For families
Give your kids global connections and extra care with an au pair
Thinking about welcoming an Au Pair into your home? There are countless benefits to explore! From providing your children with early exposure to a new language and culture to having a dependable caregiver right on hand, hosting an Au Pair brings both convenience and enrichment. In addition to childcare, your Au Pair can help with light household chores such as laundry and cooking, providing valuable support.
What is an Au Pair?
A cultural exchange where the au pair helps with childcare in exchange for accommodation, meals, and pocket money.
An au pair is a young person who comes to live in a foreign country with a host family to learn the language and/or experience a different culture. Au pairs can help with childcare and light household tasks in exchange for room, board, and pocket money. In addition to offering support, au pairs share their language and culture with the family.
This unique arrangement not only supports your family’s needs but also offers a cultural exchange experience.
What you should take into account
Au pairs have to be between ages of 18 – 25 years old;
Can stay up to a maximum of 12 months;
Can work a maximum of 8 hours per day and 30 hours per week;
The family’s household should consist of a minimum of two persons;
The host family must be able to provide the Au Pair with a room at their house;
Au Pair may not be a 1st or 2nd degree family member of the family;
Au Pair may not have worked or Au Paired for the family before;
The family should have independent, sustainable and sufficient income;
Benefits
Enjoy the many benefits of taking an au pair in your home
Childcare Support: Access reliable, flexible childcare that adapts to your family’s schedule;
Cultural Exchange: Introduce your family to a new culture, language, and traditions;
Cost-Effective Care: Often more affordable than traditional childcare options;
Flexibility: Enjoy greater flexibility in childcare hours;
Customizable Care: personalize the schedule to fit your family’s specific needs and preferences, unlike standardized daycare options.
Au pair VS Daycare and Nanny
Find out if an au pair is the best childcare option for your family.
As a family, choosing the right childcare option is crucial for both your family’s needs and your child’s development. In this comparison, we highlight the advantages of having an au pair, who not only provides personalized care but also brings cultural enrichment into your home. In the table below you can see how an au pair can fit into your family’s lifestyle and help create a stable environment for your children.
Benefits
Cost
Flexibility
Personalised care
Household help
Availability
Safety and comfort
Cultural exchange
TOSS Au Pair
Generally more affordable for full-time care
Flexible hours tailored to the family needs
One-on-one attention for the child(ren)
Can assist with light household tasks (e.g., laundry, meal prep)
Lives with the family, available as needed
Familiar environment at home
Opportunity for cultural immersion and language learning
Daycare
Price per child/ per hour
Fixed hours and schedules
Group care, less individualized
No household help provided
Set hours, may require planning
Group settings, can be overwhelming
Non or limited cultural exposure
Nanny
Often higher hourly rates or salaries
Varies per nanny but usually limited hours
Can provide ppersonalized attention but not constant
Can handle minimal household tasks
Depends on nanny’s schedule
Half in home/out home
No cultural exchange aspect
We have combined everything in one price! Below you will find what’s included in our fee.
Benefits of TOSS
Why choose TOSS as your Au Pair Agency
Intake, screening and matching: We carefully screen and select all au pair candidates to make the perfect match;
Ongoing Support: Our team provides support throughout the placement to ensure a smooth experience;
We handle all the paperwork, visa application and biometric appointments;
Aftercare: Contact moments with the au pair every month, personal support and guidance with post arrival steps, cultural events throughout the year;
Welcome training & events: For all newly arrived au pairs, we organize a welcome training. We cover topics such as effective communication with the host family, giving and receiving feedback, raising and caring for children, and fun activities to do with children. We also discuss daily life and culture in the Netherlands and your au pair will receive basic first aid instruction.
The process
Become a host family in 4 steps
1 Free introductory meeting
During this call we can answer all your questions and we can assess if you can host an au pair. We are also happy to explain how we work, how the process goes and costs. Book an introductory meeting here.
2 Intake call and matching process
It’s very important for us to get to know you and your family better, understand your needs and wishes so we can help you find the perfect match. Based on our intake call, we will find potential au pair candidates and propose their profiles to you. During this process we will keep close contact so we can make a successful match!
But what if you have found your own candidate somewhere else? We would be happy to help you. In this case, we contact your au pair candidate directly to begin a screening process.
3 Visa request and document preparation
Once the match is final, we will guide you and your au pair through the administrative part of the process. We will need a number of documents required for your dossier, such as the au pair schedule and supporting documents of your identity, address and income.
We will assist your au pair with the visa application and scheduling the visa appointment at the Dutch embassy in her country.
4 Ready to fly
As soon as your au pair has the visa in her passport, she is ready to fly to the Netherlands! You can then start this exciting adventure together.
We will contact you regularly to discuss the progress of the program. If there are any questions or issues that you cannot resolve among yourselves, we will help you find an answer or solution.
Register as a host family
Register as a host family at TOSS
Are you looking for a an au pair in the Netherlands? Get in touch with Michelle and explain your specific situation. She will then look into the opportunities for you.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How long does the process takes before an au pair can start?
The process also depends on how quickly the match is made and how promptly you and the au pair gather the necessary documents. We will do our utmost to ensure the au pair can start as soon as possible.
How long can my au pair stay?
An au pair receives a residence permit for a maximum of one year and is allowed to live in the Netherlands for a maximum of 1 year.
How many hours can my au pair work per week?
An au pair is allowed to work up to 30 hours per week, with a maximum of eight hours per day. Additionally, an au pair is entitled to two days off per week and one free weekend per month (from Friday evening to Sunday evening).
What if issues arise with our au pair?
We are always ready to assist both the family and the au pair. We will assess the situation and ensure a suitable solution is found promptly.
How do you do the screening?
We conduct detailed interviews with all our candidates to assess their motivation for the cultural exchange, their level of childcare experience (and whether they truly love children!), and their interest in the host country and its language. Additionally, we perform a comprehensive background check, including a police record review, reference verification, and a detailed health assessment.
Is an au pair allowed to work extra hours?
According to the rules of our cultural exchange program, it is not permitted to work more than 30 hours per week.
Recent articles
Selected for you
Michelle from TOSS shares her story of being an au pair in the Netherlands for 1 year!
My name is Michelle and I’m working for TOSS au pair services. 7 years ago I was lucky to spend 1 year as an au pair in the Netherlands. In this blogpost I would like to inspire future Au Pairs to...
How to help your au pair settle into the family routine
Welcoming an au pair into your home can be an exciting experience, both for your family and for the au pair themselves. However, transitioning into a new environment can be challenging. Here are...
What questions should we ask during an au pair interview?
As a host family, asking the right questions during an au pair interview is crucial to ensure a good fit. To start things off, begin by introducing yourself. This not only helps calm your own...