Through the Au Pair program foreign nationals between 18 and 26 years of age participate directly in the home life of a host family by providing limited childcare services for up to 12 months.

 

  Childcare is limited to no more than 10 hours per day, and to a maximum of 45 hours per week.

  Au pairs are compensated for their work according to the Fair Labor Standards Act as interpreted and implemented by the US Department of Labor. Participants in the Au Pair program must be proficient in spoken English, and are required to complete at least six hours of academic credit or its equivalent at an accredited US post-secondary educational institution. Host families are required to pay up to $500 toward the cost of the au pairs required academic course work.

  Au pair participants may not be placed with a family having an infant aged less than three months unless a parent or other responsible adult is at home. Neither may au pairs be placed in homes with children under two years of age unless the au pair has at least 200 hours of documented infant childcare experience. Au pairs are not to be placed in families with a special needs child, so identified by the family, unless the au pair has specifically identified prior experience, skill, or training in caring for special needs children and the host family has reviewed and acknowledged the stated prior experience, skills, or training in writing. Please refer to the regulations for details.

  Sponsors are required to screen and select both host families and au pairs as program participants according to selection criteria stated in the regulations. Interested parties should contact the sponsoring organizations directly to obtain additional information regarding their program. All au pairs are to receive specific orientation and program information from the sponsor prior to departure from their home countries for the United States. Please refer to the regulations for details. Pre-arrival information for all exchange visitors is defined at [22 CFR 62.10(b)(1-8)] and specifically for au pairs at [22 CFR 62.31(f)]. Orientation material (post-arrival) is defined at [22 CFR 62.10(c)(1-7)]. Selected host families also receive specific information from the sponsor.

 

  Orientation for host families is discussed in the regulations at [22 CFR 62.31(i)(1-4)].

  The sponsor is to provide au pairs with training in child development and child safety prior to their placement with a host family. A minimum of eight hours of child safety.