How many hours does an au pair have to work?

(Also to be found with keywords Working hours and Hours per week)

There is no standard au pair working schedule that is applicable all countries. In Germany or the United States there are official rules. In Australia there is no official au pair programme. According to our basic idea of au pairing an au pair should never work more than 30 hours per week. In most host countries official au pair working hours include time spent babysitting.

Au pair working hours overview per country

Australia 25 - 40 hours/week
Austria 18 hours/week
Belgium maximum of 20 hours/week
Canada 25 - 30 hours/week
Denmark 18 - 30 hours/week
Finland maximum of 30 hours/week
France 25 - 30 hours/week
Germany 30 hours/week
Ireland 30 hours/week
Italy 15 - 30 hours/week
Netherlands 30 hours/week
New Zealand 30 - 40 hours/week
Norway 30 hours/week
South Africa 30 hours/week
Spain 30 hours/week
Sweden maximum of 40 hours/week
Switzerland maximum of 30 hours /week
United Kingdom 30 hours/week
USA maximum of 45 hours/week

Working hours - Frequently Asked Questions