au pair

1. not comparableOn a working basis by which work done by one party is rewarded by benefits (especially board and lodging) rather than by monetary remuneration.First known use 19th c.

   ‘I shall try to get a position au pair to pay my expenses.’

   1973, Christina Stead, The Little Hotel, Text Classics, published 2016, page 84

   1 more example

   Several thousand girls now come over from the continent to live for six months au pair with British families to learn English—and to perform ‘light domestic duties’.

   1958 March 29, The Economist

plural au pairs

1. archaicAn au pair working arrangement (see Adverb).First known use 19th c.
2. A person (especially a young woman) working in such a way; now specifically, a foreign worker who helps a host family with childcare, housework, or both while staying as a guest with a host family, and generally receives a small allowance (or pocket money).First known use 20th c.

   H-2B visas are for unskilled seasonal workers, including landscapers, forestry workers and summer resort workers, while J-1s are for exchange visitors who come for short stays, typically for summer work, brief internships or to be au pairs.

   2020 June 26, Susan Cohen and Jennifer Hunt, “By blocking visas for foreign workers, Trump is further hurting the US economy”, in CNN