I remember the first time someone mentioned looking for an au pair (pronounced “Oh Pear”) and I looked it up.
Au Pair – French term, meaning “on par” or “equal to.” An au pair is a flexible, affordable, live-in child caregiver from another country.
For many families, an au pair has been their perfect solution to a unique child care situation. A friend of mine, Dave, is a busy single dad, and he needed to find flexible child care for his three children (two teenage boys and a daughter in middle school). He worked full-time and needed someone to watch the kids at home and get them where they needed to go—each went a different school and had a ton of activities to get to.
“I wanted to find a ‘big sister’ for my daughter,” Dave said. “I also needed someone for logistical reasons. There was a lot of driving and activities to get to, and I needed someone dependable and quick on their feet.”
Since au pairs are from outside the U.S., they bring another culture into your home. Many families look for an au pair to help expose their children to the world outside of their hometown. Lockie Hunter, a writer and college professor, loved that aspect.
““The au pair experience surpassed my (very high) expectations of what child care could be…” Lockie said. “Pantipa was from Thailand, and as she eagerly soaked up our household culture, we were treated to hers. Thai dance was taught to the children as was Thai lettering, and both children can still speak quite a bit of this lyrical language. Coconut milk and palm oil wafted from our kitchen. The children tried (and loved) lychee, longon, and other fruit treats. Teaching Pantipa about US customs and holidays obliged us to examine those rituals, and in so doing, we gained a deeper and richer understanding of our American culture.”
With his children being older, a standard 9-to-5 nanny wasn’t the solution for Dave’s family. He’d heard of
Cultural Care Au Pair from a friend and thought they might be able to help. He learned that the company has had success in connecting families to au pairs for over 20 years. As it turned out, they helped Dave, too. His family has hosted Sara, a Swedish au pair, for the past year, and they’ve loved her!
Think an au pair could be right for your family? Here are a few things you should think about before you start reviewing au pair profiles:
Schedule – if you need a caregiver who is flexible with your kids’ day-to-day schedule and there are odd hours for pick-ups and drop-offs, then an au pair may be a good solution.
Extra room – Au pairs quickly become family members because they live with you! If you’re thinking of bringing an au pair into your home, you need to provide a separate living space.
Extra expenses – Families pay au pairs a weekly stipend (to meet State Department regulations) rather than a salary. Hosts are also responsible for food, housing, and (unless you live in the city) a car, too.
Cultural exchange – If you’re eager to expose your kids to other cultures and backgrounds, au pairs often come from many different countries and speak different languages. It is a great way to expose your children a broad range of experiences.
Here’s one other important thing to remember: just because you’re hosting an au pair doesn’t mean she works for you 24/7. It’s still important (and, actually,
required by law) to give her time off for weekends, vacation time, and personal space just as you would any other care provider. That’s not always an easy thing to balance, but it’ll make everything go smoother if you do.
“It’s hard to balance having a 19-year-old in the house,” Dave said. “At some level, she’s a guest and a cultural exchange student. And at another level, she’s an employee. Striking that balance was difficult for me, at first.”
Au pairs can be a great child care option for families, especially those with busy work schedules to juggle. But like any good care arrangement, it has to be the right fit for you and your kids. Before you go ahead and commit to inviting an au pair into your home for an extended stay, carefully weigh all your options.
If you are thinking hiring an au pair, then check out
Cultural Care Au Pair via Care.com to help make that easy! And for our members, we’ve teamed up with them to give you a $1,000 savings, too. Just check out their website and mention Care.com when you call.
