Find the right au pair

For more help with your everyday needs

“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent.” – Carl Sandburg.


We all sometimes experience stress and chaos in our everyday lives, trying to balance the demands of work and home, and often, some things suffer. These are challenges that many families face. But getting support can be very simple. One way of doing so is to hire an au pair. You’ll find all the relevant information here and you can also receive no-obligation advice from us.

Help that really makes a difference

An au pair is a young person aged between 17 and 30 (au pair workers from third countries are aged between 18 and 25) who lives for a set period of time with a host family in a region where another language is spoken or abroad. The au pair helps the family with childcare and light household chores. In return, they get to know the culture and language of the host region or country, as well as receiving food, lodging and an appropriate wage. A stay as an au pair helps young people in many ways, for example it can:


  • expand their horizons
  • improve their foreign language skills
  • prepare them for a longer stay abroad
  • allow them to gain experience looking after children and
  • allow them to gain experience doing light housework


Au pair workers belong neither to the group of students nor to the group of employees but belong to a special group which has features of both.

Taking on an au pair

Good to know

There are various legal aspects to consider when taking on an au pair. The rules can be found in the European Agreement on Au Pair Placement of the Council of Europe, the directives of the State Secretariat for Migration and in cantonal guidelines. To make everything as smooth and uncomplicated as possible for you, we will gladly provide you with comprehensive support.

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You will receive all information about our service by email

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Initial consultation to clarify your needs and clarify all the details

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As soon as you give us the "go" to work with you, you will receive a link to fill out a family questionnaire and agree to our terms and conditions

The search for an au pair begins

Important Information

Standard work contract (NAV) and laws

The employment relationship between you as the employer and your au pair shall be governed by a written employment contract. This contract is based on various legal foundations, AIG (para. 4.4.10) and VFP (para. 4.7.3) instructions, cantonal memoranda (kantonale Merkblätter) and cantonal standard work contracts (NAV).


Au pair fact sheets cantons (German):

Canton Zürich

Canton Schwyz

Canton Baselstadt

Canton Baselland

Canton Zug

Canton Aargau - EU-/EFTA-Staaten

Canton Aargau - Drittstaaten

Canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden - EU/EFTA

Canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden - Drittstaaten

Canton Glarus

Canton Graubünden - EU/EFTA

Canton Graubünden - Drittstaaten

Canton Jura

Canton Luzern

Canton Nidwalden

Canton Obwalden

Canton St. Gallen

Canton Thurgau

Canton Uri - EU/EFTA

Canton Uri - Drittstaaten

NAV cantones (German):

Canton Aargau

Canton Bern

Canton Basel Land

Canton Basel Stadt

Canton Geneva

Canton Luzern

Canton St. Gallen

Canton Schaffhausen

Canton Solothurn

Canton Schwyz

Canton Vaud

Canton Zug

Canton Zürich

* For reasons of clarity, cantons not listed here also offer NAV to interested parties.

Remuneration

Au pair wages are governed by the guidelines of the relevant canton and, in Switzerland, range from CHF 500 to CHF 800 net per month. The host family pays at least the cost of the au pair’s travel to Switzerland. Depending on the canton, the host family also pays for the return journey. Board and lodging are set by law at CHF 990 per month and are considered part of the salary. In addition, the au pair must be paid a monthly meal allowance if the family go on holiday without the au pair or if the au pair does not have their meals in the home. In such cases, OASI rates apply. Furthermore, the au pair is entitled to at least 20 days (4 weeks) paid holiday a year, with those aged 20 and under entitled to 25 days (5 weeks).

Rights and obligations

As the host family you are the employer and must therefore comply with legal obligations in this regard. These include issuing a written monthly payroll statement, registering with the relevant social insurance bodies, declaring withholding tax, providing an annual wage statement and calculating annual social security and withholding tax deductions.


The following rules apply to au pairs from both EU/EFTA and third countries:


- The au pair shall help the host family with childcare and light household chores. More demanding activities, such as educational tasks or foreign language lessons and extra tuition for the children, are excluded.


- The host family shall integrate the au pair into daily family life and treat them as part of the family. The host family shall contribute to expanding the au pair’s general education by helping them develop a deeper understanding of the host country, teaching them about Swiss customs and traditions, allowing them enough time off to take a language course and generally helping them learn the language.


- The au pair’s attendance at a compulsory course at an approved language school to learn the language spoken in the place of residence must be organised by the host family and involve at least 120 hours of classes (Art. 48, VZAE). The costs of the language course shall be covered by the host family.


- The maximum weekly working time is 30 hours, while daily working time must not exceed 6 hours. The au pair must be supervised by a parent for half the working time (15 hours). Being present in the home while working one's regular job does not count as supervising the au pair.


- Families who wish to take on an au pair from a third country must obtain the permit from a placement agency recognised in Switzerland.


- Au pairs from third countries must be aged between 18 and 25, and those from EU/EFTA countries must be between 17 and 30.


- Au pairs from third countries may work in Switzerland as an au pair for a maximum of one year, those from EU/EFTA countries, for a maximum of two years.


- The au pair and host family may not be of the same nationality, have the same mother tongue or be related.


- The language spoken in the home by the host family should be either German, French or Italian, depending on the canton in which the family lives.



Under the 'stand still' clause in the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (VFP), the following derogations apply to au pairs from EU/EFTA countries:


- The placement must not be organised through a placement agency.


- Au pairs may be aged between 17 and 30.


- The stay with the host family can be extended from 12 to 24 months.



When you employ an au pair, you are required to register them with the relevant social insurers, pay employers’ social insurance contributions and organise obligatory accident insurance. You will find more detailed information in the ‘Hausdienstarbeit’ booklet published (in German, as well as French and Italian) by the OASI/DI Information Centre in conjunction with the Federal Social Insurance Office: Informationsstelle AHV/IV in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Bundesamt für Sozialversicherungen: and on the homepage of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO): Private Arbeitgebende (admin.ch) (in German, as well as French and Italian).


You are further obliged to obtain a work permit for the au pair. You can find out more about this in the ‘Work permits’ section.


Further details can be found in our FAQ section.


We will gladly look after all of this for you and relieve the burden on you as an employer.

Work permit

If you and your family wish to take on an au pair who does not hold Swiss citizenship, a work permit will be required.


Au pairs from EU/EFTA countries


Obtaining a work permit for an au pair who holds an EU/EFTA passport is very straightforward. By analogous application of the European Agreement on Au Pair Placement and according to established practice in all EU member states, an au pair placement may only last for a limited period of time (L EU/EFTA permits; maximum 24-month stay). In light of their special status, persons placed au pair are entitled to geographic but not occupational mobility, i.e. they are not allowed to change jobs, unless they apply for a different permit.


It is your responsibility, as the employer, to obtain the work permit from the relevant cantonal labour authority. EU/EFTA citizens are entitled to an EU/EFTA short-term residence permit for au pairs.


Au pairs from non-EU/EFTA countries


Taking on an au pair from a non-EU/EFTA country (third-country nationals) is only possible in certain cantons of Switzerland.


Au pair permits are subject to quotas and are therefore limited in number. Certain cantons do not issue any permits for au pairs from non-EU/EFTA countries. These cantons are: Fribourg, Geneva, Obwalden, Solothurn, Vaud, Zurich. In these cantons, only au pairs with EU/EFTA citizenship may be taken on. All other cantons will generally approve au pair applications for non-EU/EFTA citizens.


If you wish to take on an au pair from a third country, you, as the host family, must obtain the permit from a placement agency recognised in Switzerland. In addition, the requirements under Art. 48 VZAE, AIG instructions (para. 4.4.10), the cantonal standard work contracts (NAV) and the au pair memoranda for the individual cantons must be fulfilled. Unlike EU/EFTA citizens, au pairs from third countries are not legally entitled to a residence permit, the authorities decide at their own discretion.


We will gladly look after all of this for you and make your life as an employer easier.

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You can find further information in our FAQ.

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