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Useful Tips & Hints
- Try to think before you come to Britain, what it is you want out of the experience.
- A little simple research before you come will help you choose the right location. If you are a city-lover for instance, no matter how good the family offer, village life may not be the best place for you. There are many good Internet sites that will tell you about area you may be considering.
- When first speaking to your potential host family, be as honest as possible. Trying to cover anything up in order to gain a position usually just leads to later problems (e.g. how well you speak English, whether you drive, how long you wish to stay).
- When you speak to your host family, have prepared a few questions for them. The clearer both parties can be, right from the start, as to what is expected from the relationship, the better.
- Make sure you provide the host family with a clear schedule as to your exact travel arrangements - when and where you are arriving and establish who is picking you up.
- It is likely that you will be feeling a little homesick for the first few days. This is normal and families will be advised to be as sensitive to this as possible. But try to remember that it will be strange for the family too, having a foreign guest in the house, possibly for the first time and sharing their family time with a stranger. It is therefore important for both parties to respect each other's feelings, particularly in the first week.
- Attitude is everything in an Au Pair. Most duties can be 'learned' but it's your approach to it that really matters. The overwhelming reason why families invite Au Pairs into their home is to make a difference to their hectic lives. They are looking for someone to lighten the burden, provide a little respite and to have fun with the children. The last thing tired parents want is another (albeit older) child to look after. The ideal is a willing, helpful person who is happy to 'muck in' where needed and who performs tasks without being asked more than once.
- Just as the host family has changed and prepared their home to provide you with your own room (and often facilities), to allow you privacy and your own space to retire to, a great tip is, in turn, to allow the family some space of their own during leisure time. Although you will be living and treated as part of the family, it can help to be sensitive to when the parents may need a little time on their own. Most families are willing to help find out where other Au Pairs may be working in the area to help you create a social life of your own.
- Arrive with some gifts from your country for your host family and their children. Bring some photos of where you live, your family and friends to show your family.
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what is an au pair