues in your company or are you more personally interested in the topic of generations?

It's both - although generation management has now also become an area of interest for me. I am interested in the following questions: How do you lead people? What background knowledge do our managers need? What expectations does someone who is 50 years old have of their manager? And what are the expectations of someone who is 18 and perhaps starting an apprenticeship with us? And finally: How do we manage to position ourselves as an employer on the labor market? IKEA is a very modern, open company. But we also have to keep looking at how we can remain attractive.

From the job advertisement and the recruitment process to the onboarding process - the findings from generation management also help us with all of this.

What did the training do for you personally?

I took away the realization that every generation brings something positive with it on the one hand, but also demands and expectations on the other. And, of course, answers to the question of how we can meet everyone's needs in a large company despite these different demands.

Above all, however, it has also given me insights into how the different qualities that each generation segment brings with it can be used to make everyday life a little better for everyone.
Baby boomers have a lot of enthusiasm for work. They are very performance-oriented and prefer to work more hours, but then they also know that the work is done!

At the other extreme is Gen Z, who are not prepared to work 70 hours a week because leisure time is very important to them. They still enjoy working well, but they contribute in a different way. They may be ahead of the game when it comes to digitalization and can make an important contribution by supporting older or less digitally savvy people so that they can make better use of digitalization in their workplace.

Has the topic of generation management already gained a foothold at IKEA?

This year, we deliberately focused on how we can be more attractive to young people on the job market, including trainees. In addition to an apprentice employer branding campaign by IKEA National, we looked at how applicants experience the people they come into contact with at IKEA.

We have brought our two youngest managers, who are more in line with the age group of junior staff, into conversation with the trainees - as real models of success, so to speak. The younger managers have a different demeanor and sometimes a different language. With their help, we can authentically show that it is also possible for others to take on such a role shortly after their training.

Do you also have programs for older colleagues?

This financial year, we are also focusing on the topic of digitalization - for everyone. This is not just a baby boomer issue; digitalization is an important customer requirement. Today's customers want to make their shopping process much more digital. It starts at home with the IKEA app. They might fill out a wish list, then come to our store and want to continue to edit this wish list digitally during the shopping process and pay via the app at the end.

To achieve this, we need to train our employees' digital skills so that they can use our digital tools in-house and also support customers in the purchasing process.


When different generations come together, this poses a number of challenges for HR

Are there also employees who refuse to embrace digitalization?

There are people who have a great deal of respect for digital tools and inhibitions from the outset because they think they are too slow. That's why we have buddies in every department: The more digitally savvy team members show their less experienced colleagues the little tricks of the trade and at the same time give them the feeling that they can do it together.

But the buddies are not always mixed-age?

Yes, exactly, in generation management we usually talk about statistical types. But there are certainly also 65-year-olds who are digitally savvy and 30-year-olds who are not so keen on technology. That's why we simply look to see who would like to support a buddy in the area of digitalization.

Is there something that connects the generations in the company?

One of the biggest lessons learned from generation management training is the expectations that employees have of leadership. This applies to all generations. Everyone is individual and has different experiences.

But in principle, communication and appreciation are important across all generations. Every employee wants to receive recognition from their manager for good performance.

Do you offer the opportunity to work beyond retirement?

Yes, they do exist. If someone has the desire, we have a need and the employee is physically and mentally able to do the job, why not? For example, we have just taken on a pensioner to advise customers and it's going really well.

Depending on what job or activity people did before they retired, it may not be possible for everyone to continue working during retirement. Some are very happy that it's over then. In retail, 90 percent of our work is physical labor. The limit is often reached at retirement age or even before, when employees are no longer physically able to continue. Anyone who has ever shopped at IKEA on a Saturday can perhaps imagine that this can also be a mental strain for some employees.

Would you say that it is worthwhile dealing with the topic of generations in HR work?

100 percent. For me, generation management is now part of my basic knowledge. I wasn't so aware of that before my training. There were many aha moments during my training. There is a lot of expertise behind it, and I also thought it was very good how the training was prepared by pme. For example, a lot of scientific research results were included and we learned that many occupational psychologists and doctors, among others, deal with the topic. I found that very interesting.