Selecting a Great Au Pair
Once you’ve decided on bringing an au pair into your home, you should actively be thinking about the qualities you would like to have in an au pair, and how that person will fit into your family.
Tips for Selecting Au Pairs:
- Consider your family’s lifestyle and schedule. For example, you may want an au pair that enjoys outdoor sports as much as your family. Be sure you mention this on your agency application. Au Pair USA uses this information to match you with qualified candidates.
- Ask questions. Once you start selecting au pair candidates, ask as many questions as possible. Au Pair USA provides a helpful list of interview questions in their Handbook for Host Families and Au Pairs. They strongly recommend that you speak with each au pair candidate at least twice via telephone. Spend some time speaking with them to get to know their personalities, and do not rely solely on email communication.
- Exchange photos, stories and expectations. A great way to test compatibility is to talk about your family; what you like to do, how you spend your family holidays, your children’s hobbies, your work responsibilities, etc. This could spark questions that neither the host family nor the au pair would normally think to ask. It’s always a good idea to discuss what you expect, and ask the au pair what they expect from you.
- Tell the au pair about your community. Au pairs are spending a year far from home, so they’re eager to find a family that they are comfortable with, and a community that offers some fun options for spending time with (and without) the kids.
- Ask your Au Pair USA Local Coordinator for Assistance. Au Pair USA’s local coordinators often assist families with the selection process, and also give you advice on how to prepare for your au pair’s arrival. Local coordinators are dedicated to helping families build relationships with their au pairs, and to help ease the au pair’s transition to an unfamiliar culture.
