Most families arrive at this question the same way: the childcare you have isn't quite fitting the life you lead. The school run needs covering, the afternoons are chaotic, and you'd like the person helping you to actually know your children. Both an au pair and a nanny can do that — but they suit different households, and the honest differences are worth setting out plainly.
We've got rid of all the old confusing legacy categories — au pair, au pair plus, advanced au pair, mother's help, junior nanny and nanny. These days the distinction between au pair and nanny is very blurred, so to make it easier for families we've categorised au pairs and nannies into five tiers:
- Tier 1 — the gap-year au pair. Usually 17–20, typically taking a gap year, with little or no childcare experience. Best with children aged 4 and over, and limited to 20 hours a week. Circa £140–£195 a week, live-in.
- Tier 2 — finding their feet. Typically 18–22, with 3–6 months' childcare experience. Suited to children aged 2 and over. Circa £195–£240 a week.
- Tier 3 — the experienced au pair. Typically 21–25, with a year or more of childcare experience and checkable childcare references. Happy with any age group. Circa £240–£305 a week.
- Tier 4 — the senior option. Typically 23–30, with a real range of childcare experience behind them. Live-in or live-out. £305+ a week.
- Tier 5 — the professional nanny. Typically 24–40, with three or more years' experience and sole charge of any age group. £535+ a week.
Live-out placements are always Tier 4 or Tier 5, at £20–£30 an hour. And whatever the tier, every au pair or nanny we place has passed the nine-stage Hampstead Standard — the tiers grade experience, not vetting.
What an au pair and nanny actually are
The tiers are a scale, not five different jobs. At one end sits the classic cultural arrangement — a young person joining your household — and at the other a career professional staffing it. Here is what each tier really looks like, and the families each one suits.
Tier 1 — the gap-year au pair
A young person, usually from overseas and often on their first extended stay away from home. They live with you, help with the children and light family life, and receive their own room, meals and an agreed weekly amount — around £140–£195. The arrangement is cultural as much as practical: they join your household rather than staff it, and their hours are capped at 20 a week.
Tier 1 suits you when your children are 4 or older, someone is home for part of the day, and the help you need is the school run, meals, play, homework hour and babysitting — not sole charge. The honest trade-off: the first weeks take patience on both sides, and placements typically run about a year.
Tier 2 — finding their feet
Typically 18–22, with three to six months of real childcare behind them — enough to take on toddlers from age 2 with confidence, not just school-age children. Many are already in the UK when we introduce them, which keeps start dates short.
Tier 2 suits you when you want au pair economics — around £195–£240 a week, live-in — but your youngest is 2 or over, or the afternoons simply need steadier hands than a first-timer's.
Tier 3 — the experienced au pair
Typically 21–25, with a year or more of childcare experience, good English and references we can actually check. Comfortable with any age group, including babies — though all-day sole charge of a baby is better matched a tier or two higher.
Tier 3 suits you when there's a baby or toddler in the mix alongside school-age children, or the role needs someone who has already done a full placement elsewhere and knows what family life asks of them. Around £240–£305 a week.
Tier 4 — the senior option
Typically 23–30, with a genuine range of childcare experience — different ages, different households, longer hours held reliably. This is the first tier that regularly works live-out, so it also fits families without a spare room.
Tier 4 suits you when the week is long or non-negotiable, when you need sole charge of pre-school children, or when you want near-professional experience while the budget stays below a nanny's salary: £305+ a week live-in, or £20–£30 an hour live-out.
Tier 5 — the professional nanny
A professional, typically 24–40, whose career this is. Three or more years' experience, sole charge of children of any age including babies, and often training on top — paediatric first aid, childcare qualifications. Live-in or live-out, full-time or part-time.
Tier 5 suits you when both parents are out at work with a baby or toddler at home, when reliability is everything, and when you want someone who will stay for years, not seasons. The trade-off is straightforward: a professional wage — £535+ a week live-in, £20–£30 an hour live-out. For many families that cost is entirely justified by what it buys, but it should be a decision, not a surprise.
A simple way to decide
Ask three questions. Who is in sole charge? If the answer is "they are, all day, with a child under three", you're choosing between Tier 4 and Tier 5. How many hours? Under about thirty a week of help fits Tiers 1–3; well beyond it points to Tier 4 or Tier 5. What does your budget say? Work out the honest weekly figure with our cost calculator, then compare it against Tier 4 and Tier 5 rates for the same hours.
And if you're still not sure — that is genuinely what the phone is for. Tell us what your week looks like and we'll tell you what we would do in your position, including when the answer is "you don't need as much help as you think."