A Day in the Life of an Au Pair in the Netherlands (2026)

You're 21, from Sofia, and you've been living with a family in a quiet suburb west of Amsterdam for two months. You have your own room on the top floor of a narrow brick townhouse, you cycle everywhere, and your Dutch vocabulary is growing faster than you expected — mostly because your host kids correct you constantly. Here's what an ordinary Wednesday looks like.

7:00 — Ontbijt

Your alarm goes off and you're downstairs within ten minutes. Dutch mornings are efficient — no lingering, no elaborate cooking, just getting things done. The kitchen table is already set with a wooden bread board, a block of Gouda, a packet of ham, butter, and a jar of hagelslag — chocolate sprinkles that the Dutch genuinely eat on buttered bread for breakfast. The first time you saw it you thought it was a joke. Now you eat it every morning and have strong opinions about which brand is best. There's a pot of coffee on the counter and the 6-year-old, Sanne, is already dressed and eating a beschuit with pink muisjes. Your host dad, Joost, is reading the news on his phone and drinking his coffee standing up. He'll be out the door in fifteen minutes. That's the Dutch breakfast: fast, carb-heavy, and surprisingly good.

7:45 — The Bakfiets

You wheel the bakfiets out of the shed. If you've never seen one, a bakfiets is a cargo bike with a large wooden box at the front — and in the Netherlands, it's how half the country moves children around. Daan, the 3-year-old, goes in the box with a blanket over his legs. Sanne perches on the rear rack, holding your waist. You cycle eight minutes to the crèche where Daan spends his mornings, sign him in, kiss the top of his head, and carry on another five minutes to Sanne's basisschool. The bike lane is wider than the car lane. You pass at least thirty other parents doing the exact same thing. Nobody wears a helmet — the infrastructure is so good that cycling here feels safer than walking in most cities. You lock up the bakfiets, wave at Sanne through the classroom window, and cycle back home on your own bike, which you chained to the school rack earlier.

8:30–12:00 — Free Time

Two mornings a week you take a Dutch course at a taalschool in the city centre. Today is one of those days. You cycle to the train station, take a twelve-minute sprinter into Amsterdam Centraal, and walk to the school. The class is a mix of expats, partners of Dutch nationals, and a few other au pairs. You're at A2 level and the teacher speaks almost entirely in Dutch, which is disorienting but effective. The funny thing about learning Dutch in the Netherlands is that almost everyone speaks fluent English. People switch to English the moment they hear you hesitate. Learning Dutch isn't a survival skill here — it's a choice, and the Dutch genuinely appreciate you for making it.

On your free mornings without class, the time is entirely yours. Some days you cycle along the canals, stop at a café on the Jordaan for a koffie verkeerd, and read. Some days you study at the Openbare Bibliotheek — the central library near the station, which has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the IJ river and free Wi-Fi. Some days you do absolutely nothing. The mornings belong to you, and nobody asks what you did with them.

12:00 — Lunch

You pick up Daan from crèche at noon. He's covered in sand and paint and completely happy. At home you make lunch, and this is where you've had to adjust your expectations. Dutch lunch is famously simple. It's bread. More specifically, it's broodjes — sliced bread with cheese, ham, or peanut butter, eaten quickly and without ceremony. On an ambitious day you might make an uitsmijter — a fried egg on bread with ham and cheese — or heat up a cup of soup. There's no hot meal, no salad course, no dessert. The Dutch eat their warm meal at dinner and treat lunch as fuel. Daan has his broodje with a glass of milk and a piece of fruit. The whole thing takes twenty minutes.

13:00–15:00 — Afternoon with Daan

The weather is grey and drizzling, which in the Netherlands is not a reason to stay inside. You put Daan in his rain suit — a full waterproof onesie that every Dutch child owns — and walk to the local speeltuin. Dutch playgrounds are everywhere and well-maintained: sandpits, climbing frames, swings, and usually a communal building with toilets and sometimes a small café run by volunteers. Daan digs in the wet sand with intense concentration. You sit on a bench under the shelter and talk to another parent, a woman from Indonesia who's been living in the Netherlands for five years and switches between Dutch, English, and Bahasa mid-sentence. After the playground you walk home, Daan splashing through every puddle along the way.

15:00 — School Pick-Up and Snack

You cycle to Sanne's school with Daan in the bakfiets. Sanne comes out with her backpack dragging on the ground and immediately asks for a koekje. At home you set out the afternoon snack — apple slices, a few stroopwafels, and cups of warm milk. The two of them sit at the kitchen table and tell you about their days in a mix of Dutch and English. Sanne draws a picture of a horse. Daan eats three stroopwafels and claims he only had one.

15:30–17:30 — Activities

Today is Sanne's zwemles day — swimming lessons. In the Netherlands, swimming proficiency is taken seriously. Nearly every child works through the A, B, and C diploma system, and Sanne is currently on her B diploma. You cycle the three of them to the pool, sit in the viewing gallery with Daan, and watch Sanne swim laps in her pyjamas (part of the diploma test is swimming fully clothed, which is very Dutch and very practical). After swimming you head to the local park. There's a saying here: "Er is geen slecht weer, alleen slechte kleding" — there's no bad weather, only bad clothes. The Dutch take this literally. Children play outside in rain, wind, and near-freezing temperatures, and nobody thinks twice about it. Daan and Sanne run around on the grass while you check your phone and keep them in sight.

17:30 — Handover

Your host mum, Femke, gets home at half five. You tell her about the swimming lesson, mention that Daan skipped his nap, and hand over. Dutch families tend to eat dinner early — 18:00 to 18:30 is standard, and by seven o'clock the kids are usually in the bath. Your working day is over. You head upstairs, change out of your rain-spotted jacket, and look at your phone. The group chat is already making plans.

Evening — Your Time

You cycle into Amsterdam. The ride takes twenty-five minutes on a dedicated bike path with its own traffic lights, and it's one of the best parts of your day. Tonight you're meeting a group of friends — two other au pairs, a German exchange student, and a Dutch girl you met at the taalschool — for a borrel. A borrel is the Dutch version of after-work drinks: you sit on a canal-side terrace, order a biertje and a portion of bitterballen (deep-fried meat croquettes that taste better than they sound), and talk for three hours. The sun sets behind the canal houses around nine and the whole city turns golden. Somebody suggests moving to a bar in De Pijp. You cycle there in five minutes. Everything in Amsterdam is five minutes by bike.

The au pair community in the Netherlands is smaller than in Germany or France, but the social scene is excellent. Amsterdam is compact, international, and full of young people. Between your language class, other au pairs in the area, and the sheer number of expats in this city, you'll build a social circle fast. The Dutch themselves are famously direct — they'll tell you exactly what they think, which takes some getting used to, but also means you always know where you stand.

You're home by half ten. You read in bed, text your mum a photo of the canal at sunset, and set your alarm for seven.

The Numbers

The Netherlands is one of the most structured and generous au pair destinations in Europe. Here's what the arrangement looks like:

• Pocket money: €340–400 per month — among the highest in Europe
• Working hours: up to 30 hours per week, maximum 8 hours per day
• Days off: at least 2 full days per week
• Vacation: 2 weeks of paid vacation for a 12-month stay
• Language course: host families often contribute to Dutch classes
• Healthcare: EU citizens are covered by their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC); non-EU au pairs need private insurance arranged by the host family
• Room and board: your own room and all meals are included

For a full comparison of au pair pay across countries, see our Au Pair Salary by Country guide. And before you sign anything, make sure you've read a proper au pair contract template so you know what should be in writing.

Why the Netherlands

The Netherlands is quietly one of the best au pair destinations in Europe, and the reasons are practical. The pocket money is among the highest on the continent. Almost everyone speaks fluent English, so you're never lost or isolated — and if you choose to learn Dutch, the locals are delighted. The cycling infrastructure means you don't need a car, a bus pass, or even a train ticket for most of your daily life. The country is safe, well-organised, and absurdly flat, which makes getting around effortless. Amsterdam is one of Europe's most vibrant cities, but even the smaller towns — Haarlem, Utrecht, Leiden — are beautiful, walkable, and full of life. And the Dutch approach to childcare is relaxed, practical, and trusting: kids play outside, get muddy, learn to swim in pyjamas, and grow up with a self-reliance that makes your job easier as the months go on.

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