As an Au Pair in Italy you will work 30 hours a week. Your schedule is based on the family's needs and will differ with each placement. A usual day will be 5 to 6 hours of work. The week will most likely be 6 days of work with 1 day off or 5 days of work with 2 days off, depending on the hours worked each day.
Au Pairs will watch the child[ren] for up to two evenings per week. You may be requested to extend your work schedule during school holidays. In that case your Host Family will pay you extra. During summer months you may also be asked to join the family on their vacation!
Au Pairs can begin their stay on any given date, depending on existing vacancies and experience. It is worth noting that whilst you can choose to go for 3, 6, 9 or 12 months, most families will prefer the reliability of having one Au Pair for as long as possible; therefore 6+ month options are our most popular choice for this program.
Roles and Responsibilites
Keep in mind that this cultural exchange program has been designed to ensure that Au Pairs have enough time to explore Italy and meet with friends! Au Pairs will never be asked to do substantial household chores because a majority of Host Families have a cleaner that can sometimes be a live-in staff member. Your tasks may include:
- Childcare and assisting with English language skills
- Light housework; such as helping prepare meals, helping to set up the table, washing dishes, helping with laundry, general tidying of living spaces, etc.
- Driving children to and from school, appointments and in some cases tutoring sessions
The Social Scene
From the culinary capital of Bologna to the iconic fashion scene of Milan, Italy has it all. Both the smaller towns and the bigger cities are full of people eager to immerse themselves in to Italian life, there really is no excuse to not learn the language whilst slurping on your espresso in the morning sun. There are so many sights to see and adventures to be had during your Au Pair adventure! We are happy to accommodate requests from Au Pairs and help create the perfect itinerary of activities for a trip. Make sure you plan for spending money...or...erm clothes shopping money!
We will put you in touch with other Au Pairs heading to Italy so that you can create your own network. There will be a dedicated private Facebook group for you to interact, chat and swap ideas with other Au Pairs. Whilst it's a great tool to use for your weekend meet up arrangements, it's also great to share advice or tips that you may be using with your Host children.
What's Included?
- Accommodation including your own private room
- All meals in the family home
- In country support from our placement team
- Weekly pocket money (€100 p/w)
- Thorough application support & guidance
Ongoing Support
As part of Au Pairing with Smaller Earth, we make sure that you are fully supported throughout your time in Italy, because we're a lovely bunch and we want to make sure that you're doing well. We will provide you with a welcome orientation and you will check in with your Au Pair Coordinator once a month, just to make sure things are running smoothly.
What's Not Included?
- Round trip airfare
- Travel insurance
- Criminal background check (approx. £60)
- Personal spending money
- Travel to departure airport