Monday, September 2, 2013

The Cost of Au Pairing

Getting closer & closer to the date of my departure, I'm kind of curious (& scared) to figure out the actual cost of my decision to au pair once again, this time in Ireland. I'll compare the cost with that of when I au paired in France, but to be honest my memory is pretty horrid & it will more or less just be educated guesses. This will hopefully help some of you who are thinking about au pairing yourselves! Especially because when I googled the subject, it was incredibly difficult to find any sort of information on the topic.

 
Ireland
Visa: $425 + $2,500 in Support Funds
Flight: Originally $600 one way, but I had to change the date so ended up being closer to $900.
Essentials: Unfortunately I destroyed my laptop, so I will be buying a new one, as well as a backpack for travelling within Europe & new travel adapters. Say $1000.
Savings: Will be bringing around $3,000 (which includes my Support Funds).
Total: $5,325


France
Visa: I believe it was around $200.
Flight: $700 (2-Way, family reimbursed me)
Essentials: I probably spent around $300, but on new clothing rather than actual essentials.
Savings: Maybe $500
Total: $1,000

Pretty massive different between countries, but then again the Ireland Working Holiday Visa does require Support Funds, which the Au Pair Visa for France did not. Also I will be buying practical equipment this round as well as of course bringing more in savings. I will definitely be more prepared this trip, happy to say!


Also, bare in mind that although this does seem pricey, just think of the cost of moving abroad without a job lined up, having to pay first & last month's rent right off the bat, putting down deposits on utilities, worrying about your spending until you actually can find a job, etc...

In all, au pairing is a great way to move abroad for those with less funds or with the urge to leave NOW. I will also be finding myself a weekend job to fund my travels even further, which will ultimately allow me to live on my own! Any au pairs out there?! Would love to hear your thoughts. 
xxx

8 comments:

  1. The price breakdown is really interesting! I wish I would have known about au pairing when I was younger. What a great way to travel!

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    1. Definitely glad I discovered it! Although I do envy your journey :) x

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  2. how exciting, have a great time! the experiences will be worth the cost.

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  3. Does the family not help you with flight and visa? My family paid for half of my flight and all of my visa, which was maybe €90 in Germany.

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    1. Ooh I forgot to add that, thanks for the reminder! My family in France paid for my flight, not my visa though... & my family in Ireland is paying for neither. I found it quite hard this time 'round finding a fam who would pay for my flight, perhaps it's just the location I chose? My 'pocket money' is significantly more in Ireland, that could be why as well! Sounds like you picked a great family. x

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  4. This summer, when I was travelling in Brussels, I met one Italian girl who was doing au pairing. She explained to me how great it is when you want to see the places from locals' perspective. I loved the idea and I might do it in the near future. Looking at your spendings, I am like "WHAT THE HELL!?" It's seriously way too much and the different between Ireland and France is huge indeed. When do you start au pairing?

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    1. It definitely can be costly yes! But just think, it's a guaranteed income abroad which allows you to spend up to two years in a country! I s'pose it depends on your travel goals though. I myself would like to see most of Europe in the upcoming two years so having a sort of 'home base' in Ireland will allow me to do this much more cheaply than if I were travelling back & forth from Canada! Also I'll have a steady income the entire time as opposed to saving up a large sum beforehand & then only travelling for a certain period of time.
      Anyway, in my ramblings I guess I'm trying to say au pairing is a great option if you're long-term travelling! Otherwise, in terms of short-term travel it usually isn't worth the expenses. I was originally to start in September & have since delayed until the end of October in order to get my visa sorted! :) & the difference is indeed HUGE, quite disappointing to be honest. x

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