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Connect Abroad Corporation

Au Pair in Europe (Germany, France, Spain, Netherlands), USA , China

Au Pair: information about the program

Au Pair is a popular cultural exchange program among young people in Ukraine. The au pair program means staying with a host family in another country, looking after children and doing light household duties. Living in a host family and working with children will help you better understand the traditions, culture and mentality of the guest family + opportunity to learn or improve a foreign language or even 1 more foreign language.

Au Pair - a cultural exchange program

Some people translate by mistake the word nanny as Au pair. In fact, the meaning of au pair is equality. This means that you will not play the role of Cinderella. Accordingly, you are going to a foreign country not only to help a family with children or household chores, but also to gain experience, get to know better the country, nation and improve your knowledge of a foreign language.

Attractiveness of the program. Think about this: the price of a two-week language course with accommodation abroad is over 1,000 euros. The cost of the Au pair program is 2-3 times less, and the time spent in the country of native speakers is up to a year. At the same time, you will be paid pocket money. Accordingly, this practice of the language is more effective, which is confirmed by numerous au pair reviews.

List of popular countries to be Au Pair

Host countries differ in their social standard of living, traditions and mentality. Each country has its own laws and regulations.
For those who wish to study German, a program in Germany or Austria will be a good choice. It is also possible to become an Au pair for guys in these countries. Male au pair should be ready to look after children and cope with simple chores around the house. Germany is a comfortable starting point for travelers. Germans are polite people who love subordination and take an interest in foreigners.

You have intermediate English or above there is a road to be au pair in USA. A distinctive feature of the au pair program in America is the validity of the contract for up to 2 years. A prerequisite for participation in the US AuPair program is a driver's license and driving experience.
With English, you can also travel to the Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland) and the Netherlands, where English is the second national language.

In Spain, families are taken from upper-intermediate and above, as it is important for Spanish families that children speak English as much as possible. Basic Spanish will be a plus. China is also focused on learning or mastering English. Logically will be good if you know the basics of Chinese (but not necessarily) in this country in order to find it easier to navigate or communicate in the country.
Au pairs can be au pair in Switzerland with English, German or French, sometimes with 2 foreign languages. Swiss families choose more with knowledge of English.
If you want to learn how to speak French, consider France and most parts of Belgium.
Below is a map of all countries where it is possible to work as an au-pair.au pair countries list

What does the Au pair program give

The main advantage of the program is the study or improvement of a foreign language. The second advantage is free boarding and meals in the family. And for the duties au pair performs are paid with pocket money: personal needs, travel, outdoor activities with friends and unforgettable impressions.

As a result, one can learn to communicate with people of a different culture, raise children, run a household, and become a member of a host family. In Ukraine, you also live according to the family charter, right? Wash the dishes, take out the trash, water the flowers, etc. If you don't know how, it's okay, the family will teach you how to turn on the dishwasher correctly, sort waste into packaging and organic matter, or how to play frisbee. Housework and babysitting is paid in the form of pocket money, sufficient for personal expenses, travel with friends, or save until you return home.

Foreigners love to travel. Au pair is an inseparable part of the host family and there is a high probability of visiting interesting places and seeing other places or cities with your guest family.
Below is a table of pocket money in each country. By default, the amount is per month.

Denmark

3150 DKK

Switzerland

650-700 CHF‎

Belgium

450 EURO

USA*

198 USD/week

Netherlands

300-340 EURO

Australia*

120-150 AUD/week

China

750-2000 юаней

Norway

5900 NOK

Sweden

3500 SEK

France

320 EURO

Germany

280 EURO

Austria

386,80 EURO

Spain*

70-100 EURO/week

*pocket money weekly

Au Pair and language courses

Being a member of the host family, the program participant practices a spoken foreign language. We strongly recommend to attend language courses where you will improve your grammar and increase your vocabulary. The host family will tell you where the nearest language school is. True, not all courses are a prerequisite for participating in the program, but we recommend visiting a local language school. This will add variety to the routine, and will also allow you to regularly consult with the teacher on issues of interest.

Many are interested in: who pays for the language courses? Formally, the costs are borne by the program participant. However, if you have a good relationship with your parents in your host family, they can pay you the full cost of the courses, or at least part of it. This can happen if the family is happy with your work or you are just a charming person.

Do you have a driver's license? You can go to the best courses even in another city, if your family entrusts you with a car.

For whom is Au pair program

Before making a decision about participation in the program, it would be nice to clearly define for yourself what goals you are pursuing. Remember that this is not a job, and if you are looking to make a decent amount of money, then it might be useful for you to consider employment programs.

So, if your goal is to imbue the culture of another country, understand the way of thinking of its inhabitants and improve your knowledge of a foreign language, then this program is what you need. Welcome to the Au pair world community!

How to become an Au pair

After signing the contract with our company, you will be assigned a coordinator who will assist you in processing. The processing period is from 3 to 6 months. It is believed that a person makes decisions normally when he is given such a period of time to think. Under the best conditions, you find a family in three months and you can go abroad. A six month clearance period is considered normal.

The starting point for all future au pairs is Kiev. This is where you will be interviewed at the embassy. Even if the hometown of the future Au pair is Sumy, we will help remotely, so there is no need to worry.

Au pair requirements and eligibility criteria

It should be borne in mind that requirements differ for different countries. Nevertheless, some general points should be highlighted.

Remember that you will be chosen by your family, therefore, in addition to meeting the standard requirements, it would be nice to have a positive moral character. The most valuable qualities for candidates will be: love for children, responsibility, communication skills, tact and charm. Working with children also sometimes requires patience and good nerves.

Rights and obligations of the parties

What are Au pair's duties? Your primary responsibility will be childcare. This includes getting up early, waking them up, heating or preparing food, taking them to and from school. After classes, you will most likely have to organize leisure activities for the children, play games with them, if necessary.

In addition, you may need to help with thier homework. To keep home clear, wash or iron clothes, go grocery shopping, and do other simple chores.

Depending on your choice of host country, you will be entitled to clearly marked weekends and vacations.

Conflict situations

Many are worried about the question: what to do in case of conflict situations and misunderstandings? It should be noted that such situations can indeed occur in rare cases. In such cases, you can contact our partnet (incoming agency) in the host country. If the parents in the family do not want to discuss the problem and continue to violate the terms of the contract, then an alternative family is selected and proposed. Most often, such problems arise due to a mismatch of views or bad faith of the au pair. In the latter case, changing the family is unlikely to help solve the problem.

Au pair documents

You can get a list of required documents from the program coordinator. Please note that you may need to provide us your childcare experience, language proficiency or ability to drive.

Au pair program cost

The program price depends on the choice of the country. Also, it is important to take into account the additional costs that will be associated with moving to another country; in some countries, funds may be required for a temporary residence permit. And, as already described above, the cost of the program does not include payment for language courses.

You can check the full and current cost of the program at the head office of our company.

Insurance

When you travel under the au pair program, you also get insurance. It is issued mostly in the host country or in Ukraine. It can be unlimited or limited to 30 thousand euros or up to 50 thousand dollars. The insurance can be used at any time upon the occurrence of an insured event. First you need to call the insurance company or enter the insurance policy number on their website, and then write a statement about what happened. In turn, the insurance company will give an answer to which medical institution is worth contacting.

If the insurance is issued in the receiving country, then everything is much easier. If necessary, you can seek help from any medical institution.

It should be noted that the insurance does not cover the treatment of chronic diseases and appointments with the dentist or orthodontist.

In some countries, you will need to pay insurance monthly by yourself.

Why should you register with our company

Successful experience in organizing Au pair programs in Ukraine since 2010. This means that our employees are familiar with all rules and regulations of this program. We also have proven and reliable partners (signed contracts) in many countries abroad.

Also, our company has international accreditation from the International Au Pair Association and has permission to conduct similar programs from the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine. You can independently research the official website of Au pair - Ukraine, where 2 organizations are represented, one of which is our company.

Our central office is located in the center of Kyiv. But even if the current location of the future Au pair is Odessa, we will be able to provide the necessary support remotely.

You can also see the reviews of Au pairs who have gained experience in participating in these programs in the appropriate section.

Perhaps a job as an English teacher abroad is suitable for you.