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Au Pair, yes or no

BECOMING AN AU PAIR, YES OR NO?

Becoming an au pair, yes or no? If you are wondering if you should become an au pair, here you can find all the information you need to make up your mind.

Read more about the topic “to become an au pair; yes or no?”

The decision: becoming an au pair – yes or no?

Should I become an au pair, yes or no? Many young people ask themselves this question if they are not sure if they should dare to go abroad as an au pair.

And it is definitely not an easy decision, since it is a big commitment to decide to stay as an au pair with a host family in a foreign country.

Becoming an au pair; yes or no?

This question requires that you think about topics like “ children ” and “childcare”. If you don’t really know what to do with children or if it is hard for you to take care of them, then it is surely not a good idea for you to go abroad as an au pair. If you are not sure if you could handle the tasks of an au pair you could try “ playing au pair ” in your hometown to find out. Offer a family that you know or your neighbors to take care of their children for free, for several hours on a weekend or maybe also at night. Ideally, the parents leave you alone with the children so you can fully focus on the situation, just like a real au pair. This will help you to find out fast if you would actually like to  work as a long term au pair.

Becoming an au pair; yes or no?

Many young people ask themselves this because they are afraid of possibly having bad experiences during their au pair stay. And it is true, it is possible to have bad experiences as an au pair. To be fair though, it is also true that being unhappy in a host family also depends on the au pair.

If you stick to some general rules while looking for an au pair family online or when you hire an au pair agency, and if you ask the right questions from the beginning, you can greatly reduce the risk of having a bad experience as an au pair.

To be an au pair; yes or no?

This is not an easy question to answer. Keep in mind that an au pair stay is not a vacation, so make sure you have the right expectations. An  au pair job  can be exciting and a lot of fun, but at the same time it is also exhausting.

To be an au pair; yes or no?

If you are trying to figure this out, it can be helpful to consider the following:
  • Do you like children? Do you like to spend time with them, help them and watch them grow up?
  • Are you able to take care of children and give them something fun to do for several consecutive hours?
  • Can you deal with the responsibility of having to take care of the children and the household?
  • Are you flexible enough to adapt to living with an unknown family?
  • Could you handle it if the children didn’t love you from the very beginning, or if they were stubborn just to test you?
  • Are you open-minded and tolerant enough?
  • Can you accept criticism and discuss problems objectively?
  • Are you reliable enough to become an au pair?

Becoming an au pair; yes or no?

When you are trying to answer this question, you shouldn’t forget the positive aspects of an au pair stay, since there are obviously also many advantages. For example, you’ll have the opportunity to learn a new language in a foreign country and experience its culture at the same time.

Also, you’ll speak and practice the language in your daily life with your host family. If you are asking yourself “Should I become an au pair, yes or no?” you should also consider your personal development; you will grow a lot as a person, which is also a great advantage to being an au pair.

In your free time, you can travel and get to know the country without spending a lot of money. You will also gain valuable experience in childcare and managing a household. If you are going to work in a field that involves educational or social skills, or knowledge of domestic economy, your au pair time can count as an internship. Also, if you have to wait before going to college or until your new job starts, going abroad as an au pair is a good option for this time. The cultural knowledge that you will get from participating in an au pair program can be of great advantage for your professional future.