Au Pair in America Host Family Profiles

Au Pair in America Host Families
Home
Au Pair in America Host Families
APEX Host Families

Introducing........Au Pair in America host families!

Block

Family 1

 

Greetings and welcome, we hope to introduce ourselves and to give you a picture of what a year with us might be like.  We are a busy and happy family of a father, mother and 2 girls.  We are hard working and informal in how we relate to others.  Our eldest will be 14 in July and she will start high school (9th grade) this fall at a new school.  Our youngest will be 11 in May and she will start middle school (6th grade) in the fall.  Both girls are even tempered, get along well and love to dance, swim, stay active and make friends.  They are hard-working students who get good grades.  My husband is a salesman and I am an executive for a bank.

 

We are a long term Au Pair family – if you come live with us, you will be our fourteenth au pair.  We have been very pleased with the au pairs that have helped us raise and look after our kids.  We value having someone who can make the kids feel welcome and secure at home, and the kids love having a friend they can relate to (and who they can stay in touch with after spending a year with us).  We also ask that you exercise adult responsibility and draw boundaries for the kids if they push the limits!   Our childcare requirements are easy – both girls are in school most of the day and both are good about taking care of their schoolwork.  For the past year though we have not had an au pair, and everyone in the family misses the closeness and comfort of having someone around the house to help out and keep things moving.

 

We live in a hilly town 20 miles east of San Francisco.  Our town is very quiet and rural, but there is good train service just a mile away, making it easy to get to San Francisco and other popular areas in the evenings and weekends.  It takes about 25 minutes to get to San Francisco. 

 

Over the past 2 years my husband has taken some time off work to improve our property – we now have a vegetable garden, hot tub and small pool, a small volleyball / basketball court and lovely hillside yard with lawns and great views.  We enjoy being outside and being active.  A typical weekday begins for the children at 6:45am.  We (the parents) are usually up and dressed by then, and usually leave between 6:30 and 7:30.  The children might have breakfast with us, but more often our au pair wakes them up and makes their breakfast.  She also packs a snack every day.  The girls will get home between 3 and 4pm but sometimes the au pair will need to drive them to and from school and any after school activities.  As our au pair you’ll provide childcare just a few hours a day, but you will also be responsible during the week for washing the girls’ sheets and towels and overseeing that they keep their rooms tidy.  You will also need to see that the girls do their chores and share the household cooking.  We like to spend the weekends with the children so you will usually have the weekend off. 

 

We like all kinds of music and we like encouraging our girls to be creative and aware of other people and cultures.  One of the reasons we have enjoyed having an au pair over the years is that we like having a broad perspective on the world and we think exposing our girls to other cultures is a fun way to do that.  We very much want someone who is friendly, easygoing and especially likes to laugh, but also understands that Americans work hard.  We really need someone who can take responsibility and make sure the household runs smoothly.  We look forward to a fun year and making a new friend!

 

 

Family 2

 

You might say our family was formed from a series of cross-cultural exchanges, so it’s only natural that we continue the trend with an au pair.  When my husband and I met he hardly spoke any English.  We have now been married for 5 years and have a beautiful 2 year old daughter and another daughter who is due in May.  We want to provide them with the opportunity to experience at least two languages and cultures.  My husband speaks to her in French and I speak to her in English and we sing and read to her in both languages – an au pair will enrich that experience.

 

We live in a suburb of New York City.  It is a safe, family-oriented neighborhood with several young children and a big community of au pairs.  We live within walking distance of the train station – it takes 29 minutes to get to New York City.  Right now I work in New York and am happy to loan our au pair my train pass so she can go into New York on the weekends for free.  We have renovated our basement so it is perfectly set up for the comfort of our au pair.  There is a separate entrance and a separate bathroom for her private use.  She also has her own TV (with cable) and her own living room.  Of course, she is free to use any part of the house, but we understand that sometimes she will want privacy and her own space.  As a family we enjoy walking, going to the beach, going to the movies and eating good meals. 

 

Our daughter is the light of our lives.  She is two years old (she will be three in December) and is extremely smart, completely adorable and very loving.  But, like any two year old she can be stubborn and has just discovered the word ‘no’ – which she is happy to use!  She loves to sing and dance, loves animals and loves to give big hugs and kisses to the people she loves.  Naturally, that includes our au pair!  I don’t think she understands that she will become a ‘big sister’ in a few weeks.   The most important thing we are looking for is someone who loves babies and has experience in caring for infants and toddlers, and who will be eager to give our daughters all the love and attention that we would give them if we didn’t have to go to work.  We are looking for someone who is mature and responsible, and can handle the often-challenging task of caring for two children.  This person is extremely important to our family.  She must be patient and kind and sweet to our children, and she must be level-headed enough to be able to deal with any type of emergency that may arise.

 

As two people who have lived in other countries we understand what it is like to be far away from home and will make every effort to make our au pair’s stay here fun, comfortable and not lonely.  We have hosted two au pairs and many international guests in the past, and we will be happy to show her around.  We will treat her as part of the family, not as an employee and we would respect her privacy and cultural differences.  In short, I think we would be a great host family and I hope that we can find a great au pair.

Block

Family 3

 

We are a family looking for a loving and very active au pair to share in our busy life.  We are a very active family living in Maryland, near Washington DC.  Washington is filled with history and wonderful museums and they are all free!  We moved here less than 2 years ago and we are so happy here.  We have all made wonderful new friends, we love our neighborhood and the weather is much better than where we used to live!  We have a lovely yard and my husband is very excited about planting a garden this spring.

 

We have three wonderful (and noisy) boys.  Our eldest is thirteen years old and is a very independent kid.  He doesn’t really need an au pair to take care of him, but he is a very big help around the house.  Our eleven year old is the real character in our house.  He loves to play ice hockey, he hates homework and his favourite activity is teasing his brothers.  Our youngest, although he is only six, thinks he is sixteen.  He is funny and loves everything and anything his brothers love.  As you can imagine, with three sons, sports is very important in our house.

 

Both my husband and I work very hard but we both love our work; my husband works with older adults and I work with children.  I am so proud of the way our sons treat everyone in their lives, young and old.  The only problem is how sometimes they treat each other – after all, they are brothers!  Over the years we have appreciated having an au pair and babysitters from different places.  It has given my boys a better understanding of the bigger world and appreciation of different cultures.  I hope that you will choose to join our family.  We can’t wait for you to join us in Maryland.

 

 

Family 4

 

Hello!  We would like to introduce our family to you.  We are a big, happy family and we live in a suburb of Boston, which is one of the best cities in America and is right on the coast.  We think our family is a great opportunity for an au pair who wants to really get the most out of her year.  As a family we do all kinds of fun things here in Boston, including going to baseball games, and going to restaurants.  Our au pairs have had the opportunity to travel around the U.S. and many have returned to visit us – one au pair came back with us to go on a Caribbean cruise.  We would like to find a girl who really wants to be part of a family for a year.

 

We are a big family – there are five kids.  Our kids are older and are in school most of the day. Our eldest boy is turning fourteen next fall.  He is very quiet and brilliant – he is an artist and loves games and is easygoing and peaceful.  Our eldest girl will also be fourteen next fall and will enter 8th grade.  She is a young teenager – into sports and music.  She is independent and funny and sensitive.  Next is our thirteen year-old son – he will be entering 7th grade in the Fall.  He loves the color orange and wears it just about every day!  He is very smart and very caring.  He likes soccer and drawing.  Our younger daughter is ten and in the 4th grade.  She plays soccer, basketball and softball.  Our youngest will be nine in the summer and is our dramatic, high-spirited child.  She loves her friends and her outfits and her family.

 

I work as an accountant and am devoted to my family – I love to think up new activities for all of us.  My wife works as an attorney in downtown Boston.  Her schedule is busy and she is always racing between work and home to spend more time with the kids.  We spend a lot of time together and are best friends for one another. 

 

The au pair cluster in our area is very active and our au pairs have never had trouble making friends.  The au pairs spend a lot of time in Boston – the city is a major tourist destination for other Americans and you will have the chance to see all the sites from whale watching to beaches, museums and historical landmarks. There are many local colleges and our au pairs have taken classes in everything from Photography to Marine Science.  We are flexible and you need to flexible as well.  Our schedule is not always predictable but there is a lot of time off for you in this job.  Your responsibilities include getting the kids to and from school, but usually the day is yours.  Some au pairs join the local gym in our town or take a class, or get together with friends for coffee and chatting. 

 

I think basically we are looking for someone who really likes kids and really wants to spend some time in the United States.  Because of our jobs, we need someone who is flexible but because our kids are older and fairly independent, much of the time will be yours.  They need a friend or companion who is comfortable driving them to soccer and the dentist.  We need someone who can keep track of where they are and where they are going next.  In return, we think you will have an extraordinary amount of time off on the weekends and during the day in which to be with friends you are certain to make here.  We are looking forward to hearing about you!

 

Block

Family 5

 

My wife and I have been married for twenty years and have been fortunate to have a wonderful four-year-old daughter.  We will welcome a son to our family soon and hope that we have the opportunity to welcome you as well.

 

Both my wife and myself work a regular full-time schedule.  We are both professionals and hold positions that require occasional travel.  This leaves one of us handling both job and home duties.  With the imminent arrival of our son, an au pair would ease this situation tremendously.  We are fortunate in our circumstances.  A park is very close by and there is plenty of room in our home.  You will have your own room and access to a computer.  We live in a fine location between Washington DC, Baltimore and Annapolis.  We’re also close to a train station that has easy access to cities north, such as New York City, which our au pair could visit on weekends. 

 

My wife will stay home with the new baby until June or July and then return to work.  We intend for our daughter to go to school twice a week and for our baby son to be home full-time.  My wife and I have travelled extensively and have enjoyed our time other countries.  We would make you feel as comfortable in our home and we have had the good fortune to experience in our travels.  We would like to make you a part of our family during your time away from yours.  Having our children experience life with you will be something that both develops them more broadly and that will be something that brings us closer together.

 

We would like an open, trustworthy and engaging individual who would enjoy nurturing and developing our children.  Our expectations are the same as anyone who would trust their children with another.  You will be free in your social activities but will ask that visits by others to our home be coordinated with us.  We frequently take trips to places and would love if you would like to come along as part of our family.  My wife and I value education highly and will support your academic efforts.  We are a very open family and discussion is a part of all of our decisions.  You will find us to be an open and caring family.  We would like to welcome a person who will care for our children as we would, while taking advantage of all of the opportunities that this position would open.