I spent three months living and working as an Au Pair in Italy. I found my Au Pair job on my own, and while there were ups and downs, my overall experience was pretty good. Living in Venice, Italy was like a fairytale and getting to experience Italian food and cultural like a local was a dream come true. To help you get an idea of what your experience as an Au Pair could be like, I wanted to share my experience working as an Au Pair in Italy.
Table of Contents
My Job as an Au Pair in Italy
How I Got a Job as an Au Pair Italy
I decided to find a host family on my own by using Au Pair World. I did not want use an agency because I wanted to make all of my own decisions and I didn’t want to pay a fee for support that I did not feel I needed.
I created a free account on Au Pair World and filled out my profile in great detail. I provided extensive details on my experience working with youth and was very upfront about what I was looking for and the type of work I wanted to do. Then, I set my search for a family in Spain, Italy, or the UK. I had several families I found that I thought would be a good fit and had a few conversations via the website’s messaging system, before moving to WhatsApp to get to know them more.
It was pretty clear what family I felt I would connect best with and I had two separate skype “interviews” with them, where we talked face to face. During these meetings they showed me the house and I got to meet the children. We both pretty quickly agreed we would be a good fit. Before I knew it, I was heading to Venice, Italy to be their Au Pair.
My Host Family
I was an Au Pair for a family with two girls who were around 5 years old. For privacy purposes I am not going to share specific details about my host family but overall I really liked them. I got on really well with the parents and the girls were lovely when they were having a good day.
My host parents spoke English but the children did not, so we mostly communicated through our actions and vocal tones. The most challenging part for me was that my host children fought a lot and had daily tantrums that they could get away with by pretending they did not know what I was saying (even when they obviously did).
My Daily Routine & Tasks as an Au Pair
I worked 6 days a week. I chose to work this much because I wanted the chance to earn a bigger paycheck. However, if I were to do it again, I would choose a job where I only worked 5 days a week because 6 days was a lot.
In general, I was more of a parent helper because the parents were usually around when I was caring for the girls. I really liked my daily routine. I had the mornings off and during this time I would spend a few hours exploring the streets and canals of the city, having a coffee at a cafe, or going to Italian language lessons at a local university.
In the afternoon I would meet up with my host parents and we would pick up the girls from school. Sometimes we would head to one of the piazzas (i.e. squares) and the girls would play with their classmates while the parents sipped prosecco together at the nearby cafes. (This is a very common thing in Venice.) A few days out of the week, the girls had sports and we would drop them off for an hour and pick them up once they had finished.
After, we would head home to play games or watch a movie. Eventually it would be time for dinner and we would eat as a family (the parents cooked while I played with the girls). When dinner was over I would help bath the kids, get them ready for bed, and put them to sleep. Once they were in bed, I usually cleaned up and headed home.
Aside from caring for the girls and teaching them English, my other main tasks were to walk the dogs, stop by the grocery store now and then, practice English with the parents, and mind the girls when we all went on an outing.
I do think my host family asked a lot of what was outside the scope of my job, like helping with their business/work. I am partially at fault for saying yes to everything because I am a huge people pleaser and I also didn’t mind having something to do. If there was one thing I could have changed about my experience it would be setting better boundaries or having a written list of my job description before going. However, it did not take away from my overall experience.
How Much Money I Made as an Au Pair
As an Au Pair you earn what is called “pocket money” and your food and accommodation are included. If I remember correctly, I received around €600-700 a month. Some families provide other perks, and a big one for me was that my host family paid for me to take an Italian language class.
I made sure to only spend the money I made and not spend anything from my accounts back home. My only true expenses were the extra food I was buying, gifts for family back home, the two weekend trips I took on my time off, and my round-trip airfare. Honestly, I lived really well while I was in Venice and did not worry about keeping track of my spendings. After all was said and done I pretty much broke even.
Living in Italy as an Au Pair
My Au Pair Accommodations in Italy
I was lucky enough to live just down the street from my host family at a separate accommodation that they owned. I had a bedroom, bathroom, and balcony all to myself. I spent a lot of time on the balcony, studying Italian and enjoying the sites of the city. As an Au Pair, accommodation comes with the job, so I did not need to worry about paying rent. While I would have enjoyed living with my host family, it was wonderful to have my own place to go and get away from work.
Living in Venice, Italy
It took me about a month to figure out the streets and find my way around, but you really do get used to the city and at some point you stop hitting the dead ends; the ones you swear should take you to your favorite cafe but end at another canal. Eventually, after a month or so, I began to know the city like the back of my hand and what I thought was a maze became very navigable.
Honestly, living in Venice felt like a fairytale the majority of the time. The architecture alone is gorgeous and when paired with the maze of canals it looks like a page pulled out of a storybook. However, I should admit that living there started to become normal and while the beauty never dissipated, it did feel less magical overtime.
I won’t lie, while I was pretty much a glorified tourist, I got super frustrated with tourists on a daily basis. When you are trying to get to work or class and people are stopping on bridges or clustering up alleyways to get photos, it can be really frustrating.
Getting Around Venice
To get to the main island you can drive, train, or boat. But once you are on the island your options are using the water taxi to get to the main stops and then walking everywhere. Contrary to popular belief, only tourists looking to spend lots of money are taking the gondolas through the canals. Thus, Venice is a city where everyone’s main form of transportation is walking.
Shopping was a wild experience. At home, if I need something I can drive to the store, shop for everything I need in one place, then load my car and drive it all home. In Venice if you need medicine you go to the pharmacy, if you want fresh bread or a cake you go to a bakery, if you need produce you go to a grocery store, etc.. Thus, to buy different items you need to go to different stores and then carry all of these things back to your accommodation.
Making Friends as an Au Pair
I made a few friends who were in the same language class I was taking. (I also met a friend through trying out the bumble BFF app.) Now and then we would go out after classes and have a prosecco and chat. Everyone I made friends with was there because they were either traveling, studying abroad, or had a random job that brought them to Venice. Usually Au Pairs can connect with other Au Pairs in their city, but my host family did not have any friends who currently had an Au Pair.
What I Did with My Time Off in Italy
During my days off, I explored the city, visited all the famous tourist locations, went grocery shopping, and got general errands done. Now and then my host kids grandparents would make a surprise appearance and I would have two days off while they took care of the girls. When these long weekends happened I traveled a bit. I visited Mt Seceda in the Dolomites and my mother came to visit and we took a trip to Rome. A few years ago I spent a few weeks backpacking Italy so I would have traveled more if I hadn’t already seen the country, but I was very content spending my time off enjoying what Venice had to offer.
Italian Food & Cultural Exchange
Au Pair Meals and the Food in Venice
As an Au Pair my meals were provided for me. However, I spent most mornings having a cappuccino and a croissant from a local cafe because it was only €3. Some of my favorite moments were sitting down and watching the people in the square while sipping a coffee on the patio (the sitting fee was worth it). My host family had a cappuccino machine and milk frother they let me use, so even on the days that I didn’t want to spend money, I was still getting a good cappuccino.
Every evening my host parents cooked dinner while I watched the children, then we would all sit at the table and eat together. (I still dream about the bolognese one of my host parents used to make.) One thing that was difficult for me was that, in Italy, it is common to just sit and talk at the table long after the meal ends (I am talking up to 2 hours after the meal ends). The conversations were always great but it was strange coming from a country where a meal is over once the plate is empty.
On my days off I was still welcome to eat with my host family, but I usually took the opportunity to try out different restaurants around the island. The second best pizza I ever had was in Venice (the first in Rome, of course). I spent a lot of time trying out all of the various gelato spots on the island (my favorite being Suso and I don’t care if it’s touristy it was the best I found on the island). I also frequented the pasta to go shops like Pasta & Pasta or We Love Italy Pasta because they are quick, cheap, and delicious.
Learning Italian
While my host parents spoke English, my host kids did not. Part of my role as an Au Pair was to teach them English and learn Italian from them. I was lucky enough to have my host family pay for my Italian language classes. I defiantly took advantage of this and I studied almost every morning. I also picked up a lot by watching movies in Italian with my host kids. By the end, I became pretty good in basic Italian.
A challenge I found was that when I went to a cafe or restaurant to practice, the locals would hear my accent right away and would immediately reply to me in English. But, practicing the language as much as possible helped me understand my host children better, speak a bit with their grandparents and came in handy when traveling.
Celebrating Holidays as an Au Pair
I was able to spend Halloween with my host family. While it is not a hugely celebrated holiday in Venice, the schools do have the children make crafts and host a candy exchange. My host family was very open to me sharing this holiday with them so we got pumpkins and I taught the girls how to carve them. It is one of my favorite memories and was so much fun (even though they found it pretty gross). I also introduced them to the movie Halloweentown, which they watched pretty frequently throughout October.
I also attended several birthday parties, including one for my own host children. I am not sure if it’s an Italian thing or not, but of the three parties I went to, every single one was over the top. Everyone books out a location for their kid’s party because their apartments are too small to host and it’s really cheap to rent a space. At the parties, I would watch my girls run around and have fun while my parents chatted with the other parents.
What I Would do Differently as an Au Pair
Everyone’s Au Pair experience is different, and overall I enjoyed mine. Of course, it had it’s ups and downs and if I were to do it again I would do a few things differently. Firstly, I would find a family who was only looking for an Au Pair 5 days a week so that I could have two consecutive days off. I would also speak more with the parents about the negative behavior of the children instead of just dealing with it. I would spend more meal times with my host family (I often had lunch out or on my own) to bond more because I do miss them. Lastly, I would not say yes to everything and I would have a written list of what my Au Pair duties were so that lines were not blurred.
Conclusion
Overall, my experience living and working as an Au Pair in Venice, Italy was really cool and I am glad I had the chance to do so. While I would work as an Au Pair again, there are so many other wonderful experiences out there that I don’t want to miss. I hope my experience gave you an idea of what your Au Pair experience might be like. If you worked as an Au Pair, I would love to hear your experience in the comments below.
