What is an Au Pair in the Netherlands?

An au pair is someone between the ages of 18 and 25 who wants to live and stay with a host family in a country of their choice for a short or longer period of time.

The term au pair comes from French and literally means “on equal terms” or “on an equal footing.” This means that an au pair is not an employee but is considered a full member of the host family. The au pair participates as much as possible in the daily family life, for example by having meals together with the family and joining family outings.

The au pair programme is a cultural exchange programme. It offers the au pair a unique opportunity to become fluent in another language, experience a different culture, and gain international experience. An au pair is not allowed to perform regular employment under the Dutch Foreign Nationals Employment Act (Wet arbeid vreemdelingen – Wav).

An au pair stay in the Netherlands lasts a minimum of three months and a maximum of one year.

The Au Pair in the Netherlands

An au pair:

• may provide childcare and perform light household tasks for a maximum of 30 hours per week;
• works an average of 6 hours per day, with a maximum of 8 hours per day;
• may be asked to babysit for a maximum of two evenings per week. These babysitting hours are included within the 30 hours per week;
• receives board and accommodation, including their own furnished room;
• must be given the opportunity to attend a language course;
• receives a monthly pocket money allowance of €340, which is paid into their own bank account;
• is entitled to 14 days of paid holiday leave during a one-year stay.

Insurance for the Au Pair

The host family is responsible for arranging health insurance and travel insurance for the foreign au pair.

Babs Au Pair Agency works together with an insurer that offers a special insurance package for au pairs and host families. This insurance provides benefits that a regular health insurance policy usually does not offer.

With au pair insurance, the au pair is insured for, among other things:

• medical expenses;
• extraordinary costs, such as repatriation and hotel costs when transferring to another host family;
• personal liability;
• cancellation costs;
• travel luggage;
• accidents.

Practical Information