An au pair is a young person employed by a host family to help care for their children and earn a wage. The family is there to look after them and make their experience as exciting as possible. They will take them in as a babysitter to care for their children part-time as well as helping with light household chores. The host family will provide them with their own room, and all their meals throughout the duration of the programme. 

The host family will treat an au pair as a member of the family and pay them for their hard work. They may take them out to cultural events, on trips or to family gatherings.