We want to be completely transparent and open with you so... short answer? Right now, we don't make any money. We have huge visions for Au Pair, Oh Paris as a "non-agency" or "au pair union" to help au pairs in Paris (and beyond) who were in a similarly difficult situation to Edwina (watch her horror story here!) or simply need a helping hand which doesn't cost up to $700 (like those pesky agency fees).

We also know how difficult it is to move to Paris, live abroad and not know anyone in the city. We're still underwhelmed by the lack of support available for au pairs in Paris (and have been ever since we became au pairs back in 2013!) So, we'd like to be the remedy for this.

Our dream is to ultimately provide resources (including YouTube videos and books), guides (such as the APOP Bucket List) and one-to-one advice via live streams, Skype sessions and in person with organised events in Paris.

This is all in the hope that no matter WHERE you're coming from or where you're going to, the au pair process will be simple to follow. If something goes wrong, we want to be there to help guide you out of any situation as best as we can.

We've been trying to figure out ways to make this possible (while also both having full time jobs) and decided to reach out to a few of you who have signed up to our weekly(ish) emails to ask your opinion (Thank you for your responses and taking the time to get back to us!)

From these exchanges, we decided to take your advice and start a Patreon account. We've taken your feedback into consideration to come up with our rewards which start at just $1. Everything is up for grabs from exclusive content to regular coffee dates, brunches in Paris and even travel trips. The idea is that on Patreon, we can be a "union of au pairs".

Illustration by Lucy Watkin (who is also illustrating our book which is coming out this year!)

We want to be as authentic and transparent as possible, so we're not teaming up with agencies to try and sell them to you. Instead, we want to give you real insight into our own experiences & the simplest, cheapest ways to go about the au pairing process.

Of course, we want to stress that donating is completely voluntary. Please do not pledge more than you can (we know how little the au pair pay salary is, after-all!). Just being along for the APOP ride is so rewarding for us and we can't thank you enough.

We assure you, our regular content -- from Movie Monday and Tuesday & Friday blog posts to the Au Pair Starter Kit -- will always be free and not be put behind a Patreon paywall. Everything we offer on Patreon is an added extra.

Current rewards include everything from live streams to answer every question you have to one-to-one help throughout the entire year (we'll be available to help you with every process whether it's reading through contracts, helping with French or organising coffee dates and brunches with other au pairs so you meet friends as soon as you arrive). We believe this would ensure the au pairing journey is a lot less intimidating.

(Of course, if you have no need for the union yourself, we'll happily work with you to provide rewards which can benefit you!)

Aside from taking advice from our weekly email subscribers and YouTube commenters, another reason we've set up a Patreon page is similar to many others who are using YouTube as their preferred platform - we're yet to receive monetization on our videos (even though we were eligible and applied back in December - thanks to y'all!)

So, if you do choose to donate, please know that you can either pledge as a once-off (by cancelling the subscription after one month) or for the continued rewards. If there is anything you'd like to see us add to our reward tiers, please let us know. We're brand new to all of this.

Finally, just know that we're exceptionally grateful that you're even engaging with APOP, let alone those of you who are supporting us by reading the blog as well as watching, liking, commenting on and sharing our videos! If you'd like to help out our channel but can't afford to pledge, sharing our Youtube channel and Patreon with friends and family would be appreciated so we can ensure au pairs worldwide are well looked after!

Once again, thank you!
That's all for now,
Ciao!
xo

How Au Pair, Oh Paris Makes Money...