Frequently asked questions

An Au Pair is a young person from abroad with no children and between the ages of 18 and 35. He or she goes abroad for a certain amount of time to live and work with a host family. An Au Pair is included in the family and helps the host family with child and home-related tasks. Au Pairs also live with their host family and share daily life experiences such as meal time and local excursions. An Au Pair's time with the family is considered a cultural exchange and receives weekly pocket money in addition to accommodation, meals, and many other inclusions.

Premier Au Pair is a stress-free, safe, and secure recruitment process that saves you time and money. Once you have completed your profile and chosen your membership option, you can then start searching for an Au Pair that suits your requirements. Once you have found an Au Pair that you would like to get to know better you can add them to your shortlist. Once notified about this potential match the Au Pair can agree to commence communication via our Premier Au Pair chat. We strongly suggest that you get to know your potential candidates via our chat platform before moving on to other social media platforms.

Registering is free, and so is looking. You can create your account, build your family profile, describe the position you are offering and browse every au pair profile on the platform without paying anything.

You pay when you want to make contact. A membership unlocks the chat, so you can message au pairs directly, plus the advanced search filters and support during your search. That is the only thing behind the paywall.

We built it this way on purpose: you should be able to see whether there are suitable candidates for your family, your city and your dates before you spend anything.

Memberships are one-off payments in Australian dollars, from one to six months. Nothing renews automatically, and if you have not contacted anyone you can ask for a full refund within 14 days. See our pricing page for the current options.

No. This is the first thing to know before you compare costs.

The Child Care Subsidy is paid to an approved provider, not to you, and only for four care types: Centre Based Day Care, Family Day Care, Outside School Hours Care and In Home Care. A family employing an au pair directly is not an approved provider, so an au pair attracts no subsidy at all.

In Home Care sounds similar but is not the same thing: the educator is engaged by an approved service rather than by you, must hold at least a Certificate III, and the programme is capped nationally and limited to families who work non-standard hours, live remotely, or have complex care needs.

Since 5 January 2026, every eligible family gets at least 72 subsidised hours per fortnight — three days a week — without an activity test. That change made subsidised centre care cheaper for many families, and it is worth factoring in honestly.

It depends on your hours far more than on your income — and the honest answer is that for some families it is, for others it is not.

Where an au pair wins. One flat cost covers every child in the house, at times a centre cannot offer at any price: early starts and late finishes, shift work, weekends, the school run at both ends of the day, a sick child who cannot go in, or living somewhere with no centre and no places. The Child Care Subsidy is capped at 100 hours per fortnight, so if you need more than 50 hours of care a week you are paying full freight beyond that anyway.

Where the numbers cross over. With two children in full-time care, an au pair starts to be the cheaper option somewhere around $200,000 to $260,000 in household income, depending on your centre’s fees. With three children it happens sooner — the higher subsidy for younger siblings is 95 per cent at average incomes but tapers as income rises, so extra children stop being close to free at exactly the point where families start considering an au pair.

What it actually costs. An au pair at $250 to $375 a week, plus food, utilities and running costs, comes to roughly $19,000 to $28,000 a year — for all your children, not per child. For comparison, two children in five days of long day care on a $150,000 household income costs somewhere around $11,000 a year out of pocket after subsidy, and around $28,000 at $300,000.

And where a centre wins. If your need is five standard weekday days, you are on a median income, and the hours are ordinary ones, a good centre will usually cost you less. We would rather tell you that now than have you find out later. Remember too that an au pair attracts no Child Care Subsidy at all — see the question above.

An Au Pair will offer assistance with childcare and child-related tasks in the home. An Au Pair can also support light cleaning in the home. Au Pairs are a valuable asset to any family and they can be counted on to take on additional tasks such as: driving children to and from school and activities, meal and snack preparation, children's laundry, assisting and supervising children in keeping their rooms tidy, and homework help. Every family is different and so are their needs. Always remember to communicate clearly what you expect your Au Pair to do without overstepping boundaries.

Often, yes. This is the question most host families get wrong, so it is worth a moment.

The Fair Work Ombudsman puts it plainly: “Au pairs are often employees too.” Whether yours is depends on the actual arrangement, and the key test is control — “If the family has a lot of control over the au pair’s day to day activities, they are likely to be an employee.”

An arrangement is generally not employment where the au pair lives with you mainly for the cultural experience, shares meals and family life, and gives only a small amount of help with the children. Where there is a fixed roster of 25 to 35 hours a week that you rely on for work, it usually is employment.

Since August 2024, Australian law looks at “the real substance, practical reality and true nature of the relationship”. What the arrangement is called — in a contract, in a programme description, or on a website like ours — does not decide it.

Where employment exists, the Miscellaneous Award 2020 generally applies, bringing minimum rates, penalty rates, paid leave and record-keeping with it.

We are a platform, not your adviser, and we cannot assess your household. What we can do is tell you the question exists and where to get a proper answer — which is more than most of this industry does.

Two answers, and you need both.

What the market does. Weekly pocket money in Australia typically runs from about $250 for 25 hours to around $375 for 35 hours, plus a private room, meals and household costs. That is the going rate you will see across platforms and agencies.

What the law may require. If your au pair is your employee, minimum rates apply. The national minimum wage is $26.44 an hour from 1 July 2026, and the applicable award rate is in a similar range. At 30 hours a week that is a very different number from $300. Board and lodging generally cannot be offset against it: wages must be paid “in full” and “in money”, and the applicable award contains no accommodation deduction clause.

We are not going to pretend this gap does not exist. Work out what applies to you with the Fair Work Pay Calculator — it is free and takes a few minutes — and get advice if your situation is not clear cut.

A note on why this matters: in one Federal Court case, a Sydney couple who underpaid a live-in nanny were personally penalised $32,500 and $5,000, on top of the underpayment itself. Free board and lodging did not change the outcome. Since January 2025, deliberate underpayment can also be a criminal offence — honest mistakes are excluded, but that defence assumes you tried.

The biggest single item is your au pair’s weekly pocket money. In Australia that typically runs from about $250 for 25 hours to around $375 for 35 hours, depending on hours and experience. Demi-pair arrangements at 15 to 20 hours sit lower, around $100 to $150.

On top of that, budget for a private room, meals, higher utility bills for an extra adult, car costs and insurance if your au pair will drive, and the occasional meal out or activity you invite them to. All in, most families land somewhere between $19,000 and $28,000 a year — and that figure covers every child in the house, not one child.

Two things worth knowing before you compare that with a centre: an au pair attracts no Child Care Subsidy, and if your au pair is legally your employee, minimum wage rules may apply rather than the pocket money convention. Both are covered in the questions above.

Please contact our support team with details of your payment. We will verify it with our payment provider and activate your membership manually. This can occur if the connection between the payment provider and our system fails at the moment of purchase.

This can occasionally happen if the connection to the payment provider fails at exactly the wrong moment. Please contact our support team and we will verify the duplicate payment and arrange a refund. We may also extend your membership as a small apology for the inconvenience.

This can vary depending on various factors. The Au Pairs registered on Premier Au Pair are either already established in Australia or are overseas and planning their arrival. Most Au Pairs who are in Australia already are generally searching for a family to start within a matter of weeks, whereas Au Pairs overseas might be still 3-6 months out from arrival. We have families that shortlist, connect and confirm with an Au Pair within a week, and then there are others that take 2-3 months to secure the right match. Our advice? Always plan ahead!

Earlier than most families do. Allow six to ten weeks from starting your search to your au pair arriving — time to shortlist, have a few video calls, agree terms, and let them book flights.

Two rhythms matter in Australia. The school year begins in late January or early February — Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory around 27 January, Victoria and Western Australia late January to early February, New South Wales, the ACT and Tasmania in the first days of February. If you need cover from day one of Term 1, start in October or November.

The second rhythm is the arrival of working holiday makers, which peaks over the southern summer. That means the largest choice of candidates is available in exactly the months before the school year starts — and also that families searching in November are competing with each other for the same people.

If you are looking mid-year, do not worry: candidates arrive all year round, and a six-month placement starting in July is entirely normal.

The matching score shows how well an Au Pair's profile aligns with your requirements, based on a comparison of your data and theirs. A higher score means a potentially better fit. In practice, there are rarely hard deal-breakers — an Au Pair outside your preferred state or without a local licence may still be an excellent match if everything else lines up well. You can sort results by score or date, and use the Advanced Filters to further refine your search.

In the message overview, you will see an icon next to each message recipient. A grey arrow means the message has been delivered but not yet opened. Double green ticks mean the Au Pair has opened and read your message.

No. During your active membership, you can contact as many Au Pairs as you like through the platform chat.

Only registered, logged-in au pair candidates on Premier Au Pair. Your profile is not public, is not indexed by search engines, and is not shared with anyone outside the platform.

Your contact details stay private. Your email address, phone number and exact address are never shown on your profile. They become known to an au pair only when you decide to share them, in the chat, with a candidate you have chosen.

You control what goes in. Many families use first names only and a photo that shows the family without close-ups of the children's faces — that is entirely normal here and does not hurt your chances. What matters far more to candidates is a warm, specific description of your family and daily life.

You can hide your profile at any time once you have found someone, and delete your account and data whenever you want. See How do I hide my profile after finding an Au Pair? below and our privacy policy.

Go to your Position Details and set the status to 'Filled role with Premier Au Pair'. Your profile will no longer appear in Au Pair searches, but it can be reactivated at any time in the future if you need to search again.

The sample contract is available for download in the member area at www.premieraupair.org/AuPairContract. You will need an active membership to access it.

Our platform www.premieraupair.com is not an agency but an online provider connecting Au Pairs and Host Families.

Initially we had a free trial for new families which registered in the first weeks. At the moment, we do not offer a free trial.

At Premier Au Pair we understand that knowing which nationalities are able to obtain a working holiday visa (WHV) is hard work. This is why when an Au Pair joins our platform, only countries that are eligible are able to register. All Au Pairs using Premier Au Pair must be on either a WHV (subclass 417 or 462) or a student visa. There is no need for complicated sponsorship requirements and generally the process is very quick. Take the time to read about the different visas at www.immi.gov.au.

Au Pairs are often from countries where their native language is not English. The Au Pair program is beneficial in helping Au Pairs learn and improve their English language skills in a safe and welcoming environment. Some speak basic English whilst others are fluent or even native speakers. You can select your preferences regarding their language ability on our platform. A video interview with candidates is the best way to assess their English ability.

Some host families in regional areas do offer this arrangement. If it is important to you, check individual Au Pair profiles and ask candidates directly. Families that offer it will usually mention it in their profile.

You cannot compare the number of available Au Pairs on our site with those from our competitors. In contrast to the latter, we only allow Au Pairs who a) are focused on Australia as their destination country and b) have a realistic chance to get a visa. That means our pool will always be smaller in number, but much higher in quality. We believe that quality is more important than quantity. In addition, we are a growing service and the number of highly qualified Au Pairs increases every day.

We believe that stability within the family home goes a long way and recommend that the host family shares their schedule at least a week in advance or even more. This will create clarity around the family's routine and expectations. It also allows your Au Pair to plan their life outside of their Au Pair duties. Of course, life is often unpredictable. Last-minute requests and changes are part of life. The best thing to do is clearly communicate these changes with your Au Pair and try to compromise.

Yes. If your family takes time off, your au pair is still paid — whether or not they travel with you.

Where an employment relationship exists, this is a legal entitlement: four weeks of paid annual leave per year under the National Employment Standards, pro-rata for part-time hours.

Please discuss holiday duties, timetables and any extra allowances directly with your au pair, and put them in your written agreement.

Yes, if your au pair is legally your employee — and in most host family arrangements they are. Please see Is my au pair an employee? below.

Where an employment relationship exists, paid sick and carer's leave is part of the National Employment Standards, alongside paid annual leave and notice of termination. These entitlements are pro-rata for part-time hours and cannot be signed away.

Even in the rare arrangement that is genuinely not employment, we think a few days' continued pocket money when someone in your home is unwell is simply how you treat a member of the household. What matters is agreeing it in writing before your au pair arrives, so nobody has to negotiate it while sick.

Use the free Fair Work Pay Calculator to see the leave entitlements that apply to your situation.

Most host families arrange between 25 and 35 hours a week. We suggest agreeing the schedule in writing before arrival, including how extra hours and babysitting are handled.

If your au pair is an employee, the ordinary hours under the applicable award are 38 per week, normally between 7am and 7pm Monday to Friday. Hours beyond that, and work in the evening, on weekends or public holidays, attract penalty rates or overtime. In practice this means late babysitting and weekend care are not simply covered by a flat weekly amount.

The Fair Work Pay Calculator will tell you what applies to your roster.

One practical note: a working holiday visa is a young person's year abroad. Families who keep hours predictable and leave real time off get better matches and far fewer early departures.

If your Au Pair has a full and clean driving licence from the UK or an EEA country, he or she is permitted to drive in Australia. Your Au Pair should organise an international driving permit prior to arriving in Australia. Many families require their Au Pair to drive for school runs or sports activities. Consider booking driving lessons or assessing their ability yourself. The host family is responsible for appropriate insurance and should cover all car costs. Some host families in regional or rural locations should consider providing their Au Pair with a car for personal use.

Three things to check, and one that surprises most families.

Workers compensation. If your au pair is your employee, you may be legally required to hold it. In Queensland, a specific Household Workers' Insurance policy is required — it costs roughly $60 for up to two years, and if an uninsured worker is injured WorkCover can recover the full cost of the claim from you plus a penalty. In New South Wales and Victoria, the exemption for small employers stops at $7,500 in wages per year — which a live-in au pair usually exceeds. Other states have their own schemes; check with your state authority.

Car insurance. If your au pair will drive your children, tell your insurer and have them named or confirm that drivers under 25 are covered. This is the single most common gap we see.

Home and contents, and public liability. Ask your insurer directly whether injury to someone working in your home, and damage they cause, are covered. Standard policies often exclude both.

Your au pair should also hold travel insurance including medical cover, repatriation and personal liability, and you should ask for a copy before arrival.

If your au pair is your employee, you have the same obligations as any other Australian employer: register for PAYG withholding, get a Tax File Number declaration, withhold tax, and issue payslips.

Superannuation has a specific rule for private households. The old $450-per-month threshold was abolished in July 2022, but a separate rule still applies: for domestic or private work, super is payable only if the person works more than 30 hours in a week, regardless of how much you pay them. At 30 hours or fewer, no super is due. At 35 hours a week, it is. The current super guarantee rate is 12 per cent.

Since 1 July 2026, super must be paid at the same time as wages rather than quarterly — the “payday super” rules.

Sources: ATO — Work out if you have to pay super. For your own circumstances, please speak to your accountant.

Yes, an Au Pair can be male or female. Premier Au Pair is a platform open to all genders.

The Au Pair program requires the sharing of space at home and also the creation of memories. Due to the way the program is set up with room, board, and pocket money, it may only be suitable for one family to host one Au Pair. However, if your Au Pair wishes to babysit, housesit, walk pets or offer cleaning services to friends and family this is widely accepted. Clear expectations, an hourly rate, and communication should be agreed upon before they commence.

In general Au Pairs are not qualified nannies. An Au Pair comes on a cultural exchange program and with a working holiday visa, whilst nannies are generally local and live in their own accommodation. Nannies (due to their experience and qualifications) are usually paid per hour and are not considered part of the family but as an employee. They are also required to pay tax in Australia and as their employer, you will also have superannuation obligations.

Pay attention to the following most common signs to help you identify scammers: the candidate asks you to transfer money through MoneyGram, Western Union, or to set up a deposit account; a lawyer or agency has contacted you on their behalf and sent you a visa application or sample contract; the candidate has asked that you pay for their flight to and from Australia; they come from a country that is not eligible for a working holiday maker visa (subclass 417 or 462). If you think the person you are communicating with is suspicious, please report their profile.

An Au Pair is a fantastic extra set of hands when a host family has a child under two, especially if there are older children at home too. We do not recommend or endorse an Au Pair to provide sole-charge care for a child under two. This is due to the fact that the average Au Pair is not experienced enough and it is simply too much responsibility. However, if you find a candidate with extensive experience and qualifications with this age group you could consider sole-charge care, with ample training time beforehand. This is up to the discretion of the host family.

A demi-pair can help with childcare up to 15-20 hours per week, usually to fit around their student schedules or primary casual job. School holiday care hours can be longer if agreed. The demi-pair program contains the same duties as the Au Pair program, with fewer weekly hours. Pocket money is between $100-$150 a week depending on hours and experience. Host family obligations are the same as the Au Pair program in regards to board and utilities.

Many families like the idea of first aid training, however many Au Pairs do not have it or need a refresher course. We recommend that host families book a local course for their Au Pair or ask them to complete one before they arrive.

Although your Au Pair should be making new friends in Australia, they will want to keep in touch with family and loved ones back home. It is vital that your home is equipped with WiFi and that the Au Pair has 24/7 access. This helps with homesickness too. If they require access outside the home they should find a mobile phone plan that has unlimited data. If you live in an area where WiFi or internet is not reliable you should communicate this with your Au Pair at interview stage.

We strongly recommend that all Au Pairs pay for their own flights, visa applications, and travel insurance. Host families are not under any obligation to contribute to these costs.

Even with good planning, sometimes it does not work. Communication, patience and clear expectations carry most placements through — and when issues go unaddressed, people feel confused and unappreciated on both sides.

Start with a conversation. Set aside half an hour, away from the children, and be specific about what is not working. Most of what looks like a personality problem turns out to be an unspoken expectation about hours, chores or privacy.

If it cannot be fixed, end it well. Give reasonable notice, settle what is owed, and part on good terms. Your au pair is a young person a long way from home, and how a placement ends says a lot about a family. Nobody wants an unhappy household.

Then look again. A change of placement is common and not a failure. Your membership and profile stay active, and you can search and contact new candidates straight away — you do not pay twice.

You can also contact us directly — if you are logged in, that takes you straight to a chat with our support team. We cannot arbitrate between you and your au pair, but we can help you get moving again, and we want to know if an au pair on our platform is behaving badly. Tell us, and we will look into it.

We've successfully connected numerous au pairs, even in remote areas. In fact, many European au pairs seem to prefer more secluded locations, seeking an authentic Australian experience. Therefore, we encourage you to register and actively highlight the uniqueness of your remote location.

We are not an agency but an online platform that allows you to filter your results to match your current placement. We have many Au Pairs online that are currently seeking a placement. You need to register as a family and pay for your membership if you have not done so already. If you are already with an agency and prefer this model we can recommend another agency to use that has excellent results.