An au pair for your child with additional needs.

Germany's first au pair agency dedicated to families of children with disabilities and additional needs.

AutismADHDDown's syndromePhysical disabilityLearning disabilityMultiple disabilitiesSensory impairmentCerebral palsyEpilepsyChronic illnessRare and genetic conditionsDevelopmental delaySpeech and language delayNeurodivergenceHigh sensitivityGiftednessFoster childNo diagnosis

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We place au pairs with families of children with disabilities and additional needs.

Book a consultation call (opens in a new tab)How placement works

An au pair laughs while making sandwiches in a sunny kitchen, a child sits at the table and the host mother stands behind with a cup of coffee
The difference

What makes our au pair agency unique.

Au pair tasks

Where your au pair can support you in everyday life.

An au pair carries a toddler on her arm while a girl paints at the table — a loving everyday moment

Childcare

Being there for your child day to day and supporting you with their care.

An au pair holds a child's hand on the way — safely taken there and picked up

Drop-off and pick-up

Taking your child to Kita (day nursery), school or therapy and picking them up again.

An au pair and a child happily playing with a colourful wooden puzzle

Play and free time

Playing, crafts, reading aloud, going to the playground or simply spending time together.

Preparing a healthy meal together — warmly supported in everyday family life

Simple meals

Preparing breakfast, lunchboxes or simple, child-friendly meals for your child.

Tidying toys back onto the shelf together — keeping the children's room in order with joy

Children's room

Helping with tidying up and keeping the children's room in order.

Small pieces of children's laundry lovingly folded — caring everyday life

Children's laundry

Washing, folding and putting away the children's laundry.

An au pair patiently helps a child with crafting wooden figures

Around the children

Taking on light household tasks directly related to the children.

Childcare
Besondere Sterne

More than au pair placement.

An au pair laughs while making sandwiches in a sunny kitchen, a child sits at the table and the host mother stands behind with a cup of coffee
For families like yours

When your au pair lends a hand in the morning.

Breakfast, getting dressed, packing bags — start the day more calmly with your au pair's support.

Portrait of Melanie Matl in warm light
Personal from the very start

For us, placement begins with listening.

In a personal conversation we get to know your family — before we start looking for the right au pair together.

A young woman sits at a wooden table at home in front of a laptop with online training, taking notes
Thorough preparation

Not just any au pair.

A compulsory work placement, online training and live calls — our Au Pair Academy prepares au pairs for everyday family life.

A host mother, an au pair and a child walk side by side along a sunny path, the child holding both their hands
Voices from host families

What everyday life with an au pair feels like.

Genuine insights from families describing what has changed in their daily life with an au pair.

A host mother and an au pair laugh at the kitchen table with two cups and an open calendar
With you from the start

We stay by your side.

From the first consultation to everyday life with your au pair.

When your au pair lends a hand in the morning.

Preparation

What our au pairs already bring with them.

Everyday life

Situations families describe to us.

A day together

What your day with an au pair could look like.

An au pair helps a small boy into his jacket while, behind them, the mother hands her daughter a lunchbox at the laid breakfast table
Morning7 am

An easier start to the day, together.

Getting dressed, making breakfast, packing school bags — your au pair helps wherever an extra hand is needed in the morning.

7 amMorning
A young woman studies alone at a sunny kitchen table with a laptop showing an online language course, a notebook and a pen
Late morning8–11 am
8–11 amLate morning

Learning German is part of it.

While the children are at Kita or school, your au pair attends their Sprachkurs (German language course). Online or in person — together you find the option that fits your routine.

8–11 amLate morning
An au pair and a child sit facing each other at the dining table eating pasta with vegetables, the child laughing
Midday12 noon
12 noonMidday

Lunch together, without the rush.

After Kita or school, your au pair can prepare a simple, child-friendly meal and have lunch with your child.

12 noonMidday
An au pair laughs while pushing a child on a swing, a second child running alongside
Afternoon3 pm
3 pmAfternoon

Playing, painting, being outdoors.

Time for your child: playing, crafts, letting off steam, going to the playground or the pool. Your au pair is there for siblings too — an extra helping hand in everyday family life.

3 pmAfternoon
An au pair sits on the edge of a bed reading a picture book to a child in warm lamplight
Evening6 pm
6 pmEvening

An evening that is sometimes yours.

Dinner, babysitting or putting the children to bed — your au pair can help in the evening too. Time as a couple, a trip to the cinema, or simply a calmer evening.

6 pmEvening
The week

One week without and one week with an au pair.

MonMondayTueTuesdayWedWednesdayThuThursdayFriFridaySatSaturdaySunSunday
Early6–7 amBreakfast, getting the children ready
Late morning7 am–12 pm
Midday12–2 pmHelp with lunch
Afternoon2–6 pm
Evening6–9 pm
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
You Your au pair
You99h / week
Your au pair0h / week
You9969h / week
Your au pair030h / week

Countries of origin

Where our au pairs come from.

  • India: eine junge Frau im rostroten Kurta sitzt an einem runden Tisch mit Bilderbüchern, im Hintergrund ein Gruppenraum mit Kindern.

    India

    Au-pairs aus Indien — Rahmenbedingungen & Wissenswertes auf einen Blick.

    To the Au Pair Academy
Melanie Matl, founder of the au pair agency Besondere Sterne, in warm morning light.

About Melanie Matl

I am myself the mother
of a child with a
disability.

Melanie Matl, founder

Au pair agency Besondere Sterne — a specialised au pair agency offering families professional placement and reliable support.

More about us

Preparation

Your au pair arrives well prepared.

An au pair and a child build a parade of wooden animals together at a garden table.

Compulsory work placement with children with disabilities

Experience with children with disabilities before the au pair year begins. To the Au Pair Academy

Timeline

Timeline · Getting-to-know phase

The path to your au pair.

Week 1

Consultation call

We get to know your family.

Beforehand, you fill in our family questionnaire with all the key information about your family and your child. In the personal consultation call, we talk about your everyday life, your wishes, and which au pair might suit you.

approx. 20 minutes

Placement & support

From the au pair's acceptance to everyday family life.

  1. Placement

    Preparing the contract documents

    We take care of the paperwork.

    We prepare all the contract documents required for the upcoming Botschaftstermin (embassy appointment) and provide them to you digitally. You sign them and simply add the documents needed, such as passport copies and proof of insurance.

  2. Placement

    Forwarding to the home country

    All documents on their way.

    Once the documents are complete, we check them and forward them to your au pair or our partner agency in the home country. There, the au pair's personal documents for the embassy appointment are added.

  3. Placement

    Embassy appointment

    Now the visa is applied for.

    At the Botschaftstermin, your au pair applies for their au pair visa and submits the prepared documents. Processing usually takes several weeks, depending on the country.

  4. Placement

    Visa granted

    Green light for the journey.

    Congratulations — your au pair has been granted the visa. Now you can plan the journey together and book the flight.

  5. Arrival

    Arrival day

    Welcome to Germany.

    Your au pair arrives at your home and your au pair year together begins. From us you receive a checklist covering the first important steps and visits to the authorities after arrival.

  6. Support

    The first days

    A good start to everyday life.

    We get in touch and support the start with a weekly and daily plan, so tasks, working hours and shared routines are set out clearly from the beginning.

  7. Support

    After one week

    Time for first feedback.

    A workbook guides the first feedback conversation between you and your au pair and helps you reflect on your first week together.

  8. Support

    After three weeks

    Agreeing family rules together.

    With our coaching workbook you discuss family rules, routines and expectations — so small misunderstandings never become big ones.

  9. Support

    After eight weeks

    Realigning expectations.

    Another workbook helps you and your au pair talk openly about expectations, notice changes and keep developing your shared everyday life.

  10. Support

    After 90 days

    The foundation is in place.

    Time to look back together on the first three months: arrival, settling in and getting to know each other. The foundation for the rest of the au pair year has been laid.

  11. Support

    After nine months

    Looking ahead.

    The end of the au pair year is slowly approaching. Together, the focus turns to how things can continue for your au pair and your family afterwards.

Voices

Real families. Real au pair life.

All experiences

I never imagined how much easier a day becomes when someone is there who knows our everyday life.” (Translated)

Au-pair Hnin mit Rucksack auf einem Aussichtspunkt vor bewaldeten Bergen.
Arriving

I am only getting round to writing now. Hnin has settled in wonderfully and she really is so lovely. We — the children most of all — already love her very much. Thank you again for handling everything, and for this wonderful person.” (Translated)

Zwei Au-pairs fahren mit den Kindern der Gastfamilie auf einer Indoor-Fahrzeugbahn; die Gesichter der Kinder sind abgedeckt.
Arriving

Warm greetings from us. Our Blessy has arrived safely and everyone welcomed her very warmly. In the photos you can see our two au pairs with Ben and Elia on our first lovely outing. It is so good to see how kindly Sunny and Blessy are with the children, and how well Blessy is already finding her place in our family. This transition is something special for us: while we will soon have to say goodbye to Sunny, which is hard, we are also very much looking forward to our time with Blessy. A heartfelt thank you to the agency Besondere Sterne for placing such a wonderful au pair with us again.” (Translated)

Au-pair im Dirndl und Gastmutter im Sari stehen lachend nebeneinander im Garten.
Cultural exchange

With great gratitude to Melanie and her team. Abitta has been with us since 4 May and we share so many lovely moments every day. Today she tied the sari for me and got to slip into our Bavarian tradition. Her mother joined by video and helped Abitta with the tying. Welcome these wonderful souls with open arms, listen to them and include them in your families. It is a lot of work, but it is so worth it. Moments that stay.” (Translated)

Au-pair sitzt mit drei Jungen am Esstisch und malt auf einem Whiteboard; die Gesichter der Kinder sind abgedeckt.
Arriving

The boys are so happy. It fits so well, it is as if he had always been here.” (Translated)

Au-pair Jailes sitzt mit einem Kind am Küchentisch, beide zeigen ein Victory-Zeichen; das Gesicht des Kindes ist abgedeckt.
Arriving

Good morning from day two. Jailes has arrived safely, into what is currently Siberian cold. The children took to her at once — quite astonishing — with no shyness and full of joy, and she and we had a wonderful first day together. Samuel was in Jailes's arms, Emilia snuggled up to her in the evening after they had played hide and seek and chase around the house for ages. If this beginning stands for the next twelve months, there is more than a little magic in it. What a lovely young woman.” (Translated)

Au-pair springt mit ausgebreiteten Armen auf einer Bergwiese vor den Dolomiten in die Luft.
Connection

Fathia came with us to South Tyrol. It was her holiday and she had no duties, but she likes us so much that she was always there. She has changed so much: she works out with me, learned to ride a bike with me and now cycles the eight kilometres to the station on her own. I spoke to her father on the phone and praised her. He was so proud. I very much hope she completes the year — afterwards I will help her into a nursing apprenticeship. And I can already say a few words of Yoruba.” (Translated)

Au-pair hält ein warm angezogenes Kind auf dem Arm, beide warten auf den Schulbus; das Gesicht des Kindes ist abgedeckt.
Everyday life

Waiting for the school bus. Everyday life has arrived, but with a great deal of warmth. There is so much for our au pair to discover and learn, and settling in is going well. The most important thing for us is that she has a heart for our child and his needs. And he really likes her a lot.” (Translated)

Eine Familie mit ihrem Au-pair in einer Altstadtgasse, zwei Kinder sitzen in Reha-Buggys.
Connection

A beautiful holiday is coming to an end, and sadly so is our au pair year. We are glad for Sanny that she is starting her training, but we will miss her at the same time. And we are also looking forward to our new au pair, once again through the agency Besondere Sterne.” (Translated)

Gastmutter sitzt mit drei ehemaligen Au-pairs lachend auf dem Sofa.
Connection

Thank you so much for the wonderful au pairs. As you can see, we still have a lovely relationship with all our former au pairs today. This afternoon we spent time together, laughed and shared good memories. As host parents it matters to us that our au pairs feel part of the family — and that connection often lasts well beyond the au pair year.” (Translated)

Au-pair und Kind sitzen im Auto auf dem Weg in den Urlaub; das Gesicht des Kindes ist abgedeckt.
Arriving

Hello Frau Matl. After not even a week together we are setting off on the next adventure: a holiday on the North Sea. We are looking forward to time out together with Abel. Hannes is happy to have Abel at his side at last. Pillow fights, cosy breaks together on the sofa, playing games — and now a holiday as well. Warm greetings from the car.” (Translated)

Gastfamilie und Au-pair in traditioneller Kleidung, Dirndl und Sari, nebeneinander im Wohnzimmer; die Gesichter der Kinder sind abgedeckt.
Cultural exchange

We had a very special Sunday today, wearing traditional dress. Akza brought some with her and today wore a Dirndl of mine. It was fun and I wanted to let you share in it — please feel free to pass any of it on. We had a good first week without any real pressure, simply getting to know each other.” (Translated)

Au-pair mit Rucksack und Gepäck in der Ankunftshalle des Flughafens.
Arriving

Hello Frau Matl, we just wanted to say briefly that the first day with our au pair Saniya was absolutely wonderful. We are very happy and grateful — thank you for your caring guidance and support.” (Translated)

Gastfamilie und Au-pair stehen im Herbst auf einem Weg hinter einem Rollstuhl-Tandem mit zwei Kindern; die Gesichter der Kinder sind abgedeckt.
Connection

Thank you so very much for placing such a wonderful au pair with us — loving, understanding, patient and with so much heart. Our Aashika has long been more than an au pair to us; she is part of our family. That makes us all the happier that she is not leaving us entirely, but doing a voluntary social year close by. It fills us with joy to keep her in our lives. A huge thank you to you and your agency. Warm greetings, the Walz family.” (Translated)

Au-pair und Kind sitzen im Sommer nebeneinander in einem Waggon einer Parkeisenbahn; das Gesicht des Kindes ist mit einem Smiley abgedeckt.
Connection

In January I was newly a single parent, overwhelmed and without any real prospect. At the end of February I chose our au pair, and in mid-April she arrived: Angelina. And she really is like an angel for us. For Simon she is the most loving playmate; for me she is the greatest support, so that I can also spend time with one child on their own. I have become a completely different person, and can be far more loving and calm with my children — the feedback from friends is so good. And the best of it: with Angelina's support we were able to try a new method with Simon that helps him enormously, and thanks to her I finally had the courage to start training as a neuroscanbalance coach myself. This picture was taken during my training — Angelina is out with the children and my father, and I can study in peace.” (Translated)

“Is this au pair right for our family?” — The checklist for your first meeting

Which questions should you ask? What should you look out for? Our checklist helps you go into that first conversation well prepared.

Questions

What families ask us first.

What does the au pair agency Besondere Sterne do?

The au pair agency Besondere Sterne is a placement agency for au pairs in families of children with disabilities or additional needs.

Our aim is to give families extra support in everyday life while offering young people a cultural exchange in Germany.

One thing is important to understand: we are a placement agency — not a training institution and not a medical service provider.

That means:

  • We provide au pair profiles.
  • The host family decides independently which au pair it would like to meet and invite.
  • The final choice of au pair always rests with the host family.

The agency does not select the au pair on the family’s behalf.

What sets us apart from other agencies

Besondere Sterne runs a compulsory preparation programme for all au pairs. It includes:

  1. Work placement with children with disabilities
    Before departure, every au pair must complete a work placement in a facility that cares for children with disabilities. The aim is to gain first experience with children with additional needs and to overcome initial reservations.
  2. Online preparation platform
    All au pairs must watch preparation videos on our learning platform, complete multiple-choice tests and learn the basics of life in Germany.
  3. Online workshops
    Au pairs also take part in workshops, for example a cooking workshop with typical German dishes and a creative craft workshop with watercolours, finger paints and craft ideas for children.
  4. Weekly online training
    Once a week there is a compulsory live call. Topics rotate and include, for example: life in Germany, host families’ expectations, typical mistakes in everyday au pair life, working with children with disabilities, ideas for play and activities, an au pair’s household tasks, and hygiene standards in Germany.
  5. Support during the au pair year
    After arriving in Germany, au pairs can continue to join the weekly calls. These are for exchanging experiences with other au pairs, clarifying everyday questions and getting support with challenges in host family life.

An important note on the role of an au pair

An au pair is not a trained professional but a young person taking part in a cultural exchange programme.

An au pair supports the family in everyday life, helps with childcare and helps in the household.

An au pair does not replace a medical professional, a nurse or a therapist. As a rule, an au pair must not carry out medical or nursing tasks.

Choosing the au pair

The choice is always made by the host family itself.

Host families can meet several au pairs, hold several getting-to-know calls, ask questions and take enough time for their decision.

The final decision for an au pair always rests with the host family.

Personal fit

Despite thorough preparation, the personal dynamic between family, child and au pair can only be judged in day-to-day life together.

A placement agency cannot take responsibility for individual personalities, personal dynamics or everyday situations.

Legal requirements

  • Minimum stay: all au pairs commit to a minimum stay of 6 months, up to a maximum of 12 months. Because all our host families need help and support long term, every au pair knows from the outset that the host family would like a stay of 12 months.
  • Working hours: au pairs support your family for a maximum of 30 hours per week. The au pair is entitled to 1.5 consecutive free days per week, plus one free weekend per month.
  • Holiday entitlement: au pairs are entitled to 2 days per month.
  • Holidays with the host family: the host family can decide whether the au pair comes along on the family holiday and works there, or stays at home and uses holiday days.
  • Accommodation: the au pair has their own lockable room of at least 9 square metres within your flat or house.
  • Flight costs: paid by the au pair. The host family takes the au pair to and collects them from the airport.
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Let’s talk

Tell us about
your family.

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