Working as an Au Pair in Australia | Find Family & Working Holiday Visa

Many young people who choose to go to Australië going to do this on a “Working Holiday Visa“. Besides the chance to discover the country for a year, this visa also entitles you to work for a year. Since Australia is a relatively expensive country, it can come in handy to use some of your time here to earn some money. Most 'Working Holiday Makers' end up in the hospitality or construction environment. Wages are generally a bit higher than in the Netherlands, while the price of groceries and a beer is also slightly higher. Because I wanted to stay in Australia for a long time, I chose to do this in a way that wouldn't have cost me too much money. I started working as an au pair in Australia.

Also read: Thom and Lianne: 'We are living our dream in Australia'

Is an au pair something for men?

In the beginning I had the feeling that an au pair would always be a woman. Especially since here and there some media reports appear about certain offenses committed by men and minors. After doing some more research, I found out that there are indeed families that are looking for men. After this I decided to go for it and started looking for the right family. In the beginning I mainly focused on www.aupairworld.com† This is a website that connects families and au pairs worldwide.

Au Pair Care Australia

After a while of searching myself, I still hadn't found a family. There were some companies that could help me, although in my opinion they asked quite a lot of money. Out of nowhere I suddenly found myself on an Australian site called www.aupaircareaustralia.com† On this site you have to create a profile with information about yourself, after which the company will look for a suitable match. 24 hours after creating the profile, I received a Whatsapp from the owner and I was welcomed. Look, and then the ball starts rolling! This is what I was looking for.

Au pair family found

After texting back and forth for a while, I was invited for a Skype conversation with Michelle, the owner of Au pair Care Australia† This meeting immediately felt very good and she assured me that she would come up with a suitable family for me. And for free too! Within a week the time had come, the right match had been found. I was matched with a family from Sydney with two 12 year old boys. Sporty binkies, close to the city and the sea and very cheerful parents at first sight. This is how I came into contact with the Morsella family. After an evening of Skype with parents Frank and Julie, we immediately decided that this was a perfect match: I will help them for 6 months with raising, fetching and delivering Paddy and Lewis. After some email back and forth with the family, I would fly to Sydney in early January 2019 to start my adventure. I just became an au pair in Australia!

No sooner said than done. On January 5, I flew to Australia. A week later I was suddenly in a new family with unknown people. With a foreign language, a big house in a city and country where I knew no one. The beginning was quite intense. I didn't feel comfortable. I wondered aloud whether I had made the right choice and why I had to take on the adventure again. Why didn't I just stay safe in the Netherlands?

My life in Sydney

However, at some point I started to get used to it, got to know the family and made some friends with whom I took some trips when I was free. Because those moments were quite numerous. Since the children are normally at school, it was my job to ensure that they would have their things in the morning. And I would catch them again in the afternoon after school. All in all, I was off every day between 9:4 and XNUMX:XNUMX. My duties here and there were cooking something for the kids, taking Lewis to the football, walking the dog and doing some laundry here and there. When I think about it, I actually really had a blast.

Also read: The Wild West of Western Australia | An alternative round trip route!

During my time as an au pair in Australia I learned so much. What would I do if I had children? Or what not? My English has improved by leaps and bounds, I have my current girlfriend get to know. I learned to surf and I saw beautiful parts of the Sydney area. In addition, I have made eternal friends with the family.

Want to become an Au Pair yourself?

If you are also in doubt about going for an au pair in Australia, I really recommend that you do business with Au pair Care Australia† Even when things weren't going very well, I just called them and we worked it out together. They are always there for you, it is free of charge and they look for a tailor-made family for you. 

About Thom and Lianne

This article was written by Wereldreizigers.nl (World Travelers dot NL) Thomas and Lianne. If you want to know more about Thom's adventures as an au pair in Australia, you can always leave a message on their Instagram: @whatifwefly