Hosting an au pair in Switzerland
Do you live in Switzerland and want to host an au pair? Then you have come to the right place.
Find out more about the requirements to become an au pair host family in Switzerland.
Criteria for hosting an Au Pair
Are you a family living in Switzerland who would like to host an au pair? Butrfly explains the requirements for becoming an au pair host family in Switzerland.
How do I qualify?
The au pair program is a cultural exchange program in which a young foreigner learns German, French or Italian in exchange for childcare services. It enables young people to learn a language through courses and to visit the country through activities.
The au pair is provided with accommodation, food, clothing and remuneration in return for hours of childcare.
Switzerland regulates the hosting of au pairs by Swiss families. By agreeing to host an au pair, the family chooses to integrate the au pair as a member of the family.
Each canton has its own visa quota, so the host family must ensure that its au pair can obtain a visa.
Within 14 days of the Au Pair’s arrival, the host family must register him or her with the residents’ registration office in the commune where they live.
Find out more about the conditions for hosting an au pair in Switzerland.
Family checklist ✅
- Live with at least one child under 18.
- To be able to cover the costs of hosting an Au Pair and language courses.
- Speak French, Italian, German or Romansh at home (depending on where you live).
- Have a different nationality from that of the au pair.
- Share the program values..
Housing checklist ✅
- Have a private room suitable for the au pair.
- Provide him with a bathroom.
- Ensure free access to housing
Organizational checklist ✅
- Drawing up and respecting the agreement (the contract)
- Assign tasks related to children and daily life in the home (small household chores).
- Respect the au pair's working hours (no more than 5 hours per day over a maximum of 6 working days per week, babysitting included).
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For more information on these conditions
General conditions
You must cover the expenses of the au pair program (full board, lodging and pocket money).
Pocket money is a minimum of 500 Swiss francs per week for 30 hours’ work.
The au pair program is a cultural exchange program that requires you to be open-minded. The young student chooses to live abroad to learn the language, visit the country and speak his/her native language with the children.
You must welcome the au pair and integrate him or her as a member of the family, as well as helping him or her to become familiar with the new environment. This will help everyone have a smooth stay.
In Switzerland, the salaries of young au pairs are subject to social security contributions, and these costs can be shared between the au pair and the host family.
Throughout their stay, au pairs are covered by health, accident and pension insurance.
Accommodation requirements
The room provided for the au pair must measure at least 9m². It must also be furnished and have a window to let in daylight and a door with a lock to give the au pair some privacy.
The au pair cannot share a room with the children, only the bathroom.
You also give the au pair access to a bathroom.
Tips: We recommend providing a room in the same location as the family, in line with the program’s values.
Stay organization conditions
Contract
A contract must be drawn up between you and the au pair to define the framework of the stay. This document describes the obligations of both parties, including the services due, working hours, remuneration, length of stay, etc.
Depending on the package you have chosen, we will draw up the contract for you and the au pair to sign. In Switzerland, there’s no such thing as a single au pair contract: it’s specific to your canton. The contract must be for a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 1 year.
For European nationals, it is possible to extend the contract to 24 months.
Work and free time
Au pairs are not allowed to work more than 6 hours a day and 30 hours a week. In addition, au pairs are entitled to at least 4 evenings off per week.
Overtime must be agreed in advance and compensated by free time or pocket money.
For vacations, au pairs with a one-year contract are entitled to 4 weeks/year paid leave (5 weeks for young people under 20).
You’ll need to give your au pair plenty of free time to visit the country, do activities, take language courses, etc.
Advice: We recommend that you discuss the future timetable with your au pair beforehand, so that it can be included in the contract.
On your dashboard, you have access to all the tasks that your future au pair will be able to carry out as part of his/her contract with you. Check only those you wish to entrust to the au pair. In general, an au pair can :
- Look after your children, take them to school or to activities, walk them and play with them.
- Help keep the house clean and do small chores.
- Prepare breakfast and simple meals.
- Look after your home and pets 🐕 (if you have any).
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Testimonials 👇
Read the testimonials of our host families and Au Pairs.
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What our families have to say
Listen to the testimonials of the guests on the podcast La Grande Famille, hosted by Manuela Dizier-Chanfreau.
You’ll find feedback and valuable advice on hosting an au pair from entrepreneurial moms.
