The au pair's room – a place of their own for a while
When an au pair moves in, a new family member joins your household for many months. Alongside shared family life, your au pair therefore also needs a place that is entirely theirs: their own au pair's room.
This is not about providing a particularly large or luxurious room. Far more important is the question:
How big should the au pair's room be?
As a guide, the au pair's room should be about 9 m² and be available to the au pair as their own private living and retreat space.
The basic furnishing should include in particular:
- a comfortable bed of their own
- a wardrobe or chest of drawers for clothes and personal belongings
- a window with daylight and the possibility of ventilation
- adequate heating
- a way of locking the room so that privacy is guaranteed
If space allows, we also recommend a small desk with a chair. Especially if your au pair is learning German, doing homework, or taking part in an online language course, having their own workspace is very helpful.
Laptop or tablet – a lovely form of support
Many au pairs take part in an online language course during their stay or use digital learning resources.
If you happen to have an older laptop or tablet at home that you can make available to your au pair for the duration of the au pair year, this is a lovely form of support.
This is, of course, not compulsory. But it can make learning German and taking part in an online language course considerably easier for the au pair.
Can the au pair's room be in the basement?
In principle, the au pair's room can also be located in the basement, provided it is suitable living space.
What matters is that the room has sufficient daylight and a suitable window, can be ventilated and heated, and is altogether suitable as a living and sleeping room.
A dark basement room without an adequate window, on the other hand, is not an appropriate au pair's room.
Does the au pair need their own bathroom?
No. A private bathroom is not required.
The au pair can, of course, use the family's bathroom or a shared bathroom. A private bathroom is a nice extra, but not a requirement for hosting an au pair.
Privacy is part of au pair life
Even though the au pair becomes part of your family, their own room remains their private retreat.
After a long day, after the language course, or simply in between, they should have the chance to close the door behind them, call their family and friends, study, listen to music, or simply have some time to themselves.
This is why the au pair's room should genuinely remain the au pair's room throughout their stay – and not double as a playroom, storage room, or a room the family passes through.
It is allowed to be a little cosy
An au pair's room does not have to look like a hotel room. But a few small touches can make a big difference.
Nice bedding, a small lamp, curtains or a blind, a mirror, some storage space, and perhaps a little free wall space for their own photos and mementoes can quickly turn a simple room into a small home.
Because in the end, a very simple thought helps:
Imagine you yourself were moving to a foreign country for a year and this room was your new home. Would you feel welcome and comfortable when you opened the door?
If you can answer this question with a good feeling and a “yes”, you have probably already got a great deal right.
Our tip from Besondere Sterne
Prepare the room fully before your au pair arrives. A freshly made bed, a tidy wardrobe, and perhaps a small personal welcome gesture show your au pair, from the very first moment:
