How many hours does an au pair work exactly? And what tasks can an au pair take over? Below you can see the schedule from our au pair Chiara. Every family is different, so each au pair’s schedule will vary, but this is to give you an idea.
A day as an au pair
Morning routine
I wake up around 7:30 am as my host mother has to leave for work early. Then the children and I have breakfast together. I help with packing lunch boxes, getting dressed, doing hair, and play with Rens (my youngest host child). Around 8:20 am, we take Sterre to school. As Sterre is 6 years old, she goes to school every day. Rens is now in nursery school, so he goes to playgroup two days a week and spends the rest of the time at home with me.
During school hours
When Sterre is at school, I spend time with Rens. I always organise many fun activities to keep Rens occupied. When the weather is nice, we like to go out, for example to the playground, petting zoo, swimming, or to the library. I also organise many indoor activities such as crafting, drawing, games, baking, and scavenger hunts. At 12 pm, I make sure Rens has his lunch, and then we continue playing. He is also allowed to watch 1 hour of television each day, which we often do after lunch.
After school
At 3:30 pm, when Sterre finishes school, we wait at the school gate to pick her up. We walk home together, and I make sure everything is tidied up, such as her lunchbox or PE kit. When the children and I get home, my host mother is often already back. Since I also enjoy cooking, I often help my host mother with dinner. After dinner, my host mother does the washing up and puts the children to bed; I usually don’t need to assist with this as she likes to have this special time with the children herself. During the day, I sometimes have extra tasks to complete, such as doing the children's laundry: washing, hanging, and putting it away. I also need to make sure that any mess made during play or activities is tidied up. I clean my own room and sometimes do small tasks to help my host family, which I don’t mind.
Plenty of free time!
Since Rens also goes to playgroup two days a week and my days essentially end after picking up Sterre, I have a lot of free time in the evenings and during the week. The host family gives me plenty of freedom, and I can do what I like, as long as I don’t come home too late or too noisily. In my free time, I enjoy exercising; I have a gym membership at the gym down the street, and I like to meet up with friends to explore the Netherlands. We’ve even taken a few trips to Belgium and Germany!
I wake up around 7:30 am as my host mother has to leave for work early. Then the children and I have breakfast together. I help with packing lunch boxes, getting dressed, doing hair, and play with Rens (my youngest host child). Around 8:20 am, we take Sterre to school. As Sterre is 6 years old, she goes to school every day. Rens is now in nursery school, so he goes to playgroup two days a week and spends the rest of the time at home with me.
During school hours
When Sterre is at school, I spend time with Rens. I always organise many fun activities to keep Rens occupied. When the weather is nice, we like to go out, for example to the playground, petting zoo, swimming, or to the library. I also organise many indoor activities such as crafting, drawing, games, baking, and scavenger hunts. At 12 pm, I make sure Rens has his lunch, and then we continue playing. He is also allowed to watch 1 hour of television each day, which we often do after lunch.
After school
At 3:30 pm, when Sterre finishes school, we wait at the school gate to pick her up. We walk home together, and I make sure everything is tidied up, such as her lunchbox or PE kit. When the children and I get home, my host mother is often already back. Since I also enjoy cooking, I often help my host mother with dinner. After dinner, my host mother does the washing up and puts the children to bed; I usually don’t need to assist with this as she likes to have this special time with the children herself. During the day, I sometimes have extra tasks to complete, such as doing the children's laundry: washing, hanging, and putting it away. I also need to make sure that any mess made during play or activities is tidied up. I clean my own room and sometimes do small tasks to help my host family, which I don’t mind.
Plenty of free time!
Since Rens also goes to playgroup two days a week and my days essentially end after picking up Sterre, I have a lot of free time in the evenings and during the week. The host family gives me plenty of freedom, and I can do what I like, as long as I don’t come home too late or too noisily. In my free time, I enjoy exercising; I have a gym membership at the gym down the street, and I like to meet up with friends to explore the Netherlands. We’ve even taken a few trips to Belgium and Germany!
