Hosting an au pair: Important tips
Sometimes, a family will match with their perfect au pair from Aupare Care, welcome her into their home, and then be disappointed with aspects of the match. Why? Because she doesn’t automatically remind the children to make their bed in the morning. Or bring in the bikes after play. Instead of pointing the finger at the au pair for being lazy, lacking initiative or drive, a host family may want to ask themselves if they have given the au pair enough direction and resources. It’s important for host families to remember that au pairs, while experienced in caring for children, are not parents. This means that some of the nuances of caring for children and their belongings may not come automatically to an au pair. This should not be a ‘deal breaker’, but rather should serve as a reminder to host families to address these issues with the au pair.
Always remember that it is your responsibility to get right directions to your au pair. Though most of au pairs understand their duties but still you need to make sure by conveying them gently things which they are supposed to do and are not doing it. This way, you will be able to make au pair understand things and then he or she can easily work as per your directions.
Take some time before your au pair arrives to develop a list of some things that you would like your au pair to do that she might not think of herself. Every culture and person is different, so the more information you give your au pair, the less room there is for frustration and misunderstandings. It may also be helpful once she arrives to ask her which tasks she views as part of her job. The answers may be right on, or you may find that there are some things that need to be discussed to clear up confusion.
Some au pairs need more direction than others, so don’t be afraid to be too specific about your expectations. Never keep high expectations off them. It can’t be said too many times that setting clear and direct expectations from the beginning (read: interview process) is the best way to ensure that your match is successful. When issues like these comes up, I encourage host families to examine the expectation to make sure it is reasonable and if the expectation was clear to the au pair from Aupare Care.
Visit http://www.flickr.com/people/23341217@N07/?search=aupaircare to know helpful tips before hosting new au pair from Aupare Care.
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