Located North of Germany, Denmark is the southernmost Nordic country of Europe. Denmark is also referred to as a Scandinavian country, together with Sweden and Norway. The Kingdom of Denmark includes the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Danes are typically punctual and very open people, who take pride in being leaders in social equality. You can expect your Danish au pair to have an open and direct communication with you.

Family is a big part of one’s life in Denmark, and your Danish au pair is likely to have 2 or 3 siblings. The importance of family translates in many forms: in company policies (allowing free time and arranging for parents to care for their children), but also in the way they go about their free time, which is often spent at home with friend or family. Indeed Hygge is an important part of the Danish culture. It is often translated as coziness. Achieving hygge generally involves being with friends and family, and eating and drinking. Often you just meet to have a hyggelig time. Although most of Europe lives for soccer, the Danes have Handall. It is their national sport and is played from early childhood by girls as much as boys until late into the adulthood. Many families become fans and go watch games of local teams on weekends.

From birth until the age of 3 children are in day care – then moving to Kindergarten from the age of 4 to 6, and then from 6 starting the elementary school. Most kids will be involved in extracurricular activities at local clubs or organizations. Danish Au Pairs mostly gain their child care experience through watching their own siblings, interacting with children in a sports club, training them or volunteering in child care related organizations.

Danes will typically move out of their parents’ house once graduating from high school to pursue post-secondary education. It will be common to seek proximity to their families after getting their college degree. Many adults are still members of several clubs and volunteer organizations such as sport clubs or community associations.

Getting places by bike (regardless of the weather!) is the most popular way of transportation. Public transportation is also well developed and a popular means of transportation (school busses or regional trains between cities). A driver’s license can be obtained at 18 years old, and the majority of young people will obtain it around that age, although they may not be driving too frequently. It is always recommended that you discuss your driving needs with your au pair.

Typically, your Danish au pair will be very proficient in English, thanks to their education through elementary school and higher, but also because most of the content in the media is not translated so people get a lot of exposure to the English language.