Are au pairs treated ok?

Question

My dad studied in France in the seventies (Bordeaux) and many of his friends were au pairs from England. I told him I wanted to think about being an au pair in France, and he said that many French families use their au pairs and treat them badly. Does anyone know if regulatory agencies will help find a decent family for the au pair to work for?

Answer 1

as always (and anywhere) how you are treated as an au pair depends on the family. it's impossible to generalize. i know people who loved their time as au pairs in france and ireland and people who went to england that were treated really badly. but that's just some people's experiences.

at least when you're with an agency they can support you and offer you a different family in case things do go wrong...