What is expected of you as an Au Pair? Commitment“Au Pairing” entails a great amount of responsibility. Remember that your host family will entrust you with the people most precious to them – THEIR CHILDREN! Many families invite an Au Pair to stay with them so that both parents can go to work. They are counting on you! Before you decide to become an Au Pair, ask yourself if you are ready to commit yourself to living away from home for a year and spending a lot of time with children. If you are unsure about your readiness for these responsibilities, it is best that you wait a few months before making your decision, and in the meantime gain more childcare experience, driving experience, etc.
PerseveranceAs with many things in life, there will be times during your Au Pair stay when you will be unsatisfied. Perhaps you will be homesick or find that living with your host family is different to what you thought it would be. It is important that you “stick it out”. Usually such times will pass. If you do encounter problems, try to solve them instead of just giving up and returning home. Get help if necessary by speaking to your host family or contacting your Community Counselor.
MaturityIn the beginning you may be unsure of your place in the host family. Since you will be living with your host family, determining when you are on and off duty may not be as easy as distinguishing between black and white (e.g. you are spending your free afternoon at home and the children ask you to play a game of cards with them). It is important that you deal with this “grey area” maturely. Discuss this with your host parents, make certain you understand what they expect from you and tell them what your expectations are. As an Au Pair, you should be treated as a member of the family and act like one too.
FlexibilityYour host family will provide you with a daily schedule of your duties and time off. From time to time however, they may need to make changes to this schedule (e.g. ask you to look after the children in the morning rather than the afternoon) or ask you to baby-sit at short notice. You should be flexible enough to handle these changes.
Initiative - Your host family expects you to play an active role when performing your duties
- Invent and play games with the children rather than just watching TV with them
- Help out around the house without being asked to do so
- In your time off it is also vital that you take the initiative in meeting new friends
- You should familiarize yourself with your area and interesting things to do and places to visit, e.g. the local mall, library, and so forth
- Also help yourself in finding out about what courses to study – don’t always wait for your counselor or host family to assist you
Most important - open mindedness and a sense of humour!
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