Au Pair...Nanny...Babysitter...What’s the difference?!?!

Child-care Lexicon
There are so many words to describe the role of a child-carer, that it is sometimes difficult to know which word to use, in which situation. Au Pair, nanny, babysitter, helper…these terms are often used interchangeably that the real meanings have become blurred with time. Let’s try to clarify...

Nanny
The word “nanny” evokes images of Mary Poppins, and this gives a good clue as to the true meaning of the word. You can think of a nanny as a professional child-carer where the nuance tends to be the focus on their educational or formative role. Their role is not only to ensure the safety of the children, but also to set the foundations for a good up-bringing.

Au Pair
The term "Au Pair" is derived from the French language, meanings "on par" or "equal to", denoting living on an equal basis in a reciprocal, caring relationship between the host family and the children. An au pair will typically be a young lady (or guy) in their 20s, who lives with their host family – in exchange for food and board, they will help out with the children and even do some light housekeeping. An au pair is not a professional child-carer per se, but serves as a cost- effective, informal help for the family, while allowing the au pair to benefit from a “cultural experience” in a new country.

Helper
A “helper” or “domestic helper” can be considered an extra set of hands, to help out in a busy family. Their role tends to encompass a variety of domestic tasks in a household, including child-care, housekeeping, cooking and errand-running. The term helper, does not necessarily imply a child-care specialist, though provides good all-round help to a family.

Babysitter
A babysitter refers not so much to the child-care skills of the worker, but rather the temporary or part-time nature of the work. Generally, it is the practice of temporarily caring for a child on behalf of the child’s parents, for example while the parents go out for dinner or to give mom a break in the day-time. The idea of a babysitter varies from country-to-country. For example, in US or France, babysitters are usually high-school students in search of some part-time work.

And Japanese Babysitters... "ベビーシッター"
In Japan, however, babysitters are perceived very differently from their Western counterparts. Here, babysitting is considered a profession, albeit quite a new one. For example, Chez Vous sitters range from licensed day-care and kindergarten teachers in their 20s – who are ideal for playing with active toddlers - right through to very experienced ladies, suitable for taking care of new borns. The idea of a high school student taking care of a neighbor’s baby is unheard of in Japan! You can consider Japanese babysitters a fusion of the “nanny” and “babysitter” – temporarily taking care of the child, while offering an educational element to the child-care.

On top of these terminologies, you can add a whole array of other words used to describe child-carers – nurse maid, maternity nurse, matron...and even the newly-coined “manny”!!

We hope this gives you more ideas to help you find the most suitable kind of child-care for you.

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