Average Weekly Pay for Au Pair

THe official au pair program for foreign young ladies who come from other countries is $195 for 45 hrs of work. Then you also pay the agency fee $6-8K, and you pay up to $500 education expenses, for room & board, and of course there are some misc expenses that come up during the year. All in all, it's $20K+ family cost.

If paying by the hour, it is usually by # kids. $10 1 child, and up from there. I was paying $13.75 + taxes for our American sitter before we had our au pair.

Good luck!

The au pair only gets minimum wage. It costs about $325/week plus free room & board, along with a $500 education advance and she must have her private bedroom.

we have a nanny 8-5 M-F and we pay her $350 cash per week. Anything outside those hour is $10/hour extra.

I'm a nanny in Oak Park. I get paid $600/week before taxes. I also work more than your typical nanny though. I'm live-in & work overnights 2-3x per week. I also get room & board.

I take care of one child-she's 20 months old now.

Hope this helps!

Since it is your niece it is a different situation.

If you were hiring an au pair I would say pay less, demand more. With soft economy you can be picky. Plus, in the US service people are spoiled, overpaid and many of them do not know their place (not the case in the rest of the world). You can also hire directly from different countries, just search the internet. But you will be required to pay a US minimum wage if you go that route. If you find someone in the US and you have a cash agreement you can pay less.

With your niece you have to strike some ballance so that she will not be resentful of you if you pay her less than let's say some nanny next door. They do chat, you know. Also, are you prepared to demand a sertain level of performance? Experience? Consider her reasons coming to the US. Is she coming to make money and wants to work or is she expecting a vacation with room and board?

Good luck!

I also live in Chicago and have an au pair. The federal required amount minimum is $195.75. This is in addition to the fees that we have paid the agency. Is this truly an au pair or is this your niece who lives in the US and is a nanny? Big difference. I also pay $500 a year in education along with food and housing, Let me know if you have any more questions.