LoPair Au Pair China: Learn. Care. Explore.

LoPair Au Pair China: Learn. Care. Explore.

4.57 · 112 reviews
Location
  • China
    • Beijing
    • Shanghai
    • Hangzhou
Length
52+ weeks

Program Details

Activities
City Exploring
Timeframe
Academic Year Fall Spring Summer Winter Year Round
Housing
Host Family Hostel
Primary Language
English
Age Min.
18
Age Max
30

Pricing

Price Details
- $300-$800 program fee depending on the regions:
Zone1((UK, Ireland and Oceania): $300
Zone2(Euorpe, South Africa): $500
Zone3(North America): $800
What's Included
Accommodation Some Activities Airfare Meals Tour Guide Travel Insurance Visa Wifi
What's Not Included
SIM cards Visa
What's Not Included (Extra)

Land transportation from/to a major international airport in your home country

Jul 28, 2025
Jun 17, 2026
131 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Nǐ hǎo from Hangzhou, China! LoPair offers an award-winning cultural exchange program which enables you to become fully immersed in Chinese culture, learn Mandarin, make fantastic friends from across the globe. We'll provide you with a 3-12 month placement in a major Chinese city living in a homestay with a lovely Chinese or Expat family.

Your adventure starts with arriving in Beijing, Shanghai, or Hangzhou! You'll get professional Mandarin classes per week, fascinating cultural event and hang-outs etc. You will assist host family with live-in educational childcare and some light household chores up to 30 hours a week — you'll get a room of your own, meals, insurance and international round way flight tickets! On top of this, you will have plenty of chances to explore on your own, with other au pairs and with your family while receiving pocket money per month!

COMMUNITY REVIEWS SUMMARY

This program offers deep cultural immersion, language learning, and close bonds with host families, though challenges like cultural differences and occasional communication issues arise.

Program Highlights

  • FREE round-trip flights, homestay accommodation and insurance
  • FREE Mandarin lessons per week
  • ¥2000 pocket money per month
  • Choice of host families all located in metropolis (Beijing, Shanghai. Hangzhou)
  • Cultural activities

Free Discovery Call

Program Reviews

4.57 Rating
based on 112 reviews
  • 5 rating 64.29%
  • 4 rating 32.14%
  • 3 rating 0.89%
  • 2 rating 1.79%
  • 1 rating 0.89%
  • Housing 4.75
  • Support 4.4
  • Fun 4.45
  • Value 4.55
  • Safety 4.75
Showing 65 - 72 of 112 reviews
Wiebke
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Half year aupair programm

My host family was very nice and they showed me as much of their culture as they could. You meet a lot of interesting people and Lopair offers a lot of interesting activities. The people working there always try to help you and you can call them at any time. You have the opportunity to see many different cities and one of the most beautiful ones right in the beginning, when you do your orientation days in Hangzhou. These orientation days are extremely helpful. You meet other au pairs and the stuff tells you what to expect in China and what to be careful about.

What would you improve about this program?
Sometimes the local coordinators are hard to contact. When you need help and you are not able to reach your contact person, it stresses you out and you don't know what to do. Especially when you do not speak a word Chinese it is hard to get help
126 people found this review helpful.
Gina
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Beijing Au Pair

I really liked my six months in Beijing as an Au Pair. It was a great experience that made me grow as a person and I became much more independent and sure of my choices. I had a lot of fun with my host children and there are several moments that made me extremely happy and grateful but if course there were also very challenging days that requires a lot of self assurance. I really enjoyed learning Chinese and getting to know the Chinese Culture

129 people found this review helpful.
Amanda
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Aupair in Shanghai (6 months)

My experience as an aupair in China was great! My host family was extremely nice to me and took me on trips with them. We went to Sanya, Beijing, their hometown, etc. I spent 6 months in the amazing city of Shanghai and met so many people from all over the world. My host kid was super well behaved and so sweet. I also loved the family dog! With this agency you are required to work 30 hours a week and you're supposed to get 1 day and a half off. You're also supposed to get one weekend off every month. Those things are written on the contract and you are entitled to it. If you do not remind your host family of those things, they will ignore it. Know your contract, and also make sure that you make it clear with your host family that you want a schedule or not you'll end up working odd hours and being called in on your day off. Lucky for me my family respected the contract. I do recommend this agency because compared to other agencies in China it's top notch.

146 people found this review helpful.
Carina
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A momentous opportunity

The last six months of my life has been a truly momentous experience. The Lopair program provides the opportunity to travel, be truly submerged into the Chinese culture and make unique, life long connections and memories. Living with a host family allows a experience that can't be replicated in a hotel. And living with them for six months, most surely makes them family. The program also provides additional opportunities, like the fact that you learn Mandarin at an official language school.

122 people found this review helpful.
Read my full story
Ellen
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

6 months in Shanghai

My personal experience with LoPair has been okay. But the fact that I already knew the Italian family that I have been staying with here in Shanghai means that I have not been using the support system that LoPair offers you and therefore do not feel like I can review it.

As an au pair you are signed up at a mandarin school where you take language classes, that are mandatory, and you are also supposed to have cultural classes. Unfortunately I have not been able to attend the cultural classes sense we didn’t get more then one weeks notice about when these would be held. I gave this feedback to the company so hopefully it will change.

One thing to keep in mind if you want to come to China for an exchange is that usually it’s a big cultural difference between the au pair and the Chinese family so don’t be afraid to ask if you can be put in contact with one or two people that has already been here so you can get a better insight.

What would you improve about this program?
As I wrote in my review I think there could be improvement in the planning of cultural classes.

I had appreciated to have been contacted at least a month before my departure date to be informed about what needs to be done before I leave and to book the flight ticket home. Instead I got contacted a week before.
127 people found this review helpful.
Shannah
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My experience in Shanghai

I spent 6 months in Shanghai starting in November. It has honestly been one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. The family I got matched with have been absolutely fantastic. Obviously there have been some huge differences between our cultures but they were fantastic and enjoying hearing the differences in culture and expectations. The mandarin has been difficult to learn but my teacher was wonderful and helped every step of the way. I've heard other people have had bad experiences but nothing of my time here has been anything less than great. (Also the family took me with them on their holidays so I got to travel beyond Shanghai, beyond the tourist facade)

128 people found this review helpful.
Read my full story
Christian
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The long 6 month journey

As I started I didn`t know what i should expect. A new country, a new culture, a new family, a new home. I had to take care of 2 boys in the age of 3 and 5. As soon as I arrived in Shanghai, I was a part of the family. They often took me to different places, showed me the city and intruduced me to the chinese lifestyle. If there were any problems, I could easily talk to my Host-parents or my Local Coordinator about it. Especially the first oriantation days were really helpfull to get a view on how my life looks like for the next 6 months. The most important thing with chinese kids is to be patient! If you are patient enough and get through the first month, you will also easily get through the rest.
I can totally recommend this programm to everybody who wants to learn more about the chinese culture, the language, the food and likes to play and work with children!

What would you improve about this program?
It is hard to meet other aupairs in your free time and do activities. Everybody has on another day off, you have to be very flexible with your time and normally you have to work way more than you should. Maybe except for the cultural class there should also be an activity class at least once in a month.
152 people found this review helpful.
Katharina
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My experience as an aupair = experience for life-time

If you are child-loving, eager to experience a different culture and are interested in learning China, this program is excactely the right one for you. As every other aupair I also had some cultural shocks at the beginning even though I was already aware of cultural differences! However the cultural differences are sometime quite helpful to experience Chinese lifestyle.... From my point of view I can just say that it was a wonderful time and I enjoyed myself a lot. I had a wonderful time with my second host family - they were just the perfect fit! Playing games with children, read books to them and simply teach them English - that’s basically what aupairing in Chinese families is about... Of course you will also experience Chinese lifestyle, food and culture when living together with your family ;). But you should now that being an aupair is a “serious job” and it’s not about partying! If you’re looking for this, then this is the wrong choice to make... But I guess you already know that! Just be open-minded and try to integrate into the Chinese family, then the experience might be the best one of your life!!! Looking back I cannot say I regret my decision to come to Shanghai: It’s a great town for sightseeing, for learning Mandarin at Mandarin House (especially learning this unique language made my aupair in China a fantastic experience) , meeting new friends (Chinese and expats) and meeting a fabulous host family!!! I will definitely miss mine and really hope they will visit me some day in Germany ✈️!!! That’s what your aupair is about: Taking a new family/ home into your heart and building up a lifelong lasting relationship with them❤️.

What would you improve about this program?
The staff is great and always helpful but I e.g. never got to sign my second contract... That was pretty weird for me! And I must say I unterstand families insist on curfews, but I think they should only apply to working days as never actually having a night off is quite hard as your social life is really minimalized... However all in all I can highly recommend this program for adventurous people, who are interested in China and love to work with children;)...
134 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

Hi Karlie, I agree with Clara that asking directly Lopair (aupair@lopair.com) is the best idea. I am 99% sure it's impossible to have two au pairs in the same family, but I think you guys can manage to be placed in the same city! The matching process might just take a little bit longer, because you have to make sure you both find your families in the same city. Hope this helped, and let me know if...