Curious about the pocket money Au pairs get in Germany? Check out this post to learn more about the German Au pair salary and what to expect.
As someone who’s looking to be an Au pair in Germany, the first thought that came to mind when I thought about the role was all of the pocket money I could use to travel. I’ve traveled significantly before as a study abroad student in Italy so I was aware that traveling throughout Europe would be very cheap. And in my case, when I mean cheap, I’m talking about $50 flights and $10 train tickets.
So, if you’re curious about how much you’re going to make as an Au pair in Germany, you’ve come to the right place. This post highlights the pocket money Au pairs are paid on average in Germany and what it includes.
Au Pair in Germany Series
P.S. This is a post in my Au Pair in Germany series. Here is the complete series:
Au Pair Origin and History: What is an Au Pair: The Origin and History
Au Pair Tasks: What Does an Au Pair Do: Au Pair Tasks
Au Pair Agencies: The 7 Best Au Pair Agencies for Americans
German Language Learning Apps: The 10 Best Apps for German Learning as an Au Pair
Au Pair Guide: How to Become an Au Pair in Germany
Au Pair Visa: Au Pair Visa Germany: Requirements for Americans
Au Pair vs. Nanny: Au Pair vs. Nanny: What is the Difference?
How much is the German Au pair salary?
As of this moment, the salary for Au pairs in Germany is 280 euros per month. In the past, however, the salary each month was much less than this. In fact, it wasn’t until 2006 that the Au pair salary was even raised to 260 euros.
How do you get paid?
There are many different ways an Au pair can get paid by their host family. One way is by cash in which the host family gives the Au pair the Euros by hand. The other way is by direct deposit in which the host family deposits the pocket money electronically into the Au pair’s German bank account.
Therefore, if you choose to have your pocket money delivered electronically, your host family should help you open a German bank account once you arrive in Germany. In addition, an address registration certificate will also be required to open an bank account if you choose to go this route.
How often should you be paid your German Au pair salary?
How often you should be paid is dependent on the agreement you made with your host family. For example, there are some host families out there that have no problem paying you the 280 euros for the whole year all at once if your plan is to stay with them for a year. However, some host families may not be comfortable paying you the entire salary all at once. Some actually from what I’ve seen pay the 280 euros every month or the 70 euros every week.
What else is included with the German Au pair salary?
- Language Course
In addition to your German Au pair salary, your host family should also give you the opportunity to attend a German language course to perfect your skills. Although this is not required since you need to have an A1 Level for the German Au pair visa, it doesn’t hurt to attend one for the possibility of making new friends. Therefore, if you are interested in attending a language course as an Au pair in Germany, your host family is expected to contribute at least 50 euros a month to the course. However, if that does not cover the whole course, the Au pair is expected to pay the difference to make up for it.
- Sick Pay
Since the German Au pair salary is a monthly stipend, Au pairs are entitled to still be paid even if they are sick. Therefore, I believe it’s very important to ask your host family what their back-up plan is if you were to get sick for some reason.
- Holiday Pay
Holiday pay or vacation time is also included with the German Au pair salary. Au pairs are entitled to at least 1 day off per week as an Au pair in addition to least 4 free evenings. However, every month, that 1 day off should be a Sunday.
Furthermore, if the Au pair plans to stay with the host family for a whole year, they are also entitled to 4 weeks of paid vacation. However, if the Au pair plans to join the family on their family vacation, this would not be considered a holiday if they are expected to perform their childcare duties. For example, if an Au pair joined their host family on a family vacation to Switzerland and was asked to watch their host kid while their host parents went out for dinner, that would be considered to be work.
In addition to paid weeks of vacation, Au pairs should also have time off on public or bank holidays too in Germany. If the host family, however, needed the Au pair to work on a holiday, this would need to be agreed upon in advance.
- Travel Pass
In some cases, host families in Germany are also able to provide the Au pair with a travel pass to get around the host country. This travel pass could be for public transportation if the host family is based in a big city. However, if they’re based in the country, paying for your travel could look like paying for your gas if you have to drive a car.
German Au Pair Salary FAQs
Overall, to end this post, I thought it would be helpful to answer some frequently asked questions you might have about the German Au pair salary!
Do Au pairs pay taxes in Germany?
Since the German Au pair salary is considered to be low-income in Germany, Au pairs are not required to pay taxes on their pocket money.
Should you save up some money prior to becoming an Au pair?
Yes, I highly recommend saving up before becoming an Au pair. This money will come in handy if you need to make any large expenses while you’re abroad or if you need to leave your host family for some reason.
How do you budget your German Au pair salary?
There are different many ways you can budget your pocket money as an Au pair. Here are some suggestions I’d recommend:
- Avoid eating out too often
Although it can be attempting to want to eat out with your friends every week night, your pocket money will drain much more faster if you do it too often. Therefore, I highly recommend taking into account how often you can eat out with your friends if you’re planning to budget your pocket money.
- Visit free tourist attractions
Tourist attractions can definitely be a highlight whenever you visit a new city but they can definitely get quite expensive. Therefore, I highly recommend visiting some free ones to budget your salary as an Au pair.
- Pay in cash as much as possible
Although, this might not be as obvious as a suggestion, paying in cash is definitely more economical than paying with a debit card or a credit card. With cash, you’ll be able to see how much money you have left stored in your wallet as well as how much money you can use.
In fact, you could even try using the Envelope Budget Method to split up your pocket money according to how much you want to spend for variable expenses.
Can my host family pay more than the standard salary?
Yes, your host family is welcome to pay more than the standard salary if it applies to extra babysitting or reimbursing you when you buy something for your host kid(s). However, do keep in mind, that if your host family is paying way more than the average salary and I mean like 5x… then to me that would be a red flag.
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