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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 That was the Child Day Care Congress 2023

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News

"With heart and mind": Child day care congress 2023

Child day care is an important pillar of childcare. We have been promoting the quality of this form of childcare for many years, including with the annual childcare congress "With heart and mind".

In 2023, we celebrated the 15th anniversary of our daycare congress "With heart and mind" at Münster. With this excellent educational format for childminders, pme is committed to providing training in the field of childcare, which is an important pillar in the childcare landscape across Germany and a permanent fixture in our placement business. Thanks to well-qualified caregivers, we offer our customers childcare at a high level. 

We recognized early on how important it is to invest in the (further) training of our caregivers. That's why we offer caregivers who are registered with pme the following every year free further training formats free of charge. Daycare parents who are not registered with us can also take part in the daycare congress "With heart and mind". In this way, we have been making an important contribution to quality assurance in childcare for 15 years. 


 

Business development in Münster - networking and new work

The 15th Child Day Care Congress "With Heart and Mind" was dedicated to the topic "Business Model Child Day Care". Introductory words of welcome from Alexa Ahmad, CEO of pme, and Bettina Konrath, Chairwoman of the Landesverband NRW e.V., made it clear how important networking and exchange are for child day care and how New Work also plays an important role here. With an inspiring keynote on the topic of business development, Annette Lang, Managing Director of "Vernetzt geht's weiter", gave the childminders ideas on how to further develop and strengthen their childcare business. 

Nicola Schmidt, science journalist and bestselling author as well as founder and managing director of Artgerecht GmbH, provided impetus for species-appropriate pedagogy with her presentation and said about the Child Daycare Congress 2023: "It was a very nice congress. Although I was 'only' there online, I felt like I was 'in the thick of it'! Thank you for the great organization and the wonderful feedback!" 


 

Inge Losch-Engler, pedagogue and Federal Chairwoman of the Bundesverband für Kindertagespflege e.V., expressed her sincere thanks for the invitation to the congress: 

"I am always happy to talk to the childminders from the different federal states. The childminders do a wonderful job, and I thank them for that."

We say THANK YOU and look to the future

After 15 successful years of congresses, we would also like to thank our pme congress team and look forward to seeing how the format will adapt over time . What is certain is that we will continue to focus on training and promoting exchange among caregivers.

And we also want to develop further. That is why we have decided not to hold a live congress at a national level in 2024, but to strengthen cooperation in the regions. That's why we will be offering networking events in the regions, for exchange, further training and networking.

However, there will continue to be an online offering at federal level in the form of our online training courses (formerly teleacademies). You will soon receive specific information on how the qualification of caregivers at pme will continue.


 

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We offer all childminders and other caregivers further training on all important topics throughout the year and support them with a wide range of information and personal advice. would you like to be included in our placement pool?

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