Au Pair in America Host Family Profiles

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Family 1

 

Our family is looking forward to finding an au pair who would enjoy our fun and active family!  We have had a wonderful au pair who was truly a member of our family and we hope to repeat our good-luck with our new au pair.  My husband and I are both physicians in Boston.  We enjoy football, skiing and activities with the children. 

 

Our oldest boy is eight years old.  He is a smart, helpful child with lots of energy and creativity.  He likes reading, skiing and basketball.  He takes the bus to school.  Or daughter is three years old.  She is a delightful, cooperative girl who enjoys arts and crafts and gymnastics.  She likes helping out, doing things herself and being the big sister.  She goes to preschool four mornings per week.  Our baby is 6 months old.  He is a happy baby who likes to be with everyone where the action is. 

 

Our family is familiar with and enjoys many cultures.  My husband and I have traveled in Europe, Asia and Africa and hope to do some more in the future.  We enjoy various cultural events in Boston.  We are moving to a new home in Massachusetts and our au pair will have her own bedroom and bathroom on the lower level.  There is also a recreation room on that level, which she will be able to use on her own in the evenings to relax.  She will have a car to use for transporting the children and getting out on her own.

 

Our home is in a beautiful country town, an easy 20 minute drive to Boston.  There is also a train from our town.  Boston is a wonderful, accessible city with many colleges and educational programs, museums and shops.  Beaches and skiing are nearby.  New York City is a 4 hour train ride away.  Our family enjoys traveling and we would hope that our au pair will join us on our trips to Florida, New York, skiing in the American West and elsewhere.

 

In terms of household rules, we only ask for sensible and safe behavior.  We also ask for no smoking in the house.  We hope that our au pair will have an outgoing and sensible nature, with a good sense of humor and lots of love and patience for our children.  We are sympathetic, generous people who would be delighted to welcome someone who is flexible, reliable and smart in our home.

 

 

Family 2

 

I would like to tell you some things about our family so that you can get to know more about us!  We are a family of five.  We have two girls and a son.  Our eldest will be ten years old in May, our daughter is eight and our youngest has just turned three in January.  My husband and I have lived in New Jersey since we were married in 1992.  My husband works as a president of a local firm and I stay at home to care for our children.  I am a school volunteer, helping with fund raising and school activities when needed.  Up until our eldest’s first birthday I worked full time as a teacher in a local public school district.

 

We live in an area that offers many opportunities and our neighboring communities offer historical museums, nature centers and a planetarium.  New York City is 30 miles north west and there are a few local colleges that offer courses appropriate for study by au pairs visiting the United States.  Our town is small but comfortable.  Our neighboring streets are scenic country roads but there is a shopping center with most of what you need only a mile away.  We have 2 libraries and a few restaurants very close by.  An hour’s train ride will take you directly into New York City. 

 

Our home is very comfortable.  The girls each have their own room and bathrooms.  They have a great playroom and a pool that is fun for us in the summer.  You would have your own bedroom and bathroom, which is very comfortable.  Our property borders on a land reserve where many deer and small animals make their home.  Our two eldest children go to school five days a week from 8:30am to 3:30pm.  Our eldest has ballet and figure skating classes when she’s not in school.  Our youngest is at home with me now but will go to nursery school three afternoons a week in September. When the girls are at home together they enjoy playing with their toys, using the computer or doing artwork.  Our son enjoys being with his sisters and playing with toys and running outside with a ball taking walks.  

 

Our reasons for having an au pair become part of our family are many.  Firstly we love the notion that an au pair becomes ‘like family’.  Our previous au pair from Germany is greatly adored and respected by us.  The girls have loved the special bond they share with her and have shared many great American ways of living with her in return.  Secondly, although we adore our children, we are aware of how necessary it is for us to have time together alone.  It’s a wonderful help having an au pair living in our home because it allows our family more flexibility.  We hope to be able to maintain our home as a comfortable and supporting environment for both our girls and the au pair.

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Family 3

 

We are a family with three children.  Our oldest son is six years old.  He is very active and is in kindergarten.  He loves to take walks in the woods, play sports and ride bikes.  Our younger son is almost 5 years old and loves sports and playing with his older brother.  Our daughter is 3 years old and loves to play with her brothers.  She loves ballet and gymnastics.  All three children are in school during the week.

 

Because we have three children who are close in age, a successful au pair must have extensive experience around multiple children.  She needs to anticipate problems and divert the children before problems occur.  She also needs to constantly be monitoring the children and engaging them.  I believe that only an experienced au pair will be able to successfully remain cheerful and enjoy the challenges of this job.

 

I am a stay at home Mom but I also maintain a schedule of activities away from home.  When I am home, I either work in my office or I join the boys at play.  I am almost always at home in the evenings to play with the boys and put them to bed.  Our family enjoys being active.  We walk in the woods behind our house and my husband coaches a lacrosse team on weekends.  We also like to do activities on the weekend that include the children such as a visit to a farm or playground.  During the summer we will travel and go to the swimming pool.  The au pair would be expected to travel with us and go to the pool with the children and me. 

 

Our home is in Bethesda, Maryland.  It is a single-family home with five bedrooms.  You will have a private bedroom, bath and kitchenette in the basement.  In the evenings you can choose to watch television or entertain friends in our home.  We are half a mile from Washington D.C.  We have a park with a playground, tennis courts, soccer fields and basketball courts behind our house.  We also have a walking and bike trail that leads to downtown Washington within half a block of our house.  Washington D.C. and Bethesda offer many entertainment and educational opportunities for a young person.  There are many museums, theaters, restaurants and clubs available.  You will also have a choice of academic programs, as there are many schools and universities in the area. 

 

We seek a mature young woman who will enjoy the experience of living with a family in the United States.  We want you to feel comfortable with our family and to love working with our children.  We also want someone who is independent and will make the most of our location in the Nation’s Capitol.  We need an au pair that has excellent English skills.  We look forward to a successful year of sharing our family, home and city with a young woman from another country.

 

 

Family 4

 

Our family moved to New York 2 years ago after the birth of our son.  He’s a very happy, intelligent and active boy, who enjoys playing and learning every day.  He is very interactive and social and seems to get along well with other children.  He loves to play outside with balls and the neighborhood kids.  We are currently waiting for the newest member of our family to arrive – we are expecting a girl in May and everyone is very excited.

 

Our son will be going to daycare at least one day a week from September.  We are looking for someone who will be able to help with the new baby as well as providing supervision and companionship.  We usually need childcare to start around 8am and we are usually home around 5pm.  I work only 3 days a week but we will need a few hours of help on the days that I’m home from work.  We’d also ask that the au pair work at night (although very rarely) for an occasional evening out.  Weekends would be off a majority of the time. 

 

We live in a four bedroom home.  The bedroom that would be provided to the au pair has its own private full bathroom.  We live in a suburban area of Albany.  There are many homes in our community, almost all with young children.  There is never a shortage of kids for our son to play with.  Albany has many social and cultural opportunities for young people.  There is always a long list of options to hear live music or see performances.  There are many universities and colleges in the area.  It is an easy train ride to New York City or a short drive to Boston and Philadelphia.  There are also many opportunities to hike, snowshoe or ski in the mountains just to the north of Albany.  We enjoy the outdoors.  In the summer we enjoy swimming, waterskiing and sailing on the lake.  In the winter, we enjoy skiing and hiking.

 

Both my husband and I have lived most of our adult lives in major cities and we have been exposed to many different cultures.  As physicians we have taken care of patients from many different backgrounds and have become familiar with their cultures.  My husband has spent time living in Italy during college.  We are very excited about the possibility of having an au pair live with us.  We look forward to the mutual cultural exchange that this program offers both us and our children.  We hope that the person that chooses to come and stay with us will enjoy our family and the opportunity to experience life in the Northeastern United States.

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Family 5

 

Welcome to our family – we consist of four members -  my husband (45) our sons (4 and 2 and a half years old) and me (41) plus our dog and two cats.  Professionally I am a Product Manager for a software company.  I have a home office and work out of our home.  My husband is an Engineer but is currently staying home with the boys.  He has designed and is building an apartment over our garage.  The apartment, which is intended for your use, is a studio with a full kitchen and bath.  While we intend to have you integrate into our family, we are pleased to be able to provide you with the privacy that the studio apartment will allow. 

 

Our oldest will be starting preschool soon.  He shows a strong interest in music, swimming and outdoor activities in general.  I myself have participated in and enjoyed study abroad programs in Spain while I was in High school and in England while at University.  Both my husband and I believe that cross cultural exchange is critically important.  For these reasons, we would like to open our home to a childcare giver who can benefit from the Au Pair experience in addition to assisting us with our childcare needs.

 

Our family enjoys cooking, playing on the beach, walking our dog, playing music, computers, photography, biking, skiing, camping, hiking and swimming.  We have extensive family in California with whom we visit or who visit us regularly.  We have a close neighborhood group that we see often.  We prefer an au pair who is a non smoker and a non vegan to minimize lifestyle differences.  Our hope is that the au pair can achieve her own professional and career goals while enjoying being part of a loving family on the beautiful coast of California.  Our home is located only 2 blocks from the Pacific ocean.  For educational purposes, Santa Cruz is home to a University of California campus.

 

During the week the normal daily schedule starts at 6:30am when the boys wake up.  They are usually in bed by 8:30 in the evening.  Generally we will eat breakfast later on the weekends and then get ready to go out for some daytime outing.  We will try to get back for the boys to have a nap no later than 2:30pm.  One weekend night we may get together with another family for dinner.  On other weekends we may go out with friends and the children stay with a sitter.

 

We look forward to meeting you soon!