Au pair in Germany: your rights and your first weeks

Your rights at a glance

A pocket money figure for 2026. The Federal Employment Agency sheet we cite is the April 2023 edition and states €280; we found no newer edition. Check the linked sheet for a later version before you sign a contract.

Check your own numbers

• Au pair schedule checker →Type in your hours for each day and see where the week goes over.
• Au pair pocket money calculator →See what pocket money, course money and fares should add up to this month.
• Au pair vacation calculator →Enter your arrival and departure dates and see how much paid holiday you get.

What to ask your host family before you sign

Each question goes with one of the rules above. Asking now is a lot easier than sorting it out in month three.

1. 1

   Can I see a normal week on paper?

   Hour by hour, with your days off marked. It should stay within 30 hours a week and 6 hours a day.

2. 2

   What happens when a day runs long?

   Extra hours have to be agreed beforehand, and you get them back as time off, not as extra money.

3. 3

   Which days and evenings are mine?

   You get 1.5 rest days and 4 free evenings a week, plus at least 1 Sunday a month. The rest days don’t have to fall on a weekend.

4. 4

   How will the course money be paid?

   €70 a month or €840 in one go, whichever you agree on. Ask who books the course and how the fare gets paid.

5. 5

   Which insurance covers me?

   Your family pays for health, pregnancy and accident cover. Ask for the insurer’s name and your papers before you travel.

6. 6

   Is the room mine?

   Board and lodging are free, and you get a room of your own in the family’s home.

7. 7

   What does the agency charge me?

   An agency may charge you at most €150, and only once the contract is in place. What the family pays is between them and the agency.

Source: BA sheet, April 2023

Your German course

Your host family pays at least €840 towards learning German over your stay, either €70 a month or in one payment. The money covers costs you actually have, so keep your receipts. The fare to the nearest suitable course comes on top, and your family has to give you time off to go.

You need German at level A1 before you arrive. The course is where you build on it.

• Pick a course whose times fit your week, and tell your family the times before you sign up so the plan can work around them.
• Your family pays the fare to the nearest suitable course. If you’d rather learn somewhere further away, talk to them first.
• Everyone in your class is new in town too, which makes it a good place to meet people.

Source: BA sheet, April 2023

The first weeks

A rough order for your first days. Ask your host family to help you book the appointments.

1. 1. Register your address (Anmeldung)

   Anyone who moves into a home in Germany has to register with the local registration office (Meldebehörde) within two weeks of moving in. You do this at the local registration office, the Bürgeramt or Meldebehörde.

   Source: BMG § 17, read 19 Sep 2026

2. 2. Residence permit, if you came on a visa

   Apply for your residence permit at the local immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) before your visa runs out. Au pairs from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland don’t need one.

   Source: BA sheet, April 2023More about the au pair visa →

3. 3. Bank account and phone number

   With your own account, pocket money can go straight in, and a German number makes it easier for your family, your course and new friends to reach you.

4. 4. Get the weekly plan in writing

   If it wasn’t done before you arrived, do it in the first week. Go through it together and hold it up against the rights card above.

5. 5. Keep your insurance papers handy

   Your family pays for your cover. Know the insurer’s name and where your card is before you need a doctor.

Homesick? That’s normal

Missing home doesn’t mean you chose wrong. It can hit once the first excitement wears off and the days turn into routine.

• Call home at set times rather than all day. You’ll have more to tell, and more of you stays here.
• Plan something for your free evenings, even something small like a walk, a café or a class.
• Tell your host family. They can’t help with something they don’t know about.
• If it doesn’t ease after a while, talk to your agency or someone you trust.

Making friends

• Your German course is the easiest start, because everyone there is new as well.
• Look for au pair groups in your city on Facebook or WhatsApp. Some of them organise meetups.
• Join something local: a sports club (Verein), a choir, a church or community group. You’ll practise German without trying.
• You have at least 4 free evenings a week. Use a few of them to say yes to things.

When it isn’t working

• Say something early, while it’s still small. A short talk once a week makes that easier for both sides.
• If your hours keep going over 30 hours a week, bring it up. Extra hours have to be agreed beforehand and come back to you as time off.
• Write down the hours you actually work. Dates and times make a hard conversation easier.
• If talking doesn’t fix it and you came through an agency, get in touch with them. That’s part of what they’re there for.