subject: How to Better Welcome Your Au Pair Home [print this page] How to Better Welcome Your Au Pair Home How to Better Welcome Your Au Pair Home
Once you have been through the process of finding the Au Pair that will best fit your family's needs, it is time to start the arrangements to welcome your Au Pair in your home. Your Au Pair will be staying with your family and taking care of your kids, but to increase the effectiveness of the cultural exchange, your Au Pair should also be considered a part of the family.
Prepare your Children
Talk to your children about the coming Au Pair; tell them all the things the Au Pair will do with them and how they'll have a big bother or a big sister to play with when mom and dad are not home. Get them exited to know about the different games, songs and customs your Au Pair is bringing. goAUPAIR suggests start talking to the kids two to three weeks before the Au Pair arrives to your home, so they are ready, but are not gripped by the idea for too long.
Check the Department of State Regulations
The U.S. Department of State requires that Au Pairs have their own room and it is not shared with anyone else in the home. However, Au Pairs are allowed to share a bathroom with other members of the family. Your Au Pair room must have a door with a lock so she has some privacy in her free time.
Although Host Families should avoid going overboard with decorations, it is always nice to create an inviting atmosphere, with good lighting and ventilation. A nice way to make your Au Pair feel at home and part of the family is when possible, have them pick the type of pillows they prefer and even the bedding or the colors.
Be Aware of Cultural Shock
Au Pairs usually come from long flights and can seem a little tired and overwhelmed at first. Make sure you give your Au Pair some time to rest and recover from the first cultural chock and jet lag. Your Au Pair might be a little nervous at first and might not be able to express themselves fully in English in the first couple of days, so be patient and know that one of the main reasons Au Pairs come to the U.S. is to improve their English skills.
First Days Expectations
Once everything is in place and your Au Pair is accommodated in your home, it is time to get to know each other. This will obviously take place during the whole year, but at first it's a good idea to have your Au Pair talk about how she is feeling in addition to her and your expectations about the next year.
Agency Orientation
As part of the U.S. Department of State requirements, each Host Family is required to have a local representative within 60 minutes of their home. This local representative is responsible for an initial Host Family interview, maintaining regularly monthly contact and arranging Au Pair and Host Family day activities. When reviewing the local support of an agency, you will want to learn about the type of role your local representative plays in your matching processes and throughout the year.
At goAUPAIR, your Local Area Representatives will call your new Au Pair within the first 48 hours to introduce themselves and to see how things are going. Your Local Area Representative then speaks with you and schedules an orientation. The orientation is a meeting with your Local Area Representative, you and your Au Pair and is completed within two weeks from the time your Au Pair arrives.Your Local Area Representatives has an orientation form; this form goes over discipline methods, house rules and U.S. Department of State regulations among other subjects. You can expect this orientation to last about one hour. At the end of this orientation, your family, your Au Pair and your Local Area Representative will sign the orientation document and the form is then sent to the goAUPAIR corporate offices to be recorded.
Welcoming your Au Pair home is one of the most important steps in creating a friendly environment in your home. Even if things don't go as planned, just keep a good attitude and use common sense, your family and your Au Pair will have a full year to get to know each other, adjust to changes and enjoy all the benefits of Au Pair child care and culture exchange.
