EurAuPair

As an au pair, it’s a good idea to find a comfortable routine when living with your host family. Doing so will streamline your daily activities and make it easier for you to handle your responsibilities. Au pairs play a big part in their family’s experience and so the first step to figuring out the perfect routine is finding out what works best with the family.

Do the children get up earlier and go to sleep later? If so, it’s best to create a routine around their sleeping schedule to prepare their meals around that time. Is there something that the children like to eat in particular? Find out what their favorite meal is (while also making sure there are healthy additions of fruits and vegetables) and make that a part of their regular meal plan. Of course, the occasional surprise meal is always encouraged to broaden their horizons. So make it a point once a week to veer from the daily routine and try something new! Note: Make sure to avoid any foods they may be allergic to and to confirm with their parents beforehand.

After cleaning up for dinner or before going to bed, it’s a good idea to prepare breakfast for the little ones. This way you can save time in the morning and focus on getting them dressed and prepared for school or a family outing. Also make sure to pack their lunches the night before in case you are in a rush.

With that in mind, if you are responsible for making sure the children make it to school on time, be prepared to be there 10 minutes earlier in case they are let out of class early. Use this same rule if you are also responsible for bringing them to any extracurricular activities and picking them up.

The au pair experience is an unforgettable one and making sure you have a daily routine will make things run seamlessly so that you can enjoy the company of your family. Having a routine will also enable you to plan your free time more easily and is a great way to help you schedule any independent excursions in your new city. There are countless possibilities and opportunities for au pairs to experience and your stay abroad should be as enjoyable as possible. So make sure to find a routine that fits right in step with both your family and you.

Alice, one of our former au pairs from France shares her experience:

“The best year of my life. My au pair year in Orange County, California has been a real dream!

Leaving my host family, my friends, the kids… was basically one of the hardiest things I’ve ever done. But after several depressing months, I’ve built a new life in Paris…

I’m writing this message from Lake Forest, California. I’m visiting my host family for the 3rd time since I’ve left and it still feels home. Every time they welcome me as a family member, the kids are growing up but we still got this special connection and I’m still deeply in love with California.

The au pair adventure doesn’t end with the au pair year. I’ve got a second family for life and I’m decided to see those lovely kids growing up!

So 1 year as an au pair but already 3 years of a new life!”

“I believe in what the EurAupair program has to offer, both for families and for the au pairs. I used to be an au pair and even though, I know the challenges of living with a new family for a year far away from my own family, and adopting the language and the culture, my au pair year was still one of the best years of my life filled with excitement. So, knowing what this really means to be an au pair, I would like to help the EurAuPair organization by guiding the au pairs and the families to make their time together a successful and joyful year.” Loretta, EurAupair Community Counselor in Colorado

“Some of the strengths of the program are that host families can choose from/access the whole list of au pairs and Community Counselors have small groups of au pairs to look after.” Kerstin, Community Counselor in Washington

“I really love the size of EurAupair and the ability to get to know the au pairs and host families really well because of that intimate size.  And I love that whenever I call the regional office, whether as a host mom or as a Community Counselor, my name is known and the regional director answers her own phone and has time to chat with me.  I feel a real part of the community.” Kelley, Community Counselor in Virginia

“The support that the au pairs and host families have through their Community Counselors and Area Coordinators is one of the main strengths of EurAupair. I also feel the program is quite organized with all the steps we need to take once an au pair arrives (and before).  It also sounds like the training in New York is more thorough. They are coming to us (Community Counselors) a lot more informed of their responsibilities.  Overall, I love this program! If I had small children and needed child care I would definitely go through EurAuPair. I love the support we have for our host families and au pairs.” Debra, Community Counselor in Minnesota

“Our program strictly adheres to the Department Of State rules which I think is commendable.  I have been lucky enough to work with some of the people in the office in California.  The staff is really nice to work with.” Heidi, Community Counselor in New York

A few years ago, a rewarding new work opportunity came across my desk:  an invitation to help build a new foundation focused on helping kids thrive in life through sports.  It was perfect for me in every way, except one:  it meant a big reduction in our family income.  My husband Jon and I sat down with our spreadsheets and carefully examined our expenses to see if we could find a way to live on less.  After our mortgage, childcare was our biggest budget line item.  Because of my son Keenan’s behavioral disabilities, down-the-street daycare was not an option for us, and for years we had employed a highly skilled in-home nanny.  As much as we loved her, I couldn’t take this new career step unless we found a more affordable childcare solution.

“I think it’s time to try an au pair,” Jon suggested.  He had used them for childcare for his two girls before he met me, with great success.  “Keenan is maturing to the point that I think we could get by with someone with grit and common sense for about half our current cost.”

“I’m not sure this house can handle another person living in it,” I objected.  “We’re packed in tight.”

Jon thought for a moment.  “We could have the little girls share a room, which would free up some space.  They’d love to sleep in bunk beds.  Besides, if we found a German au pair, she could expose the kids to a new culture and traditions, and the two of you could speak German when you don’t want the kids to eavesdrop on your conversation.”

“How will we find someone who can handle Keenan and be a good fit for our family by interviewing them across the world?” I asked.  “It seems like such a long shot, and once they’re here we’re stuck with them.”

“You can actually get a replacement if it doesn’t work, and the au pair organization helps you find a new one.  Skype works great for interviews; let’s just do a few and check it out.”

“But what if we end up with some liberal European who thinks it’s okay to run around in her underwear?”

“Then we’ll pay her extra,” Jon joked.

We contacted the EurAupair organization, and the process started with an in-home interview.  Just as we were evaluating the program, they were also evaluating us to make sure we could provide a comfortable home for an au pair.  They were a US Department of State designated nonprofit intercultural exchange program, and were extremely organized:  they held a family orientation meeting, explained the process for interviewing au pairs from a variety of countries, and provided us with a list of interview questions and a comprehensive handbook to make sure we knew exactly what we were getting into.

Using Skype, we had great conversations with five young women, and lucked out by finding a fit with the sixth.  Nico turned out to be everything we needed:  an adventurous, determined 21-year-old German woman who was willing to embrace our chaos with open arms.  And lucky for us, she could actually yell louder than my son Keenan.

Nico ended up being a huge budget relief at over half the cost of our previous nanny.  We essentially monetized our extra bedroom and a share of the bulk meals in exchange for high-quality, personal childcare in our home.  But she was so much more than childcare; she was another member of our family.  She came along with us on hikes, camping trips, and dinners out.  She joined us on our trip to the east coast, and helped with childcare which allowed Jon and I to play some golf, tennis, and have a few nights on the town.  Nico fit in beautifully with our family, especially with the kids.

The one small trade-off in reduced childcare costs was the challenge of helping someone from another culture navigate America.  These were Nico’s opening lines on a few panicked phone calls I received in the first few months:

“Hi, Kim?  It’s Nico.  We got to the park okay, but I can’t find the way back home.  We’ve been driving around for awhile now, and I’m really not sure where I am; and the road signs are not making sense.  Can you give me directions home?” 

“Hi, Kim?  It’s Nico.  I’m downtown by the Science Center with the kids, and we can’t find our car.  We parked in a garage, but we’ve been looking for the car for almost an hour and we can’t find it.  What should I do?” 

“Hi, Kim?  It’s Nico.  I’m out bike riding, and I think I took a wrong turn and now I can’t find where I am on the map.  It’s getting dark.  Can someone come get me?” 

“Hi, Kim?  It’s Nico.  I’m up in Vancouver, and I just drove over a parking embankment.  The car is not looking so good.  What should I do?” 

Luckily, despite these small foibles, Nico was very responsible, respectful, neat, and clean, and the kids loved her.  She got them playing outside every day and orchestrated amazing art projects.  She was afraid of cooking anything other than hard boiled eggs, but that meant the kitchen was spotless each day when I finished work.  And she even started preparing the kids for Mother’s Day a week in advance (Jon starts the morning of, if I’m lucky).

Nico was a great sport at putting up with our family foibles, too.   Early one morning, my daughter Olivia climbed into bed with us after some nightmares and left our bedroom door open.  Jon got out of bed in his underwear and stumbled sleepily toward the door to close it.  Sure enough, Nico was just getting up and coming down the hallway.  There was a very awkward moment when Jon succeeded in presenting a memorable image of her host father that was something like Tom Cruise’s dance scene in Risky Business.  I heard a mumbled “sorry,” and the door closed quickly.  Oi!  All we needed was for Nico to start having nightmares too…

Luckily, my husband is a master at smoothing over awkward moments.  “Olivia,” he said to my daughter the next morning as Nico walked into the kitchen, “If you want to make sure that Nico stays, you need to close the door to our room when dad’s not dressed yet.”

He turned to Nico.  “Good morning.  How was your sleep, other than your early morning nightmare?”  Nico laughed, and all was right with the world.

The best part of our au pair experience has been the wonderful cultural exchange we’ve enjoyed.  Nico teaches our children German traditions and German words, shares pictures and stories of her homeland, and even treated us to an authentic home-cooked German meal (courtesy of a friend visiting from Germany).

And as I’m off to work each morning running a foundation dedicated to helping kids thrive in life through sports, I know my own children are receiving wonderful care and a great cultural experience, all in the comfort of our own home.

German Au Pair with Family

The au pairs were divided in 6 teams of 3 and battled hot weather (94 degrees) plus road construction on their 15 point walking scavenger hunt.

Community Counselor Vicki had created an interesting hunt. The au pairs had fun finding the places and learned some things about our wonderful city at the same time.

Scavenger hunt winners left to right: Mareike and Janine from Germany and Bianca (Janine’s friend)

Scavenger hunt group in Chicago

“Our expanded group of aupairs from Raleigh,Cary, Fayetteville, Southern pines, and as far north as Greensboro, NC all got together for one big meeting and one fun trip down the Neuse river. We left the fast paced world behind and took a leisurely 3-mile float through the tree-lined banks of this peaceful river enjoying the scenic beauty of the Raleigh Canoe Trail. As we floated down the river, we saw turtles, waterfowl, shorebirds, and deer while peacefully paddling under the canopy of beautiful pines and hardwoods. The trip lasted approximately 1.5 hours. It was a beautiful warm spring day in the south!”
From our Community Counselor, Jean Street

Au Pair Marta from Spain

Community Counselors, Jean Street and Mesa Somer

The need for in home child care has increased dramatically in many developed countries within the last century. As it is more common that both parents work outside of the home; and work hours beyond what traditional school or child care accounts for, a more intimate form of child care is being sought.

Au pairs hold a role similar to the traditional “nanny”. They are in many ways more appealing than a babysitter or child care facility. The greatest difference between a traditional nanny and an au pair is that an au pair is a foreign national visiting the host country. Au pairs are thus traditionally younger than nannies and although not professional child care providers, they do have some child care experience. Au pair programs require some educational inclusion, usually in terms of language or culture classes.

There are many reasons to choose an au pair, but several make them significantly stand out from other in home child care options.

Au Pairs Become Like Family:

Au pairs classically become more meaningful to a family than just a domestic worker or occasional babysitter. An au pair is a live-in child care provider. She is offered a private room in the home and is provided with food and equal access to basic utilities. She will usually share meals with the family, and will join the family for most activities. She may wish to share her private time in the evenings with the family. Children usually form a secure bond of trust and safety with their au pair. The au pair will also have a level of connection and understanding of the children that other positions may lack as they become a true member of the family. Having this positive and respectful relationship is also an excellent model for young children. Au pairs traditionally stay with a host family for a year, although they can now legally extend for an additional twelve months.

Au Pairs Bring a Fresh Cultural Experience to Families and Children:

Much like having a foreign exchange student, an au pair will bring with them their language, culture, and interests. They will be able to positively share these interests and perspectives with children. Having an au pair care for preschool or school-aged children commonly increases the child’s tolerance, cultural awareness, empathy, and openness. An au pair may also share their language with the child, creating a bilingual experience that can be very enriching for young children.

Au Pairs Provide Direct Support:

There are limits established to what are expected of au pairs, and limits to the number of hours per week they provide child care. However, since they are integrated into the family, they are much more available and flexible as providers than other child care positions may be. They can care for the children at basically any time necessary including late in the evenings, at night, or early in the mornings when other child care options may not be possible.

The need for in home child care has increased dramatically in many developed countries within the last century. As it is more common that both parents work outside of the home; and work hours beyond what traditional school or child care accounts for, a more intimate form of child care is being sought.

Au pairs hold a role similar to the traditional “nanny”. They are in many ways more appealing than a babysitter or child care facility. The greatest difference between a traditional nanny and an au pair is that an au pair is a foreign national visiting the host country. Au pairs are thus traditionally younger than nannies and although not professional child care providers, they do have some child care experience. Au pair programs require some educational inclusion, usually in terms of language or culture classes.

There are many reasons to choose an au pair, but several make them significantly stand out from other in home child care options.

Au Pairs Become Like Family:

Au pairs classically become more meaningful to a family than just a domestic worker or occasional babysitter. An au pair is a live-in child care provider. She is offered a private room in the home and is provided with food and equal access to basic utilities. She will usually share meals with the family, and will join the family for most activities. She may wish to share her private time in the evenings with the family. Children usually form a secure bond of trust and safety with their au pair. The au pair will also have a level of connection and understanding of the children that other positions may lack as they become a true member of the family. Having this positive and respectful relationship is also an excellent model for young children. Au pairs traditionally stay with a host family for a year, although they can now legally extend for an additional twelve months.

Au Pairs Bring a Fresh Cultural Experience to Families and Children:

Much like having a foreign exchange student, an au pair will bring with them their language, culture, and interests. They will be able to positively share these interests and perspectives with children. Having an au pair care for preschool or school-aged children commonly increases the child’s tolerance, cultural awareness, empathy, and openness. An au pair may also share their language with the child, creating a bilingual experience that can be very enriching for young children.

Au Pairs Provide Direct Support:

There are limits established to what are expected of au pairs, and limits to the number of hours per week they provide child care. However, since they are integrated into the family, they are much more available and flexible as providers than other child care positions may be. They can care for the children at basically any time necessary including late in the evenings, at night, or early in the mornings when other child care options may not be possible.