Part of the Family? Experiences of Au Pairs in Ireland

Abstract

The au pair industry in Ireland is thriving. Its popularity has increased dramatically over the last five years. A new trend is the appearance of the Third Country National (TCN) au pair, particularly obvious from the large number of Brazilian women au pairing in the last five years. Despite the absence of an au pair visa scheme, the number of TCN women au pairing has been growing steadily since 2009. The rights and safety of these women is a growing concern for a number of rea- sons that will be explained in this chapter. Demand has increased as more families are opting for au pairs as an affordable childcare solu- tion. Data on the industry is extremely limited. The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) estimate approximately 10,000 au pairs, both EU and non EU, are placed with families here each year, but little is understood or documented about their experiences. As the numbers have increased, so too have the reports of abuse and exploitation. Since 2009 the number of TCN au pairs contacting MRCI for sup- port has been on the rise, prompting the centre to conduct a piece of research to capture emerging trends and document the experiences of au pairs. In this chapter I give the background and context to the growth of the industry in Ireland before sharing the experiences of young migrant women (from European Union (EU) and non EU coun- ties) au pairing here over a five-month period from November 2011 to March 2012.