Family 3
Dear Au Pair,
This is our tenth year with Au Pair in America and we have been very happy
with our au pairs and the program! In this letter we will tell you a little about
us so that you have a better idea of what life in our family might be like.
We have two children; a girl aged 16 and a boy aged 13. They are happy, loving kids and look forward to the friendship they develop each year with our au pair. We all look forward to meeting you and learning about you, your home, country, customs
and traditions.
My husband and I both have university degrees and work for the same company. We have been with them for 23 years and, in this time, have worked in different parts
of America. We both enjoy traveling and often travel all over the world for our
jobs.
The kids each have a pet – our daughter has a bird and our son has
as guinea pig. Let us describe a typical day for you:
During the school year (mid August to early June) you will either drive the
children to and from high school or to and from middle school. We carpool with
another family and rotate who drives each week. This may change this coming year
because our daughter will get her driving license this summer. During the day
you are free to take classes, go to the library, relax around the house or visit with friends.
Between 3 and 6pm you will pick the kids up from school and when they arrive home they’ll have a snack and do
their homework Then you might drive them to sports practice or take them to a
friend’s house to play. Both my husband and I get home at around 6:00pm.
During the summer months your schedule will vary according to what activities
the children are involved in. They might take swimming lessons at a local pool,
have a babysitting job or play with friends. You can also take them on special
outings such as to a museum, amusement park or a movie. Our daughter is hoping
to get her first job this summer. You will have free time most evenings and weekends. There are a large number of au pairs in the Cincinnati area, so you’ll make
many friends. You are welcome to go out with friends, work out at a health club,
relax or do whatever you like to do during your free time. You’ll find
a lot to do here.
We have a vacation home in Massachusetts and sometimes go there for 1 –
2 weeks in the summer. The beaches are beautiful there and we like to take part
in windsurfing, swimming and biking. You will have access to our car to take
the kids to and from their activities during the day. With permission you will
also be able to use it for your own activities in the evenings and on weekends. Our
house is two storeys tall with five bedrooms. You will have your own bedroom
and bathroom. The kids each have their own bedroom and share a bathroom right
next to yours. Our living room has a billiard table and we often play games in
the evening after dinner. The basement is a place we workout and play. My husband keeps his exercise equipment there. There is also
a ‘movie’ room with a large screen TV.
There is so much we could tell you but, for now, we’ll just say that
we are looking forward to developing a mutually rewarding relationship with you. We
hope to learn more about you and your country and will help you discover America. We
can’t wait to meet you and are eager for you to become part of our family!
Family 4
Our family currently consists of Mom, Dad, three kids and our dog. I am a real estate agent and my wife is a real estate consultant specializing in hotels. Our dog is really well behaved and very friendly with new people.
Our current au pair is from Austria.
Our daughter is 10-years old and loves school, soccer and music. She particularly loves to read and, like most 10-year old girls, likes to hang our in her room with friends
listening to music and talking. She is very athletic – she’s on two
soccer teams and also plays lacrosse. Right now, the thing she is most excited
about is the 10 days she will spend at a camp in Arizona this summer going horseback riding.
Our son is 6 – he will be 7 by the time you arrive – and is a
very normal little boy, which basically means he is a good kid but loves to bug his sister sometimes! He really loved first grade this year and is considered one of the friendliest and nicest in his class. His favourite sport is baseball. One
of our favourite things about the kids is that they are such good friends. Of
course, they do argue sometimes, but they also have a lot of games that they like to play together.
We live in a small town that is 30 minutes north of New York City. The house is fairly large, with six bedrooms. We have access
to the internet and our au pairs are always welcome to use the computer to stay in touch with family and friends. Our neighborhood is nice with lots of families and smaller kids.
Our house is within walking distance of the train station (about a 10 minute walk) and the train into Manhattan takes
30 minutes, making it easy to visit all the wonderful things there. Some of our
past au pairs have taken classes in the city. Others have attended classes at
one of several colleges in the area.
The family schedule is organized around the children and the fact that both
my wife and I work. In the summer the hours are more along the lines of 9:00am
to 6:00pm with no real weekend hours. Both kids will be going to camp for two
weeks at the country club. Our son is also signed up for one week of baseball
camp. Because of our schedules, we need someone to take care of the kids when
we are at work. We like having an au pair because this provides us with a happy,
energetic young person to spend time with the kids. We hope the au pair will
feel comfortable in our home – and will be a partner with us in raising the kids.
We want so many things for them, and the best way to do this is to get to know people from different cultures and to
learn about the customs of other countries. An au pair is a great way to accomplish
this and we’ve always encourage au pairs to teach the kids about their country, language and favourite foods.
At the same time we can share our lives and culture with the au pair. This
means not only our local town but also other areas of the U.S.