Being an au pair in Switzerland

• Age: Au pairs are required to be between 17 and 30 years of age
• Salary (Pocket money): On average au pairs get paid CHF500 - CHF800 per month
• Number of hrs to work and days off: 30 to 40 hours a week (housework, baby-sitting, etc.). An au pair has the right to one day off per week (at least one Sunday a month) and 4 weeks’ vacation per year (5 weeks if they are less than 20 years old)
• Visas: Au pairs are only admitted to Switzerland if they come from European Union (EU) member countries, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. See Visa requirements for Switzerland for more information.
• Duration of stay: An au pair should stay a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 18 months.
• Health Insurance: Employers pay the au pair's health and accident insurance although they can deduct up to 10% of the au pair's salary to cover the costs.
• Travel costs: Travel costs to Switzerland from the au pairs home country should be covered by the au pair. However, if the host family wants to pay for a part of the costs, it is suggested that they do so after the au pair has stayed with them for at least half of the agreed time
• Language courses: An employer is also obliged to enrol their au pair in a language school. Employers pay for the language courses, although they can deduct up to 10% of the au pair’s salary to cover the costs.

Being an au pair in:
Australia / Austria / Belgium / Canada / Denmark / France / Germany / Ireland / Italy / Netherlands / New Zealand / Norway / Spain / Sweden / UK / US