How to search for an au pair in coronavirus times

It is not yet pre-pandemic life as we remember it, but for many people in developed countries in Europe and other regions of the world where the vaccination levels are high, there is a significant improvement from the situation of 6 months ago.

And is it possible to find an au pair in this improved situation?

Yes, it is. Host families are searching successfully and au pairs are joining up with families in countries throughout the European Union and in many other regions as well. Clearly, organising an au pair stay is not as simple as it was in pre-corona times. But the au pair model is showing its flexibility and resilience and continues to offer great benefits and value to families. 

To tap into those benefits, you need to structure your au pair search with two key factors in mind:

• Where should your au pair be from? 
• Are your au pair candidates vaccinated?

What nationality should the au pair be? 

In your search filters, you can select various options to specify where your au pair should be from. 

Selecting an au pair from the European Union or EFTA

For families located in EU and EFTA countries, the search option "EU and EFTA Countries" will show au pairs living in areas where there are currently no significant travel restrictions and generally no quarantine requirements if the au pair is fully vaccinated. And, of course, no visa restrictions apply.

Selecting to search for au pairs already in your country

Au pairs already present in your country will be able to join your family without any travel or visa difficulties. Families in all countries can find their au pair with the general search. Just check the option “show au pairs in my country”.

Families can also specify the city where they are living in their profile texts. Both au pairs and families can enter city names in the keyword search in EasyFind to help identify convenient matches even more quickly. 

Selecting to search for au pairs from non-EU countries  

If you are located in the EU and are interested in selecting an au pair from outside of the EU, then you need to find out about the relevant travel and visa restrictions for au pairs in your countries of interest.

Please note: Selecting the search option "All Countries" on the AuPairWorld platform often produces so many search results that it is difficult for families to make a good selection.  Therefore, we recommend that in most cases you do not use this option and instead select several countries of interest for your search where travel and visa restrictions will not be a problem for au pair candidates. This will give you a more manageable set of candidates.

In the current corona situation, making this selection typically involves answering two questions:

• the first regarding possible travel restrictions 
• the second regarding visa availability for the au pair 

Travel restrictions per country

In this table click on your own country to get information for travel restrictions as they will pertain to au pairs entering your country from abroad.

Visa availability 

Then there are two more questions to answer:

• Will the au pair be eligible to receive the necessary visa to come to your country?
• And will it be possible to obtain the visa from the relevant embassy in the au pair's home country given possible restrictions in opening hours and consulate services due to corona?

To check on visa availability for au pairs who will require a visa for entry into your country, go to the foreign office website of your own country. There you can check on au pair visa requirements for the au pair country that you are interested in. You can also check whether your country's embassy and consulate offices are currently open in the au pair's home country (where the au pair will have to go to obtain the visa).

Then use this information to select countries for your au pair search and enter these in your profile search filter.

Searching for vaccinated au pairs - who can travel more easily and have more fun

In a recent survey of AuPairWorld host families, responding families expressed a strong preference for having a vaccinated au pair if possible. 

There are various ways that this facilitates a successful au pair search and a successful au pair stay:

• Au pairs with proof of vaccination can enter almost all countries more easily than au pairs who have not been vaccinated and usually there are no quarantine requirements after entry.
• When the au pair and adult family members are vaccinated then there is less risk of becoming infected and everyone can be more relaxed. In some countries, vaccinations are now being rolled out for children as well, which increases the overall level of protection.
• In many countries, access to public facilities and activities (restaurants, cinemas, museums, concerts) requires vaccination. When au pairs are vaccinated, they can do more in their free time and have a higher level of everyday satisfaction.
• For au pairs from countries where it is still difficult to obtain a vaccination, coming to a country with easier vaccination access can be an added benefit of the au pair stay. 

We hope that these tips will make it easier for you to find the right family for you. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us or read all the articles about the coronavirus and au pairing.