Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Domestic housekeeper to au pair

A domestic housekeeper already meets 43% of what the au pair role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From domestic housekeeper
43 % overlap
Partial match
To au pair
14 You already bring
7 Still to learn
34 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

55.2/ 100

1 How much of what an au pair is expected to do is already part of a domestic housekeeper’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the au pair role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An au pair role treats 6 of its required skills as things a domestic housekeeper already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • assist children with homework
  • attend to children's basic physical needs
  • communicate with youth
  • handle chemical cleaning agents
  • promote human rights
  • supervise children

What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An au pair role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a domestic housekeeper background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held assist children with homework assisting and caring
  • already held buy groceries communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held feed pets handling and moving
  • already held supervise children assisting and caring
  • already held iron textiles handling and moving
  • already held clean rooms handling and moving

All 14 carried skills, including the 6 the au pair role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 20 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 assisting and caring 3 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn prepare sandwiches required
  • still to learn assist children in developing personal skills required
  • still to learn play with children required
  • optional, not held carry out wound care optional
  • optional, not held prepare ready-made dishes optional
  • optional, not held handle children's problems optional
  • optional, not held provide first aid optional
02 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn entertain people required
  • still to learn give constructive feedback required
  • still to learn maintain relations with children's parents required
  • optional, not held demonstrate when teaching optional
  • optional, not held speak different languages optional
  • optional, not held support the positiveness of youths optional
03 services 1 required
  • still to learn workplace sanitation required
04 health and welfare 3 supplementary
  • optional, not held baby care optional
  • optional, not held disability care optional
  • optional, not held common children's diseases optional
05 handling and moving 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held use gardening equipment optional
06 management skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held assess the development of youth optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an au pair role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 14 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held assist children with homework skill
  • already held attend to children's basic physical needs skill
  • already held communicate with youth skill
  • already held handle chemical cleaning agents skill
  • already held promote human rights skill
  • already held supervise children skill
  • already held buy groceries skill
  • already held clean rooms skill
  • already held clean surfaces skill
  • already held feed pets skill
  • already held iron textiles skill
  • already held support children's wellbeing skill
  • already held use cooking techniques skill
  • already held use food preparation techniques skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held drive vehicles optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held assess the development of youth optional
  • optional, not held baby care optional
  • optional, not held carry out wound care optional
  • optional, not held disability care optional
  • optional, not held prepare ready-made dishes optional
  • optional, not held use gardening equipment optional
  • optional, not held common children's diseases optional
  • optional, not held demonstrate when teaching optional
  • optional, not held drive vehicles optional
  • optional, not held handle children's problems optional
  • optional, not held provide first aid optional
  • optional, not held speak different languages optional
  • optional, not held support the positiveness of youths optional
44 held skills the au pair role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role arrange special events skill
  • not needed by the target role assist clients with special needs skill
  • not needed by the target role clean glass surfaces skill
  • not needed by the target role clean household linens skill
  • not needed by the target role cleaning techniques knowledge
  • not needed by the target role collect mail skill
  • not needed by the target role control minor maintenance skill
  • not needed by the target role control of expenses skill
  • not needed by the target role dietary regimes knowledge
  • not needed by the target role disseminate messages to people skill
  • not needed by the target role follow written instructions skill
  • not needed by the target role give instructions to staff skill
  • not needed by the target role greet guests skill
  • not needed by the target role handle linen in stock skill
  • not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
  • not needed by the target role lawn care knowledge
  • not needed by the target role maintain cleaning equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain gardening equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain inventory of cleaning supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain personal hygiene standards skill
  • not needed by the target role make the beds skill
  • not needed by the target role manage cleaning activities skill
  • not needed by the target role manage schedule of tasks skill
  • not needed by the target role manage staff skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor kitchen supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role order supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role organise wine cellar skill
  • not needed by the target role oversee maintenance work skill
  • not needed by the target role perform cleaning duties skill
  • not needed by the target role perform outdoor cleaning activities skill
  • not needed by the target role polish silverware skill
  • not needed by the target role provide dog walking services skill
  • not needed by the target role remove dust skill
  • not needed by the target role satisfy customers skill
  • not needed by the target role serve beverages skill
  • not needed by the target role serve food in table service skill
  • not needed by the target role store kitchen supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role supervise housekeeping operations skill
  • not needed by the target role teach housekeeping skills skill
  • not needed by the target role tend to elderly people skill

4 further entries not listed here

4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn workplace sanitation required
  • optional, not held baby care optional
  • optional, not held disability care optional
  • optional, not held common children's diseases optional
Index

Other moves recorded from domestic housekeeper

Full index of moves from domestic housekeeper

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a domestic housekeeper become an au pair?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A domestic housekeeper already covers 43% of what an au pair is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 6 of which the au pair role treats as required.

What skills does a domestic housekeeper need to become an au pair?

7 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is prepare sandwiches.

How hard is the move from domestic housekeeper to au pair?

Its learning distance is 55.2 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.