Au pair working hours and time off in Germany

Your time is protected by clear upper limits. They are not a target to reach, they are a ceiling nobody may cross.

By Sanelisiwe Mpofu · Updated 8 September 2026 · 6 min read

The hard limits

At most six hours of help a day.
At most thirty hours a week, including babysitting.
At least one and a half free days a week.
At least four free evenings a week.
Four weeks of paid holiday over a twelve month stay.

What counts as working time

Everything the family asks you to do counts: taking children to school, cooking for them, tidying their rooms, waiting at home because a child is ill, and evening babysitting. Being on call inside the house is not free time.

Time you spend in your German course, or resting in your own room with no duty, does not count.

How a normal week looks

Most placements settle at four to five hours on weekdays and a free weekend, with one or two babysitting evenings agreed in advance. A good family plans the week with you rather than telling you on the day.

Your contract has a weekly schedule. If the real week keeps drifting away from it, that is the moment to speak up, not three months later.

Holiday and free days

Four weeks of paid holiday belong to a twelve month stay; for a six month stay it is two weeks. Holiday is agreed together, and pocket money continues during it. If the family travels and wants you to come along and help, that is working time, not your holiday.

If the limits are broken

Tell the family first, in plain words, with the schedule in front of you. Many overruns are thoughtless rather than deliberate and stop as soon as they are named.

If nothing changes, write to us. Every message and every agreement is kept on the platform, so there is a record. We speak with the family, and if the placement cannot be repaired we help you change family. You do not lose your programme because a family did not keep the rules.

Why the limits exist

An au pair stay is a cultural exchange with childcare, not employment. The hour limits are what keeps that line visible, and they are checked when the Federal Employment Agency looks at your placement. A family that treats them as flexible has misunderstood the programme.

Common questions

Does babysitting in the evening count towards the thirty hours?

Yes. All childcare counts, whatever time of day it happens.

Do I have to clean the whole house?

No. Light housework connected to the children only. Cleaning the family home, gardening, windows, the car or caring for relatives are not au pair tasks.

Can I be asked to work seven days in a row?

No. You have at least one and a half free days each week, and Sundays should usually be part of them.