Au pairs And Nannies Information Resource

Motives For Working With Children

Stephen Braham — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:32:54 +0000

For a lot of Au pairs opting to do a childcare job is an easy way to get into the world of work and a way of getting a better standard of living in an Au pairs early years of working. In many Au pair jobs you are given your own room which may have a TV, use of a car and a very good chance of being invited of holiday with the family. The advantages of this kind of work is that you do not need to worry about organising or paying for transport to work, finding accommodation. For a lot of Au pairs the chance to learn another language is worth a lot for later years of their career and experiencing another culture is very educational, this kind of work simple lets the au pair see the world where otherwise it would probably not possible. (more…)

A Different Culture

Stephen Braham — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:20:26 +0000

One first thing your notice is the cultural differences in the first few weeks this is normal whenever anyone changes their lifestyle and encounters unfamiliar attitudes, customs and even foods. The family can help you through this and make allowances for your culture shock, but I’m afraid its up too you to adapt. If the culture differences are way to hard to cope with then it is better to tell the family than to let it carry on, you should not expect your new employers to be mind readers because they may not be able to pick up that something is wrong. They will probably to glad that you are being straight with them and maybe whatever is wrong can be dealt with maybe not immediately but certainly in the future. (more…)

Winning The Children Over

Stephen Braham — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:25:16 +0000

When you start the children might have difficulty adjusting to you, its will take a bit of work by you to earn their trust and co-operation and the first few weeks are vital as this will set the tone for the duration of your stay. Therefore you want to try your best to get off to a good start. One of the best things you can do is be flexible and try to adapt as well as possible to establish a new routine. The children will feel more secure if you establish a good routine with them as this breeds familiarity with them and builds up daily patterns with them. (more…)

Learning Another Language

Stephen Braham — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:46:27 +0000

It might take a while for you to feel comfortable with your new language especially if you are a beginner this might make it difficult to meet local people and you will probably at the beginning have some communication problems initally but this will improve very quickly. Many Au pairs report that when they are forced to survive they learning is much quicker when you constantly have the same language around you and you could find yourself learning more in 1 month than you previously did in 1 year studying at school. (more…)

Learning A Language

Stephen Braham — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:36:18 +0000

Before you set off it is invaluable that you have some basic knowledge of the language you will need in the country you are going to and it is worth improving this before leaving home. Their are many ways to do this, evening classes, intensive courses offered by private companies, even consider buying a self-study book with tape to get you started or an online course this will give you a start and will make all the difference when you start your job. (more…)

Health And Insurance For Au Pairs/Nannies

Stephen Braham — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:41:33 +0000

Most families will pay for you the cost of your health insurance and it is very important that you find this out before you start the Au pair job. In come countries it is compulsory for them to provide this so check the information for the country you are destined to. If you are a national of the European Ecomonic Area country and will be working in another European country you will be covered by the European Social Security, and in 2005 the Europe-wide European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) was introduced and replaced the European health cover E111 as as the E128 for students and people working in other European countries now in 2008 its an Electronic card that covers you for long periods of stay. (more…)

Where Did Au Pair Come From?

Stephen Braham — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:42:46 +0000

The first recorded use of the word Au pair, which in its literal meaning is ‘on equal terms’ was in France in 1987 in a Girls Diary. The Diary refers to English Girls teaching their language in France in exchange for French lessons. This soon evolved into a situation where caring for the children become the sole duty of the Au pair instead of the teaching of Language. The main purpose for hiring an Au pair should be to help the Au pair learn a different culture and language while helping you with child care and the should be treated as a family member. (more…)

Creating A Social Life

Stephen Braham — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:14:59 +0000

Your in a different country and you are going to have to find new friends to have a social life with, this is very important to have a social life outside the family to make your stay more enjoyable. Their is no substitute for a friend to be their for you when you need it and their should be plenty of ways to find people to socialise with. (more…)

Initial Issues You May Have

Stephen Braham — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:19:12 +0000

Breaking The Ice
If you feel a bit shy and awkward when meeting the family and it seems they are the same then to overcome your own shyness try to concentrate on the children and this may make you feel more relaxed and will help the family aswell. Language will be a big factor but no one will be expecting you to be making a lot of conversation if you know little of the native language, but try your best to make a little conversation this will most definitely get better as time go by and you attend a language school and mix with the local people and make friends. (more…)

When You Get An Au pair/Nanny Job

Stephen Braham — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 13:58:06 +0000

So you got an Au pair/Nanny Job and now its time for preparation during this time you need organise your things for moving to another country.

Nannies
You should be provided at this point with a written contract or some kind of written agreement either by an agency or independently and should written within 8 weeks of the employment. (more…)