Story by Patchsita Rungrojtanakul
Cover illustration by Kittiya On-in

For young Thais, au pair programmes open doors to the world. But the same flexibility that makes them accessible also leaves room for abuse.

Au pair programmes, certified and regulated by overseas governments, offer people aged 18–30 the chance to work as childcare providers. Depending on the agreement with the host family, the duties of an au pair include waking the children in the morning, helping them bathe, preparing meals, taking them to school, and tidying up the house.

Unlike other visas, applying for an au pair visa usually doesn’t require proof of financial standing. Going through an agency costs only a few tens of thousands of baht, while applying independently eliminates that expense altogether. Some participants said they spent as little as 5,000 baht to go to Europe, as the host family covered the flight ticket. In some countries, there are also no language requirements. This accessibility attracts many young Thais seeking to move overseas, even though the returns are modest at best—sometimes even lower than Thailand’s minimum wage.

However, it also creates loopholes that can lead to overwork and exploitation.  In 2023, the Norwegian government announced the termination of its au pair program after determining  that it was  a way for some to “circumvent Norway’s otherwise strong labour laws.” A few years earlier, in 2016, the news outlet Rappler published an investigative report exposing the exploitation Denmark of Filipino au pairs.  According to Forbundet af Offenligt Ansattet (FOA), Denmark's third largest trade union, they constituted the largest group of au pairs, followed by Thais and several African nationalities.

In Thailand, the au pair program is not widely recognised at an official level. Labor unions are largely unfamiliar with it, and it is not formally categorised as an employment scheme. Many Thais view becoming an au pair as an opportunity to gain experience rather than as a serious profession. Nonetheless, informal support networks have a notable presence online, with Thai au pairs abroad sharing their experiences through social media and Facebook groups that offer advice on contracts, visas, and dealing with conflicts with host families.

Noting that Sweden has some of the most flexible regulations for au pairs, Prachatai spoke with former Thai au pairs and an agency representative to find out what it’s really like to work as a childcare provider in a country often called a welfare state, and to examine how protections could be strengthened.

From Au Pair to Host Mother

Unlike in other countries, Sweden has a higher age limit than other countries. Applicants can apply independently with fewer document requirements, without using an agency, and without prior knowledge of Swedish.

These regulations meant Sweden was the only place in which one of our interviewees, Noon, could apply for an au pair programme in 2019, when she was 28. She now runs social media accounts on multiple platforms under the name Noonie Sweden, where she shares her experiences and gives advice to those interested.

It was her first time in Europe and not knowing Swedish didn’t worry her. She believed she could succeed as long as she stayed determined. Her previous experience in the Work and Travel program in the United States had also shown her that she enjoyed living abroad.

Then working full-time, Noon chose to use an agency to handle the paperwork and find her a host. The agency matched her with a host family in just two months. “But after that, I had to manage for myself,” she said.

“The agent said that if I worked for a year, I could get two weeks of holiday. In reality, someone working a year in Sweden can get up to five weeks,” she explained.

“Before applying for the visa, there is a work contract, which is quite loose. It should be clearer on matters of public holidays, how many hours of work, and how many days off you get each week.”

Noon spent nine months with her host family, caring for the children and handling household chores. Every home has its own expectations when it comes to duties. Having grown up in a Thai household where helping out was expected, she had willingly taken on various tasks to earn her keep.

Only a few months before finishing the program, the COVID-19 outbreak upended her plan to move abroad via the au pair route—first to Sweden, then the Netherlands, and finally Canada. She had to pause her work, but it was then that she met a man who later became her husband.

Afterward, Noon returned to Thailand to apply for a residence visa before flying back to Sweden. She is now a mother of two and has already hosted four Thai au pairs herself, so her children can learn the Thai language.

Noon recruits au pairs via social media, and every time she posts a call for applicants, she receives a flood of responses. Looking back on her journey, she regards the program as worthwhile for Thai youth to experience Europe at minimal cost, even if some days were stressful. She also wishes that those who wish to come get the opportunity.

Seasoned Au Pair Turns Consultant

Pronkamon ‘Biee’ Santhunkaew has worked as an au pair in the United States, Sweden, and the Netherlands. During her time as an au pair, she gained recognition online for her YouTube channel, Biee Au Pair, where many viewers sought her advice.

Pronkamon is now married and living in Scotland, where she shares her stories on her Facebook page. Drawing on her years of experience, she has also launched a small business, offering consulting services to aspiring au pairs.

After completing her degree in English for Business at Mahasarakham University, she decided at the age of 23—nine years ago—to become an au pair in the United States. 

‘During my senior year internship at a hotel, I couldn’t understand foreign customers even though they were using simple sentences, so I decided to go to improve my English and return to work in Thailand,’ Pronkamon said.

Since ‘at home, there wasn’t much money,’ she becoming an au pair in the United States — where she earned about 6,000 baht a week — allowing her to spend, go out, and enjoy life without worry. She originally planned to go for only one year, but since she enjoyed the experience, she decided to continue.

Even if she hadn’t started a business, people would still have reached out to her for advice. After returning to Thailand from the Netherlands, she began writing about au pair programs in different countries in 2022 — shortly after moving abroad had become a trend among young people disillusioned by the crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2020-2021.

At first, she offered consulting services for free in exchange for client reviews. Today, Biee Au Pair charges 3,499 baht for a lifetime membership and has served over a thousand members, most of them high school students and recent graduates, though the latter generally have better chances of being selected.

Her services cover the entire application process from selecting photos, writing appealing profiles, and preparing CVs, motivational letters, and video scripts, to coaching for host family interviews and reviewing visa documents. Clients can consult with her from start to finish until they secure their visa.

She initially experimented with lower fees and even a VIP instalment plan, mindful that most aspiring au pairs, like herself, did not come from money. But after some clients took advantage of her kindness, she settled on a lifetime membership model at a price she described as ‘rather very cheap for someone to go abroad.’

Common issues and agency roles

Many agencies advertise on their websites that they assist applicants wishing to join Swedish au pair programs. However, Beloved Thai Au Pair (BTA) was the only agency to respond to the interview request. Ang, a staff member, expressed some surprise at the interest, noting that only one or two applicants choose Sweden each year.

‘Young people these days aren’t very interested in au pair work. The number of applicants has dropped by about 70% since the COVID-19 outbreak.’ Ang said. When the trend of moving abroad was at its peak, the page received 20,000 messages per week, and her agency sent over 30 people to the US each month. Today, despite being the most popular destination, the US sees only one or two applicants per month.

BTA guides au pair applicants through the entire process, including providing program information, screening applicants, assisting with applications, preparing photos and video introductions, coaching them on presenting themselves to host families.

‘Most of the time, 60%, applicants are clueless,’ she said. ‘Their hearts want to go, but the agency helps check whether the host is suitable for them. For example, if the host is vegetarian and the applicant isn’t, will they be able to live there?

BTA’s agreements with host countries require that applicants must have some childcare experience. This typically ranges from 50 to 200 hours for those going to Europe. The costs include an agency fee of 26,000 baht and a visa fee of around 3,500 baht, which the au pair must cover themselves.

During the program, a common issue arises when au pairs encounter problems with their host family but are hesitant to speak up, often due to language barriers, and instead request a host change. In this case, the agency first tries to mediate by speaking with the host family. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, finding a new host is usually straightforward. However, “90% of new hosts will request to have a phone conversation with the previous host,” Ang said.

The intolerable problem for Thai au pairs in Europe is overwork, Ang said. Most hosts and au pairs agree on the number of working hours in advance, but once on-site, they often find that those initial discussions were too vague.

Sweden’s law stipulates that au pairs work no more than 25 hours per week. In practice, however, hours can vary: during regular periods, it might be around 20 hours, while in the summer holidays, when the children are off school, it can rise to 30 hours. The employment contract follows a government-mandated form, “but the government doesn’t specify holidays,” so these are determined through negotiation between the host and the au pair.

In online conversations among Thai au pairs in Europe, questions occasionally arise about overtime pay and whether it needs to be specified in the written contract. However, there appear to be no clear rules to resolve these uncertainties. When work takes place in intimate home settings, au pairs also often face issues around boundaries. For example, if the parents return home late, is it acceptable for the au pair to leave the children unattended?

When asked whether applying through an agency makes the process safer than handling everything independently, Ang said that in her experience she has never heard of any serious problems. Still, au pairs ultimately have to take a chance and hope for a fair host, regardless of how they apply.

What Should Au Pair Programs Look Like?

For Ang, who was also an au pair in the US, the main difference is the expectations regarding household work.‘The US has the rule that au pairs only do housework related to the children. But European hosts expect au pairs to handle chores for the entire household,’ she said.

In her opinion, the US is a good model to follow. It allows au pairs to go only through registered agencies. ‘There are monthly au pair meetings, so that au pairs from each nationality in the neighbourhood can meet’. Additionally, a local coordinator (LCC) is available nearby to provide support.

In Pronkamon’s experience, while each host family has its pros and cons, being an au pair in Europe and in the United States differs significantly in terms of work schedules and culture. In the U.S., she had a fixed schedule from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., not exceeding 45 hours per week. ‘I spent two years in the U.S. The au pair system there is well-managed and fair. Hosts treat you like an exchange student and even help you open a bank account,’ she said. 

‘In Sweden, I applied on my own and was quite lucky to find a good host. But in Europe, it is different in that you have to do everything yourself. You have to go and open a bank account by yourself. As for the work schedule, there is no intermediary to negotiate it for you. It’s flexible.’

In Sweden, Pronkamon worked from 3:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., totalling no more than 25 hours per week, and had mornings free to attend Swedish language classes. Her host was a business owner with two children and ran their own company. Their lifestyle was very flexible, as was her work schedule which changes from week to week. Although the host informed her of plans in advance, the flexibility still made it difficult for Pronkamon to organise long trips. One advantage of this household, however, was that the host provided a private apartment for the au pair, located next to but separate from the main house.

Denmark has FOA, a trade union that handles au pair issues, and Prachatai found that in 2024 and 2025 the Embassy in Copenhagen organised training sessions for au pairs on living in Denmark.

In Pronkamon’s view, the absence of a responsible agency is a major gap for Sweden. Au pairs often have to resolve problems on their own. For example, if an au pair changes host families and the previous host refuses to pay, there is no clear channel for filing a complaint. In such cases, the new host may need to step in to negotiate with the old one.

The Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok has been contacted for comments. The reporter also reached out to the Thai Embassy in Stockholm, where a consular officer replied to inquire about the specific problems that had arisen.

This report was produced with support from the UNDP Media Fellowship on Sustainable Development programme under the theme ‘Business and Human Rights.