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Au pair stay in Australia

For au pairs headed to Australia or host families in the country, you can find everything you need to know to get ready for an au pair stay in Australia on these pages. Use these resources to research, plan and be perfectly prepared for an Australian au pair stay.

Heading as an au pair to Australia, the big Down Under, in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra – it all has a wonderful feeling of freedom and adventure. For many au pairs it's a chance to find themselves at the other end of the world. For Australian host families, it offers cultural enrichment for the whole family and key help with childcare to make everything a little bit easier.

To get off to the the best possible start for an Australian au pair stay, check if you fulfil the eligibility requirements:

Important announcement regarding the au pair program in Australia

The Australian Government has advised that, due to the high volume of applications under the Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program, visa processing times for some visa categories may be longer than usual. In some cases, applications from certain countries may exceed the number of places available.

In particular, applications for the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) are temporarily paused for several countries due to the annual country caps established for this program.

Applications for the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) are still being processed, although processing times are currently longer than usual.

We recommend always checking the official Australian Government information and not making travel arrangements until you have received confirmation that your visa has been granted.

For more information and official announcements, please visit the Department of Home Affairs – Australian Government website.

Requirements for au pairs

Here's what you need to be an au pair in Australia:

For the Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417)

  • You are 18 - 30 years old.
  • You come from Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, South Korea, Taiwan or United Kingdom.
  • You are unmarried and have no children.
  • You have a good knowledge of English.
  • You have at least 5,000 Australian dollars (AUD) in your bank account and can pay for your travel costs.
  • You have never had a Working Holiday Visa for Australia before.*
  • You have never had a Work and Holiday Visa (462) for Australia before.

 

For the Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 462)

  • You are 18 - 30 years old.
  • You come from Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Czech Republic, Chile, China, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, the USA or Vietnam.
  • You are unmarried and have no children.
  • You have a functional knowledge of English.
  • You have at least 5,000 Australian dollars (AUD) in your bank account and can pay for your travel costs.
  • You meet the required educational requirements.
  • You have never had a Work and Holiday Visa (462) for Australia before.
  • Your government gives you written confirmation that it approves this stay (not applicable for US citizens).

* If you have applied for such a visa before, you may still be entitled to apply for a second Working Holiday visa.

You fulfil all the requirements? That's great! Australia is waiting for you. Check the information on conditions and entry requirements below.  

You don't fulfil all the requirements? In this case, you unfortunately do not meet one or more of the important requirements needed to become an au pair in Australia. But don't give up. There are lots of other countries to consider. Check now in which countries you can become an au pair.

Requirements for host families

Here's what you need to be a host family in Australia:

  • At least one child under the age of 18 is living in your household.
  • Your au pair will have a room of their own in your home.
  • Your au pair should help with childcare and with light housework.
  • You speak English in your daily life and represent Australian culture.
  • You have a different nationality from your au pair.

 

You fulfil all the requirements? Great! Then you can go ahead and host an au pair. Have you already registered as a family at AuPairWorld? Then you can already check in your EasyFind for au pairs that fit your criteria.

Does your au pair also fulfil the requirements?

You don't fulfil the requirements? Unfortunately you may not use AuPairWorld for your search in this case.

Additional information on an au pair stay in Australia

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Ready for the next step?

We'll be happy to help you on your way. 

Register as a host family Register as an au pair
 

We are continually researching and updating our host country information, but cannot guarantee that all material provided is complete and correct. If you notice gaps or inaccuracies, we would like to hear from you.