Many people think that au pair and nanny refer to the same thing. However, what most people don’t know is that there is a significant difference between an au pair and a nanny. Though, both nannies and au pairs provide childcare services at home, there are some differences between these two positions. Typically young women and occasionally young men from another country will become au pairs. These foreign individuals seek cultural exchange by taking the job in another country.

An au pair may not have any prior experience when it comes to taking care of children. Nanny, on the other hand, refers to someone who has chosen childcare as their career. They may be older or younger and generally possess experience in the field. Unlike the au pair, a nanny is generally from the same country where they work.

Au pairs generally have to work under the restrictions and specific regulations that are provided by the government of the country. In most countries, an adult individual, from a foreign land, can work for a family as an au pair. They typically have to work for 10 hours every day. However, the duty hours may depend on the specific requirements of the family. There may also be regulations regarding things like amount of day offs and wages paid in exchange of their services.

The idea of this program is making the foreign individual feel like they are a part of the family and not necessarily an employee. The au pair lives and often goes on vacations and outings with the family that employs them. They will receive meals, lodging, small monthly or weekly allowance in exchange of their services. Their services may include basic household chores and helping the parents take care of their kids. In most countries, au pairs are not allowed to take care of a child that is below the age of 3 months when the parents are not around. In order to be able to take care of children below the age of 2 years, the au pair will need to get trained in infant care.

Unlike au pairs, nannies take care of children as a career and they are generally paid a standard amount of salary. Nannies often have experience of working with children and they may have to take language classes and other classes for training themselves according to the family’s needs. These were some of the common differences between nannies and au pairs.