Most commonly reported Work Activities

• Assisting and Caring for Others Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems Analysing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Thinking Creatively Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Getting Information Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Organising, Planning, and Prioritising Work Developing specific goals and plans to prioritise, organise, and accomplish your work.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events Identifying information by categorising, estimating, recognising differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Performing General Physical Activities Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.

The Work

The duties of an Au Pair vary depending on the age and number of children they care for. They may assist in dressing and feeding babies and very young children, and for comforting them when they are upset.  
 
It is strongly recommended that they work under the direct supervision of the parent if the children are under five years of age. They should not be expected to take the place of a professional childminder/nanny. They generally do not have any childcare experience or understanding of child development, safety, health and hygiene (especially related to babies and infants) or understanding and managing behaviour in small children. They may not have good communication skills.  
 
An Au Pair may plan and supervise play activities with older children. If the children are old enough to go to school, the parents' help may take them there and bring them back each day.  
 
Domestic tasks such as cleaning, washing up, cooking, and washing and ironing clothes take up a large part of the day.  
 
It is essential that childcare workers employed as nannies/parent's help/au pairs have a contract of employment and job description in place describing the work and responsibilities expected by each party, the employer and the employee. Domestic workers of all kinds are now within the remit of employment equality legislation.

Most commonly reported Work Tasks

• Maintain a safe play environment.
• Observe and monitor children's play activities.
• Communicate with children's parents or guardians about daily activities, behaviors, and related issues.
• Support children's emotional and social development, encouraging understanding of others and positive self-concepts.
• Care for children in institutional setting, such as group homes, nursery schools, private businesses, or schools for the handicapped.
• Sanitise toys and play equipment.
• Dress children and change diapers.
• Keep records on individual children, including daily observations and information about activities, meals served, and medications administered.
• Identify signs of emotional or developmental problems in children and bring them to parents' or guardians' attention.
• Instruct children in health and personal habits, such as eating, resting, and toilet habits.

This occupation is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests:

Social

The Social person's interests focus on interacting with the people in their environment. In all cases, the Social person enjoys the personal contact with other people in preference to the impersonal dealings with things, data and ideas found in other groups.

Many will seek out positions where there is direct contact with the public in some advisory role, whether a receptionist or a counsellor. Social people are motivated by an interest in different types of people and like diversity in their work environments. Many are drawn towards careers in the caring professions and social welfare area, whilst others prefer teaching and other 'informing' roles.

Creative

Creative people are drawn to careers and activities that enable them to take responsibility for the design, layout or sensory impact of something (visual, auditory etc). They may be atrracted to the traditional artistic pursuits such as painting, sculpture, singing, or music. Or they may show more interest in design activities, such as architecture, animation, or craft areas, such as pottery and ceramics.

Creative people use their personal understanding of people and the world they live in to guide their work. Creative people like to work in unstructured workplaces, enjoy taking risks and prefer a minimum of routine.

Administrative

Administrative people are interested in work that offers security and a sense of being part of a larger process. They may be at their most productive under supervisors who give clear guidelines and while performing routine tasks in a methodical and reliable way.

They tend to enjoy clerical and most forms of office work, where they perform essential administrative duties. They often form the backbone of large and small organisations alike. They may enjoy being in charge of office filing systems, and using computers and other office equipment to keep things running smoothly. They usually like routine work hours and prefer comfortable indoor workplaces.

It is possible to become an Au Pair straight after leaving school. However, most employers prefer applicants to have experience of looking after children, and many look for childcare experience and/or qualifications.  
 
There are many childcare and development courses offered by institutions around the country. Courses have QQI certification, varying from level 4 to level 6. 

Garda vetting & Reference check will form part of application processes, in line with Tusla childcare  services register & reputable Childminiding agencies. 

Key Skills Certs 

Fire safety 

Occupational First Aid (incl paedeatric CPR/ AED-Defib) 

Full driving license 

These single module skill certs are available all around Ireland at low or no cost. You can search for these key skills certs via Search our FET Coursefinder

Training & Development

FET Centre Traineeship:  Childcare & special needs support NFQ Level 5 these major award & single module courses are available all around Ireland at low or no cost Search our FET Coursefinder

FET Centre PLC course: Childcare NFQ level 5-6 Search our FET PLC coursefinder 

Last Updated: March, 2023

Salary Range (thousands per year)* €18k - €40k

Au Pair salary will depend on the country worked in. In Ireland Au Pairs should be paid on or above the national minimum wage.

Salaries vary by host employer, location, qualifications, and roles. Live in rates & Live out rates impact on salary depending on room and board as part of salary. 

Minimum wage rates for Au Pairs in Ireland 2023

Data Source(s):
AuPair.com//Aupairireland.ie/ suresitter.com/ WRC- GOV/ Indeed

Last Updated: February, 2024

* The lower figures typically reflect starting salaries. Higher salaries are awarded to those with greater experience and responsibility. Positions in Dublin sometimes command higher salaries.

View Salary information from Indeed.ie
Note: data not aways available

This information has been derived from the Solas National Skills Bulletin (2023).

The five-year average employment growth for this occupation was below the national average, with a decline of over 3,000 persons employed between 2021 and 2022. Almost all employed in quarter 4 2022 were female, 40% were employed part-time and a third held third level qualifications. The high number of recent job hires in 2022 without any employment growth would suggest a significant volume of job churn is occurring for this occupation.

There was also a relatively high number of jobseekers registered with DSP in December 2022 who were classified as previously employed in childcare roles. A Government report on workforce planning for childcare workers includes measures to both raise qualification levels for childcare workers and to enhance the attractiveness of the job so as to improve retention for these roles.

There is significant supply from the education system for these roles, with 3,263 QQI major awards in 2021 and circa 800 level 8 awards in higher education. Future demand for childcare workers will depend on demographic factors (with the number of 0–4-year-olds in the population declining), childcare usage (Census 2022 indicates that 28% of under 5s are in some form of formal childcare), and Government childcare strategies such as the National Childcare Scheme (extension of this scheme to include informal childminders is estimated to reduce demand for formal childcare services by approximately 20 percentage points.

• Childminding Ireland, The National Childminding Association of Ireland Ltd

  • 9 Bulford Business Campus, Kilcoole, Co Wicklow.
  • (01) 287 8466
  • [email protected]
  • Click Here