Au pairs are servants by a different name. amirite?

If this were simply some decades ago, they would, in fact, be called servants or some similar title. Au pairs existed and were called the same thing decades ago. The fact that they aren't is just our society giving this occupation a cute title, that's easier to say than servant. You think "au pair" is easier to say than servant? Also, can the same not be said for any house worker? Maids, personal chefs, butlers, etc. all fit the definition of a servant.

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

It depends on where you are. According to my state law, many of these type of roles are "domestic servants." Nannies are the only ones that I have employeed, but my state tax law would cover an Au Pair as a live in nanny and therefore a "domestic servant."

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

you aren't wrong. I'm just saying we don't call them servants to their faces anymore. Or at least we shouldn't. I don't know.. I don't have musk money. I don't know what he calls them.

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

there's a lot you can do when your savings rate is 100 percent.

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

They are servants with some worker rights thats all. A servant in the medieval ages also had some rights.

by Cool_Bid_2180 3 weeks ago

you are just describing anyone who has a job

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

Yes, you are close baby

by Cool_Bid_2180 3 weeks ago

my assistant is not a servant. their compensation is based on a free market contract. Whether you think that compensation is appropriate has no bearing on the legal classification.

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

So, technically, they would fall within Google's definition of a servant. However, it's worth noting that government workers are 'civil servants' and the actual word servant has no explicit meaning relating to the treatment of that worker, just the role they play

by Hour-Speech-9325 3 weeks ago

goverment workers are literally supposed to be civil servants. They are meant to serve the people. Their compensation is supposed to be ancillary to their compensation. Again whether that actually works out in practice is another matter entirely.

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

Yes, I'm just pointing out that the word servant doesn't carry any ill-meaning; OP is implying that being a servant is a bad thing regardless of circumstances

by Hour-Speech-9325 3 weeks ago

it dpeends on the context sure. but we don't use it in regards to house staff anymore. They are employees of the household.

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

No, they aren't. Their employees and part of their compensation is often housing and food. An ex girlfriend of mine did it and said they were some of the best years of her life. Lived with family in a different country, took care of and tutored the 3 kids, had nights and weekends off depending on the family schedule but if she worked a weekend she got the days off during no the week. She went on vacations with them and they provided many opportunities and were valuable professional references for her later in life. If they got trafficked or pressured into then yea, that's different. Au pairs are not what you're saying though.

by Financial-Weird 3 weeks ago

I know people who became au pairs to help learn another language and become fluent, and of course, the travel!

by Spirited_Round3817 3 weeks ago

Male au pairs do exist, I had one. They're *technically* servants, but the dynamic is much different - they're meant to be treated as equals to the family and become a part of it for the duration of their stay. It's an important distinction to make. It's a good way for young people to travel and make some money, which is a reason it's very popular with young people. Servants is also a bit of an archair term, there's a specific term for each type.

by Kaitlinabernath 3 weeks ago

I spent a summer as a male au pair. Great chande to travel, and lucked out with the family. We're still in touch over a decade later!

by schuppemaybell 3 weeks ago

Traditionally an Au Pair unlike a nanny could be of the same social class as their employer, so not a servant.

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

My wife did this, and they're mostly treated very, very well, and often considered as a part of the household. They are paid 20k because the family takes care of their room and board, including any transportation needs. This is most certainly not a long-term gig for anyone, and 4/5 of my wife's friends who were au pairs have nothing but great things to say about the program and their host families. It is also not a long term gig. By law in the US, they can be in the program for a maximum of 2 years.

by Kutchmeda 3 weeks ago

20k with food and housing covered is a fairly good job for someone in their early 20's and no degree.

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

Weren't women who were hired by a rich family to tutor and care for children called "governesses"? Or "nannies"?

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

I think that's a big reach as long as it's done properly and above board. A friend's daughter did nanny work state side during summers and right after HS. In her early 20s she worked as an Au Pair for a family in England for 2 years. She had to get the kids up, make breakfast, and their lunch, get them ready for school and get them to it. Pick them up after, entertain them and provide a snack. Most nights she didn't even have to get them to bed and had Sundays off. Only other house work she had to do was clean any messes her or the kids made and her personal chores like laundry and cleaning her room. Very different than a servant. She had no monthly bills, was paid for her work, and was treated like part of the family.

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

We don't use the word "servants" anymore.

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

Why?

by Silver_Rope_7635 3 weeks ago

Because of the negative connotation. What do you mean why…

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

I don't see anything particularly negative about it.

by Silver_Rope_7635 3 weeks ago

Ok then call someone who works for a rich family a "servant" and see how they take it.

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

By that logic, could anyone in the service industry be considered a servant? I get what you're saying though - people tend to think of servants as the paid house staff of wealthy people. I really only associate that word with the ultra wealthy and even then the word servant seems to have been phased out. Au pairs are not just for the ultra wealthy anymore.

by Murphylucius 3 weeks ago

What is wrong with this? They also receive free room & board.

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

I'm a banker and I see myself as a direct servant to the clients. Idk why this word is seen so poorly. Engineers are servants to their clients, doctors to the patients. I think it's some ego trip

by Lilyhills 3 weeks ago

I think you're vastly underestimating the value of room/board and overestimating the job prospects of a 20-year old trying to work abroad. We still keep up with the German Au pair we had as kids. She was able to experience another country for awhile and hammered down her English skills which she now uses as a professional interpreter

by Most-Cockroach7842 3 weeks ago

I was an au pair when I was in college. One of the perks was going to award programs like the American Music Awards. One of my favorite jobs ever. Also not from a foreign country…

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

Half the "au pairs" that people claim to have are glorified babysitters. Au Pair and Nanny used to mean something....now my trashy neighbor who hired her eighteen year-old cousin to sit for her runs around telling everyone she has an au pair.

by Powlowskijoaqui 3 weeks ago

Yes so are maids, butlers, etc. we just like to come up with fancy names to justify (under)paying people to do stuff we don't wanna do. I completely agree with you.

by arianesenger 3 weeks ago

I think you are mistaking the distinction between "servant" and "staff". It may be nuanced, but it is there.

by Lazy-Let 3 weeks ago

100% agreed.

by No_Inside9139 3 weeks ago

I agree completely. OP's opinion isn't unpopular, it's misguided.

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

Not all, but an awful lot of them

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago

People still own other people. I met a guy who had 2 people living on his boat in Nice France full time. They were at his service 24 hours a day while he used the boat and the staff just lived on the boat year round. 2 full time and then when they went out they had a crew of six.

by Anonymous 3 weeks ago