I found this site earlier today and I'd like to get some outside perspective. I've looked it over and over and even talked with my mom about it, but I'd like to know if this looks legit, if there's some downfall, crappiness that I'm not seeing or if this looks like a decent opportunity.
Hm. It is interesting. I don't know much about au pairing, but having looked through different placement-type pages before, I came up with a few things.
There is the time commitment - it's not like you'd be a slave or something, but you're expected to stay for 10-12 months I think, which is a long time if it doesn't work out.
The quotes from past participants seem realistic - one says it wasn't all roses and such but was still okay. Maybe you can contact other past participants.
They say they screen families, and that's one of the reasons there is a fee (or why you should use them and not some free internet service). I'd want to know how they screen them/what for - and what they can put in writing - maximum hours, responsibilities, etc. - and also what avenue to take if these guidelines don't happen in reality.
It's not a gigantic investment of money (but could be of time and energy if it doesn't work out) and it doesn't strike me right off the bat as sketchy. BUT with a lot of things like this, you just don't know what it will be like until you go.
Make cay, not war - Kesmen
Posts: 1940 | Location: Washington, DC | Registered: 03 August 2005
Thanks. As scary as it would be to be away from home for that long, that's exactly why I'm doing this. I want to get away, out of this country, and explore a different culture and learn French. And after I'm done I'll probably have more appreciation for the comfort of the company of close family memebers, heh.
I think one thing that worries me is that the initial application needs to be submitted with a non-refundable $75. I'm a poor teenager so it either has to come out of my (nearly empty) pocket or I have to beg my mom, and if I do the latter I'll feel nothing but guilt at getting her to put $75 into an attempt at becoming an au pair.
What also worries me is that while I have babysitting experience, I'm deathly afraid that it won't be enough and that when I submit the more detailed application, I'll be rejected or something. $75 dollars down the tube!
How good is your French? Perhaps you could arrange your own au pair position (although Paris might be more difficult)---
you could make a post on www.voyageforum.com that you are looking for an au pair position, or I have seen some families post about au pair positions on www.assistantsinfrance.com (a program you may want to look into if you take French at university).
If you are still a teenager then I don't think anyone can expect you to have loads of experience... I wish I had known about au pairing when I was a 13-16 b/c I could of spent the summers I was already babysitting abroad!!
I'm relieved to hear that I won't be expected to have a LOT of it. I think what scared me was I looked at a site for Au Pair-ing in the US (which, actually, had a LOT of differences from au pairing in europe) and the requirements were a bit jarring. But from what I can see, it doesn't see that I'm required to have a certain amount of hours by the site I'm applying through.
But I swear I read somewhere on the site, I just can't find it, that letters of recommendation were possibly required, which just isn't feasible for me because while I've babysat, it was at LEAST over a year ago and it was more one-time things for a few people, you know? I can't very much call them and be like:
"Hey, remember when I babysat for you that one time when you had to do the thing? You don't? Well, I babysat for you one time when you had to do the thing and it went well, and I'm applying for this au pair position in France so can you write me a letter of recommendation saying how awesome I was with the whole keeping your kid alive thing? THANKS!"
Meh. I really do worry way too much for someone my age.
I au paired in USA for 2 years and went through an agency in South Africa that found me the family!
They do require you to have some kind of experience dealing with children, especially when looking after babies but just simple babysitting counts as experience!
If you go through an agency, the host family has to sign a contract agreeing to the max number of hours you work a week, your living conditions, your wage, free time etc.
As an au pair you agree to stay for the min time period, which for me was 1 year but if you are seriously unhappy it's the agencies responibilty to help you sort out the problems are relocate into a new family and if there is no solution you can return home.
I hope that helps and if you have any other questions please ask!
________________________________________________________________ "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" John Lennon
Posts: 687 | Location: Durbs, SA | Registered: 21 April 2006
Well, since I do have simple babysitting experience, that's a relief. But like I said, although I do believe I'm good with kids and have experience, said experience is sporadic at best, so I can't neccesarily provide, say, letters of recommendation from "previous employers" because I really only babysat for people once, and then moved on to someone else, because by the time my parents' friends needed me to babysit, their kids were old enough so that they didn't require babysitters as often, you know?
When you applied, were you required to prove your experience in any way?
When you applied, were you required to prove your experience in any way?
Yes. I was given forms that people who i babysat for had to fill out. I'll let you into a little secret tho... they do not check up on these references! I just asked the people i had worked for to add on a few extra hours!
________________________________________________________________ "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" John Lennon
Posts: 687 | Location: Durbs, SA | Registered: 21 April 2006
So basically it's just a formality and something that's just required to be put on paper? That sounds doable. I just feel kind of awkward having to approach the guy I babysat for once. We don't exactly run in the same circles anymore, so I'd literally have to approach him myself. Bleh, lol.
Question: Did you ever find out why they hired you out of other applicants? I mean, did they ever tell you what appealed to them so that they chose you instead of someone else?
perhaps, you could volunteer at an elementary school or after school program in order to get some experience w/ kids + recommendation. Or just put a flyer up at a community center for babysitting, take a few jobs and then gt a reference.
When you applied, were you required to prove your experience in any way?
Yes. I was given forms that people who i babysat for had to fill out. I'll let you into a little secret tho... they do not check up on these references! I just asked the people i had worked for to add on a few extra hours!
How many hours did you claim you worked? Just so I know. I mean, I don't want to lie too extremely but I also want to know what's deemed a good basic amount of experience, you know?
A good freind of mine just headed off to Finland. I belive she used a free site and the first family hasn't been so good so far (apparently the stay-at-home mother didn't really need an au pair...) so she's interviewing with other families and might switch. All things considered, its not a big deal.
_________________ "Ich bin ein Weltbürger, überall zu Hause und fremd überall" -Felix Nussbaum
Posts: 580 | Location: Milwaukee, USA | Registered: 02 May 2006
you can make a profile and message families that you are interested in and they can message you as well if they are interested in your profile. you dont have to pay to use the site (usually the families are registered so they can get your email for further contact).
my experience was a bad one, the family was horrible... with that said, i know there are a lot of good families out there and would recommend it (i just had bad luck). ive actually thought about doing it again
also that site has visa requirements for different countries, etc.
good luck!
Posts: 32 | Location: switzerland | Registered: 11 April 2005
When you applied, were you required to prove your experience in any way?
Yes. I was given forms that people who i babysat for had to fill out. I'll let you into a little secret tho... they do not check up on these references! I just asked the people i had worked for to add on a few extra hours!
How many hours did you claim you worked? Just so I know. I mean, I don't want to lie too extremely but I also want to know what's deemed a good basic amount of experience, you know?
The agency you are working through should give you a minimum number of hours... i can't really remember but i think it was between 180 and 200 hours!
________________________________________________________________ "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" John Lennon
Posts: 687 | Location: Durbs, SA | Registered: 21 April 2006
