Go Au Pair in Chicago offers a child care experience through cultural exchange

Au Pairs provide reliable, live-in child care which meets the specific needs of your family.

We are using an Au Pair through Go Au Pair and we’ve been very happy. The process to get the nanny here was smooth and so far we haven’t run into any issues. This is a great program and we have referred it to many of our friends with babies.

Radostin Kanev

2023-07-17

We have had the pleasure of working with GoAuPair as our au pair agency, and we are satisfied with the placement and the services they have provided. Throughout the process, Gina has been incredibly supportive, taking the time to explain contracts and terms to us. Judith has also been wonderful in following up with us and has been friendly and helpful. We have been hosting au pairs since our twins were born, and we have had the opportunity to welcome four au pairs from Mexico and China, with another one soon to arrive from Peru. In our experience, the price we pay when working with an au pair through GoAuPair (including agency fees and au pair fees) is quite reasonable compared to the hourly rates of local nannies. It's important to note that with this cost-saving, there is a trade-off. We have dedicated time to train our au pairs, help them with driving and familiarize them with the area. In some cases, we have also supported them in improving their English language skills if needed. Additionally, we provide our au pairs with full access to a car and a membership to Lifetime Athletic, an excellent country club. We encourage them to explore the area and make friends. In return, our au pairs have been exceptional with our children and have taught them valuable second languages, such as Chinese and Spanish. Thanks to our au pairs, our kids are now trilingual and have become globally-oriented, embracing new cultures and languages. This experience has also instilled in them a broader understanding of the concept of a global economy and vision. Hosting au pairs has brought many positive aspects to our family life, and we have received excellent services from GoAuPair throughout the process. We highly recommend their services to anyone considering hosting an au pair.

Wenting Gao

2023-06-30

Great experience with Go Au Pair! Responsive and easy to work with. Helpful in answering questions. Found a great au pair to join our family and would highly recommend!

Kathryn Schaeffer

2023-05-26

We had a wonderful experience with this Au pair agency. We enjoyed being involved with the search and selection of the au pair (a unique feature that sets them apart). We are also impressed with the exceptional customer service. Our coordinator has been prompt in answering all of our questions and any concerns. We are grateful for this agency and all the staff working hard behind the scenes to make this program possible, thank you!

Aaron Thomas

2023-05-24

We have had two au pairs placed by Go Au Pair. I would recommend them as they have an excellent variety of au pairs to connect with.

Zane Aukee

2023-05-02

I have worked with several folks at Go Au Pair during my search process. They have all been well informed, respectful, responsive and a pleasure to work with. I would gladly recommend this agency to anyone in search of an Au Pair

Tom Dudzic

2023-04-19

I started this process about 2 weeks ago and was able to find a match, but not without endless amount of time invested. For the most part the pricing is stated upfront so you know what you're getting into, however, the fees for the flight/travel are unable to be determined until that is booked. PROS: - The representatives that you work with are very nice and helpful - They create the contract with the cost out after you've extended an offer to an AuPair pretty quickly - There are lots of AuPairs to choose from and a couple new ones might be added each week - There isn't a local representative in my area so my local rep was almost across the country from me so they assigned 2 people to help me out. Having the support was fine. Totally fine but I got confused on who I address for certain things in the beginning. - Final costs are about an extra $500-$1000 than whats stated upfront due to travel costs, etc. - Overall we are very happy so far with the process and the representatives we've been working with are super sweet and kind. They can really help you out and try to be super available for you. We were happy with our reps. CONS: - There are a lot of emails with bits and pieces of information, the next steps are not detailed in the beginning so there is a lot of things not exactly clear, mainly detailed info on the entire process. This was frustrating but if you talk to your rep to clear it up you should be fine - Payment plan details should be shown upfront because a family needs to see if it's realistically affordable or compare their local childcare pricing prior to starting the search and investing so much time into it. However, I guess a family going this route for childcare might not be stressing over little costs here and there? Not sure - Travel fees/cost need to be elaborated/clear a bit more in the beginning of the process

Krystal Ahmad

2023-03-28

There is a good selection of au pairs, and the search function makes it easy to find one that meets your needs. -Zane

JH DENALI

2022-10-04

We HIGHLY recommend Go Au Pair (GAP). In the world of working parent guilt and a global pandemic, it really does take a village to raise children--but what does one do when one's village alternates quarantining and childcare is chaos. When we heard about the au pair program and began to research it, we knew it was our only hope, though we had many concerns. The first was what agency to choose--a huge agency? A small agency? We wondered what role our agency would play, and agonized over the choice. Ultimately, GAP provided terrific, high-quality, personalized service that clearly comes from their experience in the AP world and not being so enormous that they lose sight of their families and APs. We are a family, not just a number, to GAP. Our AP is such a very special young lady who is authentic, bright, and thoughtful. She is fantastic with children, and an extremely strong driver. With 3 very young boys, having a third adult is such an unbelievable help in our family. Our AP is leaving an unforgettable impression on our children and has made it so easy to be a working parent. We cannot thank GAP enough!

Jamie K

2022-07-07

We first found Go Au Pair in January 2022 when we were looking for a childcare provider for our toddler. Their website is setup well and searching for candidates is simple. While filling out the host profile takes a bit of time it's worth it as both you and the au pairs are able to share a lot of information. We found an Au Pair in rematch and our local coordinator in town and placement manager were supportive. They were easy to get a hold of and always got back to us in a timely manner. While our match with our Au Pair did not last the staff at Go Au Pair has made moving on painless and helped provide our Au Pair with a new opportunity in a different state. They were impartial and patient while addressing our concerns.

Kevin Dahm

2022-05-09

What is an Au Pair?

Au Pairs are pre-screened international young adults with child care experience who provide full time, live-in child care and introduces a memorable cultural experience at an affordable cost. With Au Pair child care, families in Chicago can enjoy all the benefits of in home child care.

Au Pairs can be responsible for general supervision of the children, driving, laundry, homework help, preparing meals, and providing morning and bedtime help. As an Au Pair agency, Go Au Pair is dedicated to helping families in the Chicago area choose an Au Pair that fits their specific family needs.

Local Area Representative in Chicago

Go Au Pair has a Local Area Representative in Chicago and surrounding areas to help our families during their experience. Our agency’s local representative will assist your family and Au Pair with any questions related to your live in child care needs.

Annemarie

“Annemarie has been responsive and has reached out several times in the past six weeks to ask us about the transitioning.”

Kathryn, Host Mom, Evanston, IL

“[Annemarie] is very friendly and very helpful.”

Anilia, Au Pair, Orland Park, IL

“Excellent accessibility by the LAR.”

Mital, Host Mom, Chicago, IL

“My LAR is a good person and her help is really important about build a good relationship with my host family…. And She write me frequently.”

Lina, Au Pair, Lake Bluff, IL

“I liked everything about my living in US. Chicago is a beautiful city , there are a lot of kind of entertainment. People are so open to communication. Food is delicious amd my local area was amazing, close to forest preserve and parks”

Dariia, Au Pair, Chicago, IL

The areas I serve in Illinois

I cover city of Chicago, and all Chicagoland suburbs spanning Lake, Cook, DuPage, Will and Lake Counties of Illinois and Indiana.

Territory major towns:

Chicago, Lake Forest, Evanston, Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, Lake Bluff, Highland Park, Northbrook, Glenview, Winnetka, Elmhurst, Downers Grove, Oak Brook, Hinsdale, Glen Ellyn, Naperville, Wheaton, St Charles, Lisle, Burridge, Park Ridge, Orland Park, Plainfield, Lemont, Gary, Hammond

About me

My name is Annemarie Blahova, and I am Area Representative for Go Au Pair in the Greater Chicago Area. I am globally minded. I have lived, studied, worked, and travelled abroad and I have firsthand insight into making each cultural exchange placement successful.

I am passionate about the Au Pair program! I enjoy working with all the Host Families and Au Pairs, helping to create a wonderful experience for them throughout their year!

I have been fortunate to be part of a fabulous group of professionals at Go Au Pair and I’ve seen what an incredible impact the program has on the Host Parents, their children, and Au Pairs.

About my Families and Au Pairs

We have growing cluster here in Chicago and surrounding areas. Our carefully screened and trained Au Pairs are from all over the world: South America, Europe, and Africa. Their backgrounds encompass diverse cultures and many languages such as African, German, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian to name few.

Our Host Families have infants, toddlers, preschoolers, school age children all the way up to late teens. Many Host Parents have demanding careers in healthcare, sales, marketing, finance, accounting, legal, education and IT professions. They recognize the benefits of choosing Go Aupair program and have confidence that they chose the best care for their children.

Au Pair Cultural Activities

Au Pairs are required to attend a number of Cultural Activities with their Local Area Representative and nearby Au Pairs to make sure they experience the local community and culture during their stay. Below are some of the activities Annemarie’s cluster has been up to recently!

Annemarie's Events

Au Pairs attend several Cultural Activities and Events with their area representative and their hosting families to assure they can experience the local community and culture during their stay. A concert, pizza night, pedal boating, art museum, bowling- Chicago and suburbs offer endless opportunities for fun. Here are some noteworthy we have recently enjoyed:

We traditionally kick off winter at Lightscape festival in Chicago Botanic Garden, taking time to walk the illuminated trail filled with interactive displays.

Skating at the McCormick Tribune Ice ring in Millennium Park followed by nice cup of hot chocolate or coffee was so much fun. For some of the au pairs this was their very first time standing on skates!

The thrill of annual Air and Water Show returns to Chicago every summer for whole weekend and there was no better way to enjoy it than on the beach, rain, or shine, with au pairs and host families .

Find an Au Pair

Be an Au Pair

Additional Resources for Families and Au Pairs in Chicago, IL

Au Pair Driver's License

Driving can be part of your Au Pair’s responsibilities. If this is the case, the Au Pair will need to pass the test and get a driver’s license from the nearest Illinois (IL) DMV office preferably within first two months of being in the US. Host Families need to check with their car insurance agency for their rules for adding an Au Pair to the insurance.

Visit the IL DMV

Public Transportation

Au Pairs can learn about inexpensive solutions to travel around town. Many Au pairs get their USA driver’s license and are allowed to use a host family’s vehicle for a personal use with certain restrictions, although taxis, Uber, Lyft, and shuttles are also available.

http://www.transitchicago.com/

Colleges and Universities for Au Pairs to Attend

Au Pairs need to complete their education requirement as part of their exchange program in the United States. There are many places in Chicagoland they may be able to enroll. Full list of all accredited school is readily available to Au pairs and Host families on our community website. Here are some options.

Oakton remains an open-access community college, offering associate degree, certificate, and adult continuing education programs.

http://www.oakton.edu

College of DuPage strives to be the center for excellence in teaching, learning, and cultural experiences. The COD campuses are in west suburbs.

College of DuPage | College of DuPage (cod.edu)

Many Au pairs choose to complete portion or all 6 credits / 72 hours at Au Pair weekend classes offered through accredited colleges and universities in each location across the U.S. These programs satisfy U.S. Department of State J-1 Visa educational requirement

Au Pair Weekend | Find a Course (aupairclasses.org)

Au Pair & Host Family Tax Information

Au Pairs and Host Families can learn about tax withholdings and filing specific for the Au Pair program. Always consult a tax advisor to learn how taxes apply.

Social Security Card

An Au Pair will need to get a Social Security # before getting a bank account and driver’s license. Go Au Pair will provide a welcome packet with social security information, on the Au Pairs arrival. We advise Au Pairs to wait 10 days after arrival to get their social security number. You can make an appointment at a social security office, closest to your home.

Social Security Card Info

Child Friendly Activities for Au Pairs and Host Families

Au Pairs will find that Chicagoland offers a wide variety of exciting things to do and places to visit. There are many science and historical museums, art displays, scenic touring, and physical activities. Families and Au Pairs can find activities they are most interested in.

Skydeck Of Willis Tower

https://www.choosechicago.com/listing/willis-tower/

The Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, is a 110-story building designed by Bruce Graham of the firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. One can step outside what’s not only the tallest building in Chicago but the third-tallest building in the Western Hemisphere! The viewing tower offers spectacular views spanning up to four states

Art Institute

https://www.choosechicago.com/listing/art-institute-of-chicago/

No trip to Chicago is complete without a visit to the Art Institute. Consistently rated among the world’s top museums the Art Institute of Chicago is home to the greatest collection of Impressionist paintings outside of Paris. The Modern Wing has its extraordinary collection of works by Chagall, Dalí, Matisse, Picasso, and Pollock. The Art Institute has something for everyone!

Shedd Aquarium

https://www.choosechicago.com/listing/shedd-aquarium/

Shedd Aquarium’s mission is to spark compassion, curiosity and conservation for the aquatic animal world. From whales to snails, tarantulas to turtles, look nature in the eye as you meet 32,000 animals from aquatic habitats around the world.

Lincoln Park Zoo

http://www.lpzoo.org/

Visitors can go nose-to-nose with gorillas and chimpanzees, howl with red wolves, peer into a black bear den and immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of Africa with wild dogs, pygmy hippos and black rhinos. Beyond providing a wild home to hundreds of species, Lincoln Park Zoo also operates one of the largest zoo-based conservation and science programs in the country.

Lake and river boat tours

https://www.choosechicago.com/articles/tours-and-attractions/find-the-chicago-boat-tour-for-you/

One of the best ways to see Chicago is from the water. The city is home to two stunning waterfronts — the Chicago River and Lake Michigan — and each offers plenty of cruise options. Admire the skyline on a lakefront cruise, learn about the city’s iconic architecture on a Chicago River cruise, enjoy dinner and dancing aboard an all-glass vessel, sip cocktails on a tiki-themed boat, paddle your own kayak — the options are truly endless