An au pair, by definition, describes a young person living on an equal basis with a host family in a foreign country in the UK or USA on a specific work visa to work as a childcare provider for a specific period of time, permits are limited to candidates who are unmarried, and have no responsibility as a parent or dependants, do not plan to stay in the UK for more than two years as an au pair, and must be able to support and accommodate themselves without help from public funds. The au pair helps the family with childcare, housework, or both while staying as a guest of the family and generally receiving a small allowance (or pocket money). An au pair will typically be a young woman, or sometimes a young man, who is accepted into the host family as an extended family member. Hiring an au pair can sometimes bring a new culture and new language to the hiring family’s home, making this an appealing home childcare option for the family.Do not confuse an au pair with a nanny and look out for nanny jobs section of any site. Generally, there is a seperate section for nanny jobs and au pair jobs.
It is very important to choose or shortlist as an au pair from any childcare jobs website with caution when answering the advert of someone advertising himself or herself as an “au pair” on an online nanny or au pair service. A childcare provider who is advertising for his or her services on a jobs website by calling themselves an au pair is likely to have completed their accepted time in the country (and so may have great childcare skills and references) but is now looking to stay in the UK or U.S. beyond their visa, either legally or, possibly, illegally. In addition, this type of au pair may not say up front what their intentions are for staying in the UK or U.S. They may be looking to settle down in the country permanently, and thus might be an acceptable choice for a family in need of home childcare services - but they may also be looking simply to extend their stay by a few months, years which would mean that at the end of the time they would be leaving the family to start the search process all over again.
Conclusion is any family wishes to hire an au pair as their childcare provider, it is best for them to go through the licensed au pair agencies that exist and that can handle the paperwork and the legalities of the process, rather than to find an au pair independently listing themselves online.