Become a host family
Become an a pair
France · Paris
Become an au pair in Paris
The legal framework is national, life on the ground is not. Here, some families house their au pair in their own flat and pay for the Pass Navigo. That is what changes when you are an au pair in Paris rather than elsewhere in France.
2019
by your side since
2000
au pairs supported
20+
nationalities welcomed
4.7/5
on Trustpilot, over 240 reviews
In short
Three things to know about Paris
Pass Navigo
paid by the family in most cases
Live-out
some families house the au pair in their own flat
9 m²
minimum room size, the sticking point of Parisian housing
Why Paris
What this city has that others don’t
Four concrete reasons, not brochure talk.
You can have your own flat
This is the Parisian specificity. Some families offer a live-out arrangement: you work in their home but live elsewhere, with your own privacy. Elsewhere in France it is the exception; here it is a real option, and you should ask for it as soon as you are matched.
Transport is covered
In most cases, the family pays for the Pass Navigo, which gives unlimited travel in Paris and its inner suburbs. That is one less expense, and it matters a lot in a city where the cost of living is high.
A driving licence is not essential
Elsewhere in France, driving the children to school is often a requirement. In Paris, journeys are made by public transport or on foot: the licence stops being an entry filter. It remains an asset: together with English and childcare experience, it opens up the families’ Premium+ offer.
Established communities
Student groups, cultural associations, sports clubs: in Paris it is easy not to stay on your own, and that is often what makes a stay a success.
Your daily life
What a week in Paris looks like
Paris or the suburbs
Both are possible and feel quite different. In Paris, everything is done on foot or by metro and homes are small. In the inner suburbs, families have more space, often a bigger room, and the Pass Navigo covers the journey.
The cost of living
It is high, and that is the point to face squarely. You get board and lodging, and your pocket money stays at the national level, €400 a month on average: it is your outings that cost more than elsewhere. The Pass Navigo paid by the family makes up part of the difference.
Your evenings and weekends
Museums, theatres, concerts and festivals all year round, exhibitions and fashion shows, and a lively nightlife full of bars and restaurants. You won’t have time to see it all in a year.
Learning French
Where to take your classes in Paris
Your French classes are provided for in the agreement, whatever your nationality. The family arranges your schedule so that you can attend them.
- Alliance française Paris Île-de-France: 101 boulevard Raspail, in the 6th arrondissement, one of the agency’s partners. French as a foreign language in intensive or lighter formats, compatible with a childcare schedule.
- The Qualité FLE label: This is the benchmark to check before paying for a course: it is awarded by the French State and the official directory of labelled centres is public on qualitefle.fr. Paris has several dozen of them, in almost every arrondissement.
The legal framework, however, is national
Your pocket money, your hours and your French classes depend neither on the city nor on your nationality: the rules are the same for all candidates aged 18 to 30, with €400 pocket money a month on average and a maximum of 25 hours of childcare a week. Only the entry formalities depend on your country of origin: depending on your nationality, a long-stay visa to obtain before you arrive. Full details are on the France page.
Frequently asked questions
What we are asked about Paris
No, and that is the main difference with the rest of France. Parisian families don’t expect you to drive: school runs are done on foot or by public transport. In most cases, the family pays for your Pass Navigo. A licence remains an asset for the Premium+ offer, together with English and childcare experience.
It is the capital’s number one point of vigilance. The legal minimum is 9 m² with a window opening to the outside, and it applies in Paris as everywhere else. We check this point before any match.
Yes, some Parisian families offer a live-out arrangement: you look after the children in their home but live in your own flat. It is a specificity of the capital, rare elsewhere in France. Ask for it as soon as you are matched, as not all families offer it.
€400 a month on average, paid by the family. The amount depends neither on the city nor on your nationality: the rules are the same for everyone. You get board and lodging on top of this sum. Details of the framework are on the France page.
Twenty-five hours a week at most, whatever your nationality. You have at least one full day off a week, including at least one Sunday a month. No other job is allowed alongside.
Who supports you
A French agency, reachable throughout your stay
Your contact person doesn’t change once you are there: the person who prepares your application is the one who answers when a question comes up in Paris.
Manuela Dizier Chanfreau
Co-founder of Butrfly
She went to study in Mexico, where she was welcomed by a host family, and founded Butrfly in 2019 with Anne-Claire. A mother of two daughters, she hosts au pairs in her own home: what you read on this page comes from everyday life, not from a brochure.
What our credibility rests on
- French company founded in 2019, a social and solidarity economy start-up
- Approved for personal services: families receive a 50% tax credit on the Families package
- Over 1500 families and 2000 au pairs supported
- Over 20 nationalities welcomed into French families
- 4.7/5 on Trustpilot, over 240 public reviews
- A dedicated contact person, reachable throughout your stay
- Visa and prefecture formalities handled with you, not for you
Elsewhere in France
Other cities, other daily lives
The framework is the same everywhere. What changes is life on the ground.
The south-west, sunshine, a large student population and affordable French classes.
Let’s go
Ready to go?
Create your au pair profile, it’s free, and we will call you back to frame your project.
They trust us
