The quick answer should be money, yes money, evidently many women like me who decided to become an au pair, chose this way because it is cheaper than to go to United states as a student. In this post I want to include some additional reasons and compare them. Let's go!
1. Money to invest
While money is the main reason we leave our countries to become au pairs in the United States, it doesn’t mean it's free or cheap. We all invest in the au pair program. Let's take a look at the cost. In 2017, the agency charged me $1,050 US dollars for the complete process. Of course I ended up spending more getting the requirements for the trip which included a passport, visa, national e international driver's license, medical report, transportation to Bogotá several times, documents, etcetera. I calculate I invested a total of $1,500 US dollars.
As a student, the price varies even more. You may not know the exact cost differences between studying at a university, a college, or a private language school. I have been able to find very cheap English courses in New York (from $3,000 usd a year, which is incredible) and the schools can help you get together the documents needed to request a student visa. While at a community college in California, I found out about a business program which costs about $17,000 a year. At a university, the price increases considerably. It can range from $25,000 to $35,000 depending on the area of study.
2. English level
To become an au pair you have to have a conversational English level B1. The agency will conduct an interview and a level test to verify that you meet this requirement. On the other hand, to be a student, you must demonstrate an approximate score of 60 -70 on the TOEFL for colleges and a 90 for universities. If you are going to study English you don't have to take this test.
3. Travel and vacations
An au pair has 2 paid weeks for travel and when you finish your program can take a travel month without being paid. As a student, you have summer vacations, that is unless you decide to study during your summer break. In your first year as an au pair you can travel outside of the country but in your second year you are restricted to travel inside the United States, Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico and some islands. As a student you can travel with special permission.
4. Work
As soon as we arrive as au pairs, we have work taking care of the children of our host families. We work up to 45 hours per weekend, which is a lot! Most au pairs have a split work schedule. In the mornings, we work to get the children ready for school. Then, we have a break in the day and come back to work when the kids finish school. We work through the afternoon and evening and get the children ready for bed.
When you are a student, you can not work legally outside the campus. This leads to students working illegally and part time. Getting a job on campus is very competitive and there aren’t enough jobs for everyone. You would have to go out to look for a job willing to pay you in cash. Usually this is not really difficult if you move. Also when you finish your studies you can take a OPT.
Please note that you can only be an au pair for 2 years, being a student depends on your financial ability.
5. Money to earn
As an au pair, we do not even earn the minimum wage. The families are required to pay us $200 usd weekly for 45 working hours. That ends up being less than $4.50 usd per hour. I’d say that is unfair! Usually, the families don't pay more than that, but if they want to, they can.
As a student, you aren’t supposed to make money, but many students work as babysitters, waiters, cashiers, and other similar jobs. The rate of pay varies from state to state but most pay the minimum. Here in California for example, they pay a minimum wage of $11 an hour. I’ve found babysitting jobs where they pay $15 or $20 per hour. You do the math!
6. Amenities, housing, food
Clearly, it doesn’t pay to be an au pair for the salary! So, we have the right to a private room, access to a bathroom inside the house, three meals a day and a telephone with active service. Students, on the other hand, need enough money to pay for room and board, or they find a sponsor who is going to provide a room. Students are responsible for their own meals.
7. Free time
As an au pair you work 9 hours daily. You are supposed to have the rest of the time free but many families have curfew in their houses. That means that some au pairs need to be in bed sleeping 8 hours before starting work. That means you would have only 5 hours a day of free time depending on how many hours you work per day. Other families do not have this stupid rule and realize that we are adults. If your host family gets this, you’ll have 15 hours to go out, sleep or do whatever you want.
As an au pairs, your free time depends on the family. As a student, your free time depends on your class schedule and the time it takes to complete assignments. In a language school, you usually study 4 or 5 hours a day and the rest is your free time.
8. Studies
As a student, you come to learn, to work toward your future goals, to get a better job, or to get a handle on a language. By the time you finish your studies, you will have better opportunities in your country or abroad. Being an au pair, your English will improve if you make friends who don’t speak your native language all the time.
As au pairs, we have a study bonus of $500 usd per year given by the host family. Honestly, it is not much money to study something other than English. You can take weekend classes. In Texas I found 80 hour English courses for $100 dollars and free English classes in churches. However, if you want classes for college credit that may help you in a career, those classes are worth 3 times as much. In California, I found free and high quality English classes at adult education schools, but they didn’t offer college credits. So if your goal is to study for a career, you must submit the TOEFL or IELTS. It is a lie that you can study all year as an pair. There is not enough time in your schedule because it changes according to when the children you care for are in school.
9. Cultural exchange
In the United States you will find a variety of cultures everywhere, not only Americans. It is a great country to interact with people of all nationalities. Whichever way you choose.
10. Freedom
From my own experience, after living with two families, I can say that as an au pair, there is not much freedom. Even with my second family that does not give me a curfew, I do not have free time. Without a doubt, I think that being a student gives you more freedom to manage your free time, whether for work or for travel.
To conclude, I didn't have enough knowledge about studying abroad, my English level was really low and I didn't have the money, even for the au pair program, so I had to work a lot to get the start-up money. If you feel like that, try the au pair program But if you have money, you meet the english level and already know what you would like to study, don't hesitate take the student route!
Feel free to ask me any question in the comments below.
