Experience with au pairs?

[Anonymous]

Not sure what forum this should go in... my daughter, a current college freshman, is considering being an au pair in Europe next summer. I was wondering if any of you have any advice for her, warnings, encouragement, etc. - whether you've had au pairs of your own or had a daughter/son who has worked as one.

She speaks basic French but is not fluent, and is considering France, Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Switzerland. TIA!

[Anonymous]

i think you'll get better responses if you post in the Nanny Forum, which includes an Au Pair section.

[Anonymous]

Au pairs are treated worse in Europe than they are in this country.

[Anonymous]

I worked as an au pair here when I was 18/19. I came from England. I had a horrible family first but switched to an awesome family in DC. Make sure when she gets matched she asks what her hours will be ahead of time, are they near public transportation or will she have use of a car. If she had a car are there any restrictions, How many other au pairs with her agency live in the area, what would a normal day look like when working, had the family had au pairs before?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I worked as an au pair here when I was 18/19. I came from England. I had a horrible family first but switched to an awesome family in DC. Make sure when she gets matched she asks what her hours will be ahead of time, are they near public transportation or will she have use of a car. If she had a car are there any restrictions, How many other au pairs with her agency live in the area, what would a normal day look like when working, had the family had au pairs before?

OP here - thanks for this! Question: when you switched families, was it awkward? How did you even begin to tell them you were leaving and initiate the process? Also, may I ask what agency you used?

[Anonymous]

OP again. I'm a little confused about the process for an American au pair. I see a lot of agencies that represent international au pairs and bring them here to the States to stay with American host families. But where are the agencies that represent American au pairs wanting to go abroad?

[Anonymous]

My best friend au paired in Switzerland in 2013. She called me crying everyday for the first 3 weeks and then it got better. There was a steep learning curve foe her culturally with lack of emotions, stoic facial expressions, flat tone, etc. It took her a long time to understand all Swiss were like that and that her host family didn't actually hate her. Overall she was happy for the experience but did not renew after th year was up. On the bright side, she met her husband while she was taking a side trip and now has two babies with dual citizenship.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone used AuPair World as either an au pair or a host family? https://www.aupairworld.com/de

[Anonymous]

Is there a reason she wants to do this? If it’s for the travel.. She’s probably better off spending the summer touring Europe on her/your savings rather than being an au pair.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know if any agencies that place Americans with European families. I know two American young women who took Au pair positions in Europe (France and Italy) informally (ie they linked up to the families through social media) and both women had bad experiences.

If an agency exists, she should definitely use it. Doing it informally opens the door for some sketchy / abusive situations with no recourse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know if any agencies that place Americans with European families. I know two American young women who took Au pair positions in Europe (France and Italy) informally (ie they linked up to the families through social media) and both women had bad experiences.

If an agency exists, she should definitely use it. Doing it informally opens the door for some sketchy / abusive situations with no recourse.

OP here. Thanks for this - that's what we concluded and she is now going through an agency.

[Anonymous]

I also don’t think people do au pairs just for a summer. But growing up in the American Expat community in Europe, families who wanted a sitter for the summer typically went through their church (in my case Episcopalian/Anglican) and basically did an exchange.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also don’t think people do au pairs just for a summer. But growing up in the American Expat community in Europe, families who wanted a sitter for the summer typically went through their church (in my case Episcopalian/Anglican) and basically did an exchange.

We've already found quite a few who would like an au pair through the summer only. She's planning on May - July.

[Anonymous]

Avoid Cultural Care. Horrible agency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there a reason she wants to do this? If it’s for the travel.. She’s probably better off spending the summer touring Europe on her/your savings rather than being an au pair.

If she wants to travel she should nanny for a rich American family. They will want her along on all their vacations. I knew a girl from high school who basically got to travel the world while caring for some well-behaved children since the family went on trips constantly.