Location
  • China
    • Beijing
    • Shanghai
    • Chengdu
    • Hangzhou
    • Chongqing
    • Guangzhou
    • Nanjing
    • Shenzhen
Length
52+ weeks

Program Details

Timeframe
Academic Year Fall Spring Summer Winter Year Round
Housing
Host Family
Age Min.
18
Age Max
30

Pricing

Starting Price
0
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airfare Domestic Airfare Airport Transfers Equipment Meals SIM cards Tour Guide Travel Insurance Visa Wifi
Jul 22, 2024
Dec 02, 2024
4 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

At Global Youth Aupair in China, we are dedicated to fostering cross-cultural understanding and personal development through our au pair programs. We specialize in facilitating enriching experiences for young people from around the world by connecting them with welcoming host families in China. Our mission is to create meaningful cultural exchanges that not only benefit the au pairs and host families but also contribute to a more connected and empathetic global community.

Our au pair programs offer participants the chance to deeply immerse themselves in Chinese culture, from learning Mandarin and traditional customs to experiencing the daily life and festivals of their host families.

We believe in the transformative power of living abroad. Our programs are designed to help young people develop essential life skills such as adaptability, cross-cultural communication, and problem-solving, preparing them for a successful future.

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • Cultural Immersion:As an au pair in China, you'll have the unique opportunity to deeply immerse yourself in Chinese culture, traditions, and daily life.
  • Personal Growth and Development:The experience of being an au pair in China will help you develop cross-cultural communication skills, adaptability, and problem-solving abilities.
  • Family Life and Friendships: You will live with a Chinese host family, forming deep bonds and friendships
  • Travel and Exploration: In addition to your daily responsibilities, you will have the chance to travel and explore different cities and scenic spots in China.
  • Language Learning and Education: As an au pair, you will not only help children learn English but also improve your Mandarin through daily interactions.

Related Programs

Program Reviews

4.90 Rating
based on 10 reviews
  • 5 rating 90%
  • 4 rating 10%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Housing 4.9
  • Support 5
  • Fun 4.7
  • Value 4.8
  • Safety 5
Showing 1 - 8 of 10 reviews
Default avatar
Alexandra
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

How I Gained a Second Family

I'll start by saying this was my first time au pairing, so I can't speak on how Global Youth differs from its competition, but I can say that I had an incredible experience.

I mean, I hardly even knew if I wanted to be an au pair when I first got into contact with Mars, the agent who worked with me before and during my stay. I was coming off some extended time away from home, and I was realizing I wasn't ready to be home long-term yet and I wasn't ready to go back to school. That's how I found myself applying to an au pair website, and it was actually Mars that got into contact with me. He's an efficient man, and it wasn't soon after we got into contact that I had my first video interview with a family.

The family and I immediately hit it off from the start. The sort of connection where any worries I may have had about moving halfway across the world to China disappeared. It was especially easy when Mars was able to make the whole visa process as painless as possible (I'm from the middle of nowhere in Northern Canada, so getting to the Chinese Embassy was honestly the hardest part haha).

Before I knew it I was arriving in Chengdu, which felt a bit insane at the time. Grace, my host mom, greeted me at the airport with her daughter, and Mars, but I was honestly in such a shock that I don't think I said hardly a thing the whole drive home.

I say home because it really does feel like a home to me now. I have bonded so much with Grace's entire family, even her extended family, despite the clear language barrier. Many members of her family only speak Sichuanese or Mandarin. Grace herself speaks quite good English, and her daughter spoke enough when I arrived that we weren't starting on square one, but her son, only a year and a half years old at the time, hardly wanted anything to do with someone he couldn't understand or speak to haha. He's a pretty shy kid, but now he loves spending time with me and we've both learned a lot of each other's languages in the process. In general, I'd say my Chinese is still terrible haha, but I now can tell you the names of every construction vehicle and car brand in the language. I'm not even sure I could have told you what a backhoe loader was in English before I was faced with this child's exuberant interest in vehicles.

Grace really wanted the kids to practice English organically, so we had no lesson plans. I just acted as an older sibling essentially, something that was quite natural to me as the oldest of three. I followed the family to wherever the family went, and Grace was a very enthusiastic tour guide. She knows so much history and takes so much pride in her culture that I learned so much in her company. We travelled a lot of Sichuan Province, I got to see Chongqing (a long-time dream of mine), Guangxi Province (the karsts are actually insane), and Guangdong Province as well. We spent the entire month of July in Thailand which was absolutely amazing.

And while I had of course expected to grow close to the children, I hadn't thought Grace and I would have so much in common. We like the same books and the same genres of tv shows, so often after the kids went to bed, we stayed up chatting and reading or watching something. Normally this was accompanied by a "midnight snack" which was actually more like a gigantic bucket of crayfish or enough shaokao to feed five.

The connections I have made here are lifelong. I could truly speak about my experience here for days.

Throughout all of this, Mars has always been there. I think we've even become pretty good friends. I went to see Gladiator II with him and his girlfriend right before I left. China is hardly foreigner-friendly, and there is a lot of bureaucracy to get through to be able to exist legally in the country. Fortunately, I never really had to worry if I was doing something wrong or if I was missing some part of the process because Mars knew it all. It was a huge comfort when even something as simple as setting up a phone plan requires an advanced level of Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese contracts.

Mars did set me up with Chinese classes at one of the universities in Chengdu which was a huge help. Everything in China requires an app, and that app is never in English and never familiar. The day I was finally able to navigate AMap with ease was a truly wonderful day. I think I was just only barely getting confident at speaking though when I had to leave. However, it's not something I'm too worried about because I know I'll be back.

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
Grace's family eats pretty traditionally which means I got to try a lot of interesting things. So I think it would be a 3-way tie between:
Pig Brain
Soft-Shelled Turtle
and Sea Cucumber Soup
19 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
maxim
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

British Au pair in china

Would definitely reccomend. I was met at the airport and supported settleing into china. Global youth where swift to assist me in any issues that I had during my time and have regular check ups to ensure that I am ok. I couldn't feel any more comfortable in china thanks to them.
Mars is very friendly and approachable. I have had meals and friendly meet ups, it really feels like I already had a friend in china as soon as I got there. Due to the friendly relationship, I am confident that global youth have my back during my stay.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
try to learn the language as soon as you come! theres so much to learn!!!
Pros
  • good food
  • great history
  • great culture
Cons
  • very hot
  • n/a
  • n/a
23 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Maxim
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Au Pair in China

Would definitely recommend it. I was met at the airport and supported settling into china. Global Youth was swift to assist me with any issues that I had during my time and had regular check ups to ensure that I was ok. I couldn't feel any more comfortable in China thanks to them.

Mars is very friendly and approachable. I have had meals and friendly meet-ups, it really feels like I already had a friend in China as soon as I got there. Due to the friendly relationship, I am confident that global youth have my back during my stay.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Dont be afraid to ask questions and communicate!
Pros
  • Amazing food
  • Very helpful agency
  • amazing cultural exchange
18 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Cassidy
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Au pair in China

I had a fantastic experience with my au pair agency, thanks to the incredible support from my agent Mars . He was always kind, helpful, and there whenever I needed assistance, he even helped my mother surprise me by coming to China for my birthday. From the visa application to making my travel arrangements smooth and stress-free, he guided me and supported which made the entire process so much easier, especially as it was my first time and I was super nervous I enjoyed my time so much that I decided to extend my stay, and he continued to be supportive and helpful every step of the way. He also went above and beyond by organizing dinners for the au pairs and taking us to a famous tourist attraction in Beijing. Thanks to him, I met more people, including other au pairs, which made my experience even better. I highly recommend this agency for their professionalism and kindness!

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
Stinky tofu was certainly one of the craziest things I’ve eaten but tasted better then it smelled definitely give it a try !!
Pros
  • Everyone is friendly
  • Affordable living
  • So much too see and experience
Cons
  • The language barrier
26 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Loreto
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Lilo

I had a really life changing experience with my AuPair program, it was my first time doing AuPair and I felt very secure by the agency. I could always count on my Agency if I needed anything and they also kept in touch asking about my wellbeing during my whole 6 month stay (my contact person was Mars). The agency takes into consideration your personality and interests and really makes an effort to match you with a family that shares things in common with you to make the process as smooth as possible. I learned a lot and made very meaningful relationships during my time here. I feel happy with what I’ve experienced and I’m grateful for getting to live Chinese culture in a first hand environment.
Thank you so much Global Youth for making me feel so supported and cared for !

33 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Fingal
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great experience

I had a very nice experience being an au pair with the agency.
From the start until after I stayed with the family, the agency (my contact person was Mars) contacted me frequently to ask how I was doing and if everything was alright. Apart from that, they’re also one of the few agencies I know that don’t charge the au pairs.

The contact with my host family was good, and I got to experience a lot about Chinese culture and the daily life of the family. Being in a Chinese family helps greatly with the process of learning Chinese as well, so I thank them dearly for that.

Thank you for the great experience!
Fingal

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
I think being open and respectful of each other is a very important treat to have while doing an au pair project, both for the au pair as well as the host family. Both have a way of living, traditions and habits, and it’s important to have a balance in between, and accept the differences, since they may come from a culture different than yours.
Pros
  • Support throughout the programme
  • Great adventures in the country
  • Learning social skills, and deepening cultural knowledge
37 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Sara
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A wonderful experience

My experience with GlobalYouth exceded my expectations from the start, with a kind and patient agent who strived to help me find a family that was the best match and who ensured my safety even months after I arrived to China. Contrary to other agencies I had contact with when trying to find a family, GlobalYouth does not charge fees to the AuPairs, which I am incredibly thankful for. The family I was matched cared for me as their own child and welcomed me with open arms, giving me a wonderful experience.

Pros
  • Support from the agency on every step
  • Chance to attend Chinese language classes
  • Exploring the Chinese culture from the inside
39 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Hajar
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Review

I had an excellent experience with Global Youth Aupair Agency. From the start, their team was professional, friendly, and incredibly supportive. They took the time to understand my needs and matched us with the perfect family .
A special thank you to Mars, my agent, for making the process so smooth and efficient. Mars was always available to answer my questions and provided invaluable guidance throughout.
I highly recommend Global Youth and Mars for anyone seeking a reliable and high-quality aupair agency. Their dedication to exceptional service truly sets them apart.
Thank you, Global Youth, for making this experience so positive and memorable for me!

35 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers