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How au pairing works for families in the UK in 2025

Brexit and new minimum wage regulations have had a big impact on au pairing in the UK. Here's how families can continue to benefit from the au pairing model for childcare in the new environment.

For British families in the post-Brexit situation, there are five key questions to answer about au pairing:

  • Where can our au pair come from?
  • How can we find an au pair on AuPairWorld?
  • How should the au pair be paid?
  • How can we get help organising an au pair stay?
  • Does au pairing still make sense for a British family?

Where can your au pair come from? 

Pre-Brexit, young people from EU countries could have a gap year in the UK without restrictions or problems. Sadly, this is no longer the case.

But there are still good options for UK families to find an au pair. Young people who live in countries that participate in the UK's Youth Mobility Scheme can get a visa and do an au pair stay in the UK. These countries include:

  • Andorra
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Iceland
  • Japan
  • New Zealand
  • South Korea
  • Uruguay

The countries with the largest number of interested au pairs are Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Au pairs coming from Ireland and even from  other regions of the UK are also eligible to serve as au pairs under the new post-Brexit au pairing rules.

You can do a preliminary search selecting for these countries on the AuPairWorld search overview page. 

How can I find an au pair for the UK on AuPairWorld?

Free registration at AuPairWorld lets your family begin its au pair search in earnest. 

  • Select countries that fit with the new post-Brexit rules (see above). 
  • You can also include the option for "Au pairs already in my country" which gives you access to young people living in the UK with a pre-settlement visa or other eligible status.

The search tools on AuPairWorld will let you begin to communicate with the interested and eligible au pairs registered on the platform. Typically there are between 300 and 400 au pairs from these various countries who are searching for a UK host family.

How should the au pair be paid?

As of April 2024, au pairs must be paid the official UK National Minimum Wage. 

  • According to these regulations, au pairs aged 18-20 receive £8.60 per hour. Au pairs 21 and up receive £11.44 per hour. 
  • Weekly payment is based on the number of hours actually worked and is subject to a deduction of £9.99 per day (or £69.93 per week) with the so-called Accommodation Offset for the room and board benefits that are an integral part of the au pair arrangement.

In handling these arrangements, it is also necessary to keep track of national insurance and income tax matters. There are agencies that specialise in dealing with these matters who can provide payroll services for your a a host family for approximately £15.00 per month.

How can we get help organising an au pair stay?

To help UK families manage their au pair stays in the new post-Brexit environment, AuPairWorld now has a partnership with the UK-based au pair agency SmartAuPairs. 

  • This highly competent, modern au pair agency has customised packages to help self-matching families from AuPairWorld make sure their au pair stays go well. 
  • Their three service tiers let families who match on AuPairWorld choose between support options including everything from online training to au pair vetting to payroll support.  

Does au pairing still make sense for a British family?

There is no denying the fact that the post-Brexit situation in the UK has made it more difficult to host an au pair than it once was. At AuPairWorld, we regret these developments and continue to hope that the UK and the EU will ultimately open the door wider to youth exchange.

What we also see, however, is that the au pair model is so strong and resilient and is based on such a big natural overlap of interests between families and young people doing a gap year that it continues to offer many UK families an excellent form of childcare.

  • Au pairing has become more expensive than it once was but its value relative to other forms of childcare continues to be very good.
  • The flexibility one gets working with a young person integrated as a family team member living in your home outstrips what most nanny arrangements will offer.
  • And the special mix of cultural exchange and personal development in one's own children and in the young person that is hosted as an au pair continues to be uniquely valuable and attractive for many families.