Nanny vs. au pair; the costs & Benefits explained
While I am obviously biased towards nannies, I have compiled information from the industry leaders’ websites to give you an accurate portrayal of the costs and benefits of each. I recognize that while we only place domestic nannies, this choice may not be perfect for everyone. So what’s the difference between a nanny and an au pair?
There are many different ways to define the job description of a nanny; for the purposes of this article, we are going to go with my basic definition. Our nannies are typically American citizens who are working as live-in or live-out caregivers in the homes of families. YC Nanny solely works with live-in providers. Nannies perform childcare duties, simple housekeeping duties (pick up, laundry, dishes, vacuuming, making beds, etc.), household management duties (grocery shopping, small errands, etc.) and often transport children to and from activities. Au Pairs are typically foreign nationals who legally obtain a visa to live and work as a domestic care provider in the United States for one year and always live with the hiring family. The duties and expectations of an au pair are exactly the same as that of a nanny; the title essentially differentiates a domestic nanny from a foreign nanny. For more information on what duties you can expect your nanny to perform, please visit our "What Does a Nanny Do?" article.
So if the job descriptions are the same, how are nannies and au pairs different? I will break this down for you in four specific areas:
Cost
Commitment/Rematching
Hours Available to Work/Duties
Background/DMV & Reference Checks
Communication/Cultural Differences
COST:
There is a huge misconception that nannies are more expensive than au pairs and many families chose an au pair simply because of the perceived financial benefits. In fact, our nannies are actually less expensive than hiring an au pair past one year of placement. The total weekly cost of having a foreign au pair is $450 according to Aupair in America's website (https://www.aupairinamerica.com/fees/).
Our nannies start around $550/week. Other than purchasing a domestic airline ticket, there are NO other fees or hidden fees and no additional costs at all. In fact, if you’re looking for your au pair to stay longer than a year it can be an additional $6000-$8000 and there is no option of keeping them past two years. At Your Child's Nanny, your nanny can stay with you for as long as you both chose with no additional fees ever. You only pay us once and your nanny salary is your only ongoing expense. We also have a proprietary formula for helping families determine an appropriate salary based on your criteria, needs and expectations. We can almost always find a nanny for the budget conscious family as well.
Another factor to be aware of is that au pairs have restrictions on the number of hours they work each week. Your au pair can actually be removed from your home if you fail to fall within these guidelines (usually 40 hours per week). Nannies are “free agents” and can work as many hours as agreed to in the Work Agreement created for you by Your Child's Nanny. Au pairs may also require an education stipend and may be required to attend classes paid for by your family while in the US.
COMMITMENT/REMATCHING:
In my opinion, one of the biggest flaws in the au pair programs is an au pair's ability to continually rematch with a family. Au pairs seem to have the power in this scenario with no consequence to the au pair or the matching service. This is a huge conflict of interest on the part of the au pair agencies and it pains me to speak to parents who are frustrated with the revolving door of uncommitted candidates who have the ability to rematch with families over and over again. At YC Nanny, I value integrity and commitment. I do not work with nannies who do not honor their commitments. PERIOD.
It’s important to determine your children’s potential caregivers motivation before making a hiring decision. My nannies are motivated by the passion of working with children. A caregiver who is motivated for the wrong reasons regardless of their point of origin is a failed placement in waiting. Au pairs who are motivated only by the lure of coming to the United States often leave families feeling that the care of the children is secondary to exploration, fun and adventure.
Another big issue facing families is that Au Pairs are not paid a living wage for this country. It can be a big shock for them to realize how far $320/week gets them in New York or San Francisco. This leads to a lot of disappointment for everyone.
HOURS AVAILABLE TO WORK/DUTIES:
The hours and times your nanny can work with you is determined by you in your handwritten work agreement. We do not have rules as to your nannies hours and/or schedule, however, we will guide you as to what works and what doesn't work when hiring a nanny.
In addition, nannies do not have restrictions on the duties they can perform. The only limitation on duties is what your nanny is willing to agree to in the Work Agreement and with so many nannies available, it’s easy to fill your needs. YC Nanny has Personal Chefs, Nanny/Housekeepers, House Managers and more.
BACKGROUND CHECKS/REFERENCE CHECKS/DRIVING:
Background checks for foreign au pairs are only as good as the record systems of the country reporting them. Each au pair is asked to provide her own background check from the country in which she resides. At Your Child's Nanny, we perform an in-house background check on every nanny, propagated from her SSN, eliminating the possibility of missing out on the smaller jurisdictions. We are pretty familiar with how our judicial system works, it is presumptuous to assume that the country you are hiring a nanny from has the same reporting systems for criminal activity, sex offenses and civil issues.
I personally speak with each reference at length and to notice hesitations and pick up on nuances in order to obtain the most accurate and honest references on every single nanny. One of the reasons I have chosen to only work with American nannies is because of the importance of this step. It is virtually impossible to obtain references from overseas due to language and time zone barriers. As a matter of fact, none of the top three au pair agencies list references as a requirement to be placed in the home of an American family. Actual verbal and written references are one of the first things we complete on our nannies because we know that caregivers with excellent references continue to be excellent nannies. You as a hiring family will have access to all information obtained on any candidate you are considering hiring.
Most of the families we speak with need some transportation provided by their nannies for the children. We obtain a full driving report from each nanny’s home state with a detailed description of her driving history for every family. Nannies who work with us must have excellent driving records and be experienced driving domestically.
For more information on Nanny Salaries please visit our "How Much Does Having a Nanny Cost" article or visit our Rates page.
COMMUNICATION/CULTURAL DIFFERENCES:
The number one reason for a failed placement is lack of communication. While there are definite advantages of hiring a foreign au pair with respect to language and cultural exchange, it can also be a giant barrier. Wanting your children to learn a foreign language is a great reason for wanting to hire an au pair. Unfortunately, many times your great intentions of an international experience can turn to frustration and regret when it becomes difficult to communicate basic ideas and philosophies. While all au pairs will speak English, the differences between the textbook English and real life application can definitely be a challenge in your home.
Cultural exchange is one of the biggest advantages of hiring an au pair. What a great way for your child and family to have some exposure to another culture and a new set of experiences. While I know that being exposed to a culture outside of our own is a great experience, having formerly employed an au pair myself, I can tell you that some of these cultural differences can be very difficult to navigate when to comes to the care and discipline of your children. Ideals that are culturally acceptable in another country may be unheard of in the US and vice versa. Make sure when hiring an au pair that you discuss things such as leaving children home alone, stranger danger, etc.
It is important for each family to determine their exact needs when hiring a caregiver for their children. There are fabulous girls both foreign and domestic that can make excellent live-in care providers. Minimize your risk by asking the right questions from the agency you chose to work with. Any agency you decide to work with should be able to answer the tough questions and make you feel at ease.
Contact me to hire your nanny today!