Au Pairing in Italy

I have been lucky enough to have travelled extensively and spent time volunteering and working abroad but one experience that I haven't had is au pairing. If you've ever wanted to nanny abroad but are not sure what it really means to stay with a host family and look after their child, for this week's post, Stephanie Mork, a fellow solo traveller, shares her experience of being an au pairing in Italy.

With my host family Italy

Being a Nanny in Italy

I fell in love with travelling and experiencing other cultures when I studied abroad in Ireland for 5 months. When my plans after graduating from college fell through, the idea to go abroad again popped in my head so I began researching how I could travel or live overseas at an affordable price. The answer: being an au pair. An Au pair abroad is just a fancy way to say, live-in nanny. After getting in contact with a family that wanted to host me for a few months and talking about it with my friends and family, I booked my plane ticket to Italy to experience nannying abroad. 

The main things that an au pair is usually responsible for are: looking after the kids, cooking lunch for them, doing household chores, and teaching English or whatever preferred language to the kids. I worked for a host family that had one girl who was seven years old and two working parents that lived in the northernmost region of Italy in a small city called Merano.

A typical day for me started with bringing Susie (not her real name for privacy sake) to school. When she was at school I had a few hours to clean the house, do the dishes and have some free time. After school I picked her up, cooked lunch and worked with her on homework and English.

Living in Italy

Although my family life and daily tasks were pretty normal, I was living in Italy! My three months living, working and travelling in Europe were some of the most transformative months of my life. I gained confidence, courage, and independence that I had never been able to display in the past. Going to a foreign country alone really teaches you the meaning of relying on yourself and learning to truly enjoy your own company.

Sure not everything was peachy and despite the challenges I was facing I learned to make the most of the moments that made me feel most alive and reminded me that I was doing something that not many people would get to experience.

Watching the sunset from the top of a bell tower in Florence, eating the creamiest gelato and drinking the sweetest of wines, going hiking in the mountains of Northern Italy; these are the moments that I will keep close to my heart from these three months because I remember them as feelings of joy and exhilaration.

Benefits of Au Pairing

I made great friends with other au pairs in a region of Italy that I had never heard of before, got to know the Italian language and Italian culture, gained lifelong solo traveling skills, and learned more about myself than I could have ever imagined.

To look more into au pairing in Italy, check out Au Pair World and create a profile for free. You will be living and working with host families in a foreign country, so make sure to thoroughly read through the families profiles and don’t forget to keep constant open communication with them.

Most of all be open to learning about a new culture, meeting inspiring people from around the world and having a life-changing experience. Then book that plane ticket.

About Stephanie

Stephanie spent three months as an American au pair in Italy after graduating from college. She works at a camp in Wisconsin and continues to do some freelance writing. She has also written a blog about being an au pair at 85 Days In Italy.

Other Au Pairing in Italy Experiences

If you are thinking of going to Italy to work or teach, Global Work & Travel helps you to organise working abroad placements in Italy and around the world. Choose from au pair jobs in Italy, an internship, tutoring or teach abroad. Their work abroad Italy placements include all the support you need for a life-changing adventure.

* SAVE £100/€100/$100 off au pairing with the code GATG

“Global Work & Travel helped me to unlock an experience I would have never gone on on my own. Last year I stayed with a family in Italy for 3 months near Milan. I still call them my family. It was an experience of a lifetime. There were too many parts to highlight, however these things I will always remember. the lovely Italians in my little town who were so kind to me when I went out every day on my bicycle to discover new little streets, riding through the town where they used the castle as the library and the cobbled stone roads and beautiful brick buildings.

It was like I was living in a movie. The gelato in my town was the best in Italy I must say. Maybe it was the people who ran it, maybe it was the ingredients… but I think it was the fact that it was made with so much love. I even made friends with one of the shop owners who allowed me to make gelato with him. On the weekends I would hop on the train and visit other cities, Florence being one of my favourites.” – Chloe C on her au pairing placement. 

* Find out how to become an au pair in Italy here

How To Au Pair in Italy – FAQs

• How do I find nanny jobs in Italy? Global Work & Travel helps to organise au pairing placements in Italy and around the world. 
• What is an au pair in Italy salary? With Global Travel you can earn between €80 – €200 per week.
• Do I receive pocket money? You’ll receive two weeks of paid holiday.  
• Au pair in Italy: requirements: Be a citizen of an eligible country. Have had no criminal convictions in the last 5 years. 
• What is the age limit for nannying jobs in Italy? You need to be between 18-35 years old for au pair jobs Italy. 
• How long is an au pair program? The au pair contract is between 3 to 12 months. 
• How many hours do I work per week? Generally between 25 to 35 hours per week.
• How do I arrange my working holiday visa? Global Work & Travel offer trip visa guidance. 
• Can they arrange any courses? Before the placement, you undertake a 4-hour course and receive a certification of completion at the end of your placement. Duo Lingo is a free language course to help you learn the lingo online. 
• Do I live with the children? Yes, you have private live-in accommodation with your host family in Italy.
• Are there Nannying jobs in Florence Italy? You can nanny in Italy in several locations such as Milan, Bologna, Turin, Marche or au pair Rome. 
• What are the Italy requirements? Italy requires you to be vaccinated against Covid-19 before travelling there. 
• Which other countries can I au pair in Europe? Aside from becoming an Italy au pair, you can also au pair in Spain and France and even as far afield as China or New Zealand. 
• Do they offer another working holiday in Italy? Global Work & Travel also offer internships and teaching, tutoring placements in Italy.

N.b. By booking through this page with Global Work & Travel you are helping to improve the lives of vulnerable girls about the globe. Thanks for helping.

* SAVE £100/€100/$100 off nannying in Italy with the code GATG