Wie werde ich ein Aupair in Deutschland

It depends.

⟩ You are an EU-citizen? Then you do not need a visa to be an Au Pair in Germany. You can skip the #visa step.

⟩ You are not an EU-citizen? If you are not from the EU, then you need a visa. You can apply for the Au Pair residence visa at the German embassy in your home country. Alternatively, you travel to Germany on a tourist visa. Once in Germany, you then apply for a visa for Au Pairs. To do the latter, just do the following steps.

If you want to be an Au Pair, finding the right family is very important. Aspects to consider are: number of children, sympathy, location, infrastructure, language schools, payment. Many people use agencies to help them search for families:
⟩ AuPair Village, Aupair to Germany

There are also some Facebook groups in which you can ask if anyone is searching for an Au Pair:
⟩ Expats in Germany, Expats in Berlin

Tip: Make sure that you meet or call your family before deciding to stay with them. This way you can see if the family is a good match.

You are in Germany. Well done. Now all you do is find a place where you can stay temporarily. Until you have a host family. Great resources for finding a cheap room or flat in Germany are
> Facebook groups, WG-Gesucht and Immobilienscout24

Looking for a place in Berlin?
> 10 Things About How to Find a Place in Berlin

Okay. Let’s assume you have somewhere to stay. The first thing you have to do is: go register. Everyone who resides in Germany must register at the Registration Office (Bürgeramt or Einwohnermeldeamt) within 1-2 weeks.

Every Au Pair registered in Germany must have valid health insurance. This is required by the German law. For those of you that also need a visa: You must have proof of health insurance for the visa application. Otherwise you cannot become an Au Pair in Germany.

This is what Paul, a former Au Pair in Darmstadt, says:

“I didn’t know where to get health insurance. My Au Pair agency offered to get me health insurance. But it was extremely expensive. After browsing and googling, I finally found CareConcept. They have a health insurance made for Au Pairs in Germany. I was very happy with them – they covered everything and even spoke Spanish.”

So in the end you must decide for yourself which health insurance suits you best…

So. You probably already have a bank account in your home country. But it may be expensive to make bank transfers and get cash from your home bank account. There are many bank accounts which have monthly fees in Germany. For example, Deutsche Bank, Postbank, Commerzbank, …

So, which is the best bank account for Au Pairs in Germany?

The best bank account for Au Pairs in Germany is Number26, because it is completely free. It is all online. You can do everything on your smartphone and laptop. You get a free master card. And it’s easy to cancel.

Of course, if you prefer the conventional bank account, you can do that too. But you gotta pay.

First of all: Schedule an Appointment to get a Visa as an Au Pair in Germany.

How do I do that?
Well, it is most convenient to schedule an appointment at the Foreigners Registration Office (Ausländerbehörde) to apply for your visa online. To find your local Foreigner’s Registration Office google “Ausländerbehörde + City”. The website should be in English. You can make an appointment online in most cities.

Alternatively, you also may show up at one of the following locations without an appointment, but expect to wait for several hours. For the Au Pair Visa, an interview is also required which they recommend you have an appointment for.

Now… Get all Documents for the ‘Au Pair Residence Visa’

Once you have completed the first steps and scheduled an appointment, it is time to get all documents together.

This is a list of all forms you need. You can download all the forms in our member area for free.

• 
Applicants must not be older than 26 years.
• Have a basic knowledge of the German language
• German must be the native language in the host family. An au pair employment may be authorized if German is spoken as mother tongue in the host family. Otherwise, it is only possible when the employee does not come from the same country as the host parents.
• Current biometric photo 35mm x 45mm, frontal shot with neutral facial expression and closed mouth, looking straight into the camera, light background. Print your photo online.
• Au pair contract with the host family (get here).
• The form “Antrag auf Erlaubnis einer Beschäftigung als Au Pair” – Application for an employment permit (not self-employed) which requires the approval of the Federal Employment Agency. To be filled out by the au pair (get here)
• The form “Stellenbeschreibung”. To be filled out by the host family.
• The form “Fragebogen Au-pair” to be filled in by host family (get here)
• Health insurance Proof. 
• The form “Antrag auf Erteilung eines Aufenthaltstitels” (get here)

Finally: attend the appointment & get your visa!

Make sure to bring all forms and documents to the appointment. If you feel your German is not good enough, do bring a friend to the appointment. Or perhaps a member of your host family can accompany you. If you have all documents and present your case clearly, then….

…you will walk out with your Au Pair visa for Germany! Congrats!

Well done! You’re with your family now. You have your own room. You take care of the children. You go out and have fun. What a life! BUT: before you forget — you must register your new address!

Now that you officially live in Germany, you may want to improve your German skills. There are plenty of ways to do that.

You want to learn German the fast way? Go for BABBEL. It’s THE app for learning German.

With Babbel you learn German, whenever you have a free minute – for example, when the baby is sleeping. Or when you go home on a bus. You just open the app on your smartphone and practice some German.

You prefer to learn German in a school?
The Volkshochschule (public, cheap) and the Goethe Institut (private, more expensive) are the most well-known institutions for learning German.

You live in Berlin?
Check out our super cool blog by Giorgia, an Italian girl. She wrote an article about the 10 best ways to learn German in Berlin.

All good times must come to an end…

Your time as an Au Pair in Germany will go by quickly. Believe me.
Time flies – especially when you enjoy yourself.

Soon you will embark on new adventures. Yet the experiences that you collected as an au pair in Germany will always remain a part of you.

Having been an Au Pair in Germany will look great on your CV, too. Today, employers don’t only look for excellent grades. They want people with life experience. People who have done some hand-on jobs. Well, I can’t think of a job that is more hands-on than being an Au Pair.

In any case.

At some point, you must pack your stuff. You have to close your bank account. Cancel all your contracts. And for cancelling your contracts, you need your deregistration confirmation (Abmeldungsbescheinigung). Once you have a deregistration confirmation – a piece of paper that shows that you will leave Germany permanently – companies must let you out of the contracts.

For example. You were member of a gym in Germany. But you leave Germany before the contract is finished. Well, show your gym the deregistration confirmation and they must terminate your contract at the time of your departure.

As you can see, it is important that you deregister (abmelden). And it’s your last step…