the perks
While the drawbacks might scare you away from au pair work, keep in mind that for every disadvantage are advantages. The greatest benefit to working as an au pair is that you really do get to experience a new country and culture in a way ordinary tourists can not. You see the ins and outs, the good and the bad, and all the nuances of another place and people. You’ll gain a hands-on education in dealing with other cultures and people, something you can’t learn any other way than living life emerged in an entirely new place.
In addition to these implied benefits, there are also concrete perks that come with the job. You are likely to end up meeting interesting people, seeing and doing things you wouldn’t otherwise have experienced. For example, my host family were helicopter enthusiasts - and pilots, both of them, which means we took more than one “heli” ride during my stay. While this became old news to me, a few years later on a visit, my husband was thrilled to get a tour of the Stuttgart region via helicopter, with is own personal pilot, my former employer.
My host family also loved to eat out and often dined in pricey places, and I was almost always invited to join them. Granted, usually that meant helping with children some, but getting to eat food that was no where near my price range was a pretty nice treat, and they enjoyed introducing me to their favorite places and foods. We also traveled frequently, and while we went to good places, I know au pairs who were able to spend weeks at a time in Italy or on the coast of France. Come on - even if you’re on the clock, how bad can it be when soaking up the Mediterranean sun?
So despite the hard work involved (if there is any hard work - some jobs are more like part-time babysitting), there are countless perks. If you find a family who treats you like one of their own, you will probably end up having a great time, seeing and doing things you wouldn’t otherwise get to.
