Au Pair in America Host Family Profiles

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Family 1

 

Our family consists of five members.  My husband is 39 years old and I am 37 years old.  Our eldest is child is 4.5 years old, followed by our 2-year old daughter and 7-month-old little girl.  Our lives revolve around our family, which is our number one priority.  We’re the type of family that has fun no matter what we do.  We enjoy family vacations, which we take throughout the year.  We also spend a lot of time with our extended family.

 

Our eldest daughter will be starting Kindergarten in September.  She will be in school five full days each week.  She’s very lively and full of energy.  She likes to be busy for most of her day.  She also loves to swim and goes at least once a week with a swim coach.  She is a huge help with her sisters.  I like to call her ‘little Mom’. 

 

Our second eldest will be entering pre-nursery school in September.  She will be in school two mornings a week.  She’s a delight.  Like her older sister she likes to keep busy.  She loves to be outside, play house and dress up.  In September she will begin swim lessons.  She’s definitely the serious child of the family. Our youngest is just 15 months younger – I think they will be best friends when they are older.  She loves to watch her older sisters run around.  She loves to go on walks and swing and only cries with something is wrong i.e. she’s hungry or tired.

 

My husband is very dedicated to his job but doesn’t allow it to get in the way of his family life.  I worked for eleven years before having children.  When our eldest was born I decided I couldn’t dedicate 100% to both my child and work so I opted to quit my job and work part time with my husband.  I work two and a half days a week.  We live about 20 minutes away from Philadelphia, the major city in our area.  We are about a two and a half hour car ride away from New York City and three hours from Washington D.C.  We live in a single family home that has three storeys.  We also have a vacation home at the beach.

 

We are a very active family who enjoys the outdoors.  We love to cycle, run, walk and go on hikes together.  We try to get out of the house as much as possible during the nice weather.  When the au pair is home with the children alone I would love for her to keep the children busy using imaginative play, learning activities or just fun play.  Typical household tasks will include ensuring the kids’ beds are made daily, dressing the children, washing their clothes, making their meals and ensuring their playroom is tidy.  Since we believe in our children experiencing other cultures we though that the Au Pair Extraordinaire program will fit perfectly into what we believe in.  We would be able to help someone else experience our culture while our children are at a very young age and would be able to experience a little bit of someone else’s.  What a perfect opportunity for both of us as well as the Au Pair.

 

We are a very loving family that wants our children to feel loved by the person caring for them.  Just like we are going to treat the au pair as a family member, we also want the au pair to treat our children like family and not a job.  We are very excited about this opportunity and look forward to meeting our new family member.

 

 

Family 2

 

We live in a small town located five miles from New York City,  Our home is located in a nice neighborhood next to a school that has two playgrounds.  We live in a two-storey home with a finished basement.  The au pair has a private room and bathroom above the garage, which is not attached to the house.  Even though we are so close to the big city, our town has a small town charm.  We see many familiar faces shopping and at town gatherings.  On the weekends we take the kids to fairs, carnivals, zoos, museums and parks so they are exposed to new people and new surroundings.  We feel an au pair would expose them to her culture as well.

 

We consider our family life as very normal.  We usually eat dinner and spend the evenings together.  Every Sunday we go to family dinner.  We also travel to Texas to visit family at least once a year.  We would welcome an au pair as a member of our family to join us on these outings.

 

We feel that there are several qualities that are essential to the family / au pair relationship.  Communication is very important.  An honest, open line of communication will result in a happy and balanced environment.  We expect an au pair to be honest, flexible and reliable.

 

Our daughter will be beginning first grade in September.  We expect the au pair to be a companion, positive role model as well as an authority figure.  Our daughter is respectful of adults and has good manners.  We would expect an au pair to help us continue to instill these values as well as others in him as he grows. 

 

Our area is very nice as we enjoy the change of seasons and activities that can take place in each.  We are about an hour from the beach or mountains if swimming or skiing is of interest.  We’re only a train or bus ride away from Washington, Philadelphia or Boston for weekend trips.  On the weekend the au pair is able to come and go as she pleases however, on days she works we expect her to be home by 11:00pm.  We also expect the au pair to eat dinner at least a couple of nights a week with us.

 

The au pair's responsibilities would include bathing, dressing, feeding, doing laundry and keeping play areas and toys neat for both children.  It is important that the Au Pair maintain a consistent daily routine for the children.  The au pair needs to play outside with the children since they love to take walks and play in the park and / or backyard.  Our current au pair takes them to the park everyday, which they love.

We are looking forward to an au pair becoming a member of our family.

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Family 3

 

To our dear future au pair – we look forward to welcoming a new international student to help care for our daughters!  We think you will find our home to be warm, informal and fun.

 

We have two little girls: an enthusiastic, animated 6-year old who loves school, books, art and crafts and gymnastics.  She has a wonderful imagination and an easy, caring way with people.  She adores her little sister and wants to help with everything around the house.  Her 4-year old little sister has a great sense of humor, an easy disposition and is developing many of the same interests as her big sister.  While initially shy with new people, she is a snuggler that loves to hug.

 

We hope that our new au pair will become a very special person in our children’s lives by making them feel special.  The girls will love your efforts to play make believe games, run around outdoors, do fun art projects and read and sing with them!  During the summer they love going to the pool so we want you to not only be able to swim but also enjoy it.  We also ask that you give the children lots of encouragement and love, provide them with nutritious meals and snacks, follow a general schedule, exercise good judgement to make sure they are safe at all times and discipline them appropriately if they misbehave.

 

Our eldest daughter goes to school each day from 8:00am until 2:30pm and our youngest goes to nursery school each day from 9:00am until 3:00pm.  Both girls need help getting their day started and to be driven to and from school.  After school they like to play outside, read, do art projects and have playtime with friends.  On non-school days the girls like to go on outings and to go swimming when the weather is warm.  As a family we enjoy outdoor activities of all kinds: hiking, swimming, going to parks, running etc.  We make frequent trips to the library given everyone’s interests in books and reading.  We enjoy travel and experiencing other cultures a great deal.  My husband and I have traveled extensively in Europe and parts of Asia, both as students and after we were married.  Since having babies our travel has been more limited, but we look forward to traveling with them to international destinations in the future as they grow.

 

We live about 30 minutes away from downtown Washington D.C, our nation’s capital.  Cultural opportunities abound:  the Smithsonian museums, universities, theaters, and athletic events – you name it!  Washington D.C. is located a train ride away from Philadelphia and New York City and there are a number of beaches within a few hours’ drive.  We welcome the opportunity to help you experience these things.  Our home is a comfortable size that has a private bedroom and full bathroom for our au pair.  Our home backs to parkland and there are many nature trails in and around the neighborhood.  The community has a pool within walking distance and there are a number of facilities with young children who have become our friends.  There are also a variety of restaurants and stores within a few miles of our home.

 

We anticipate that most weeks you will work less than 45 hours and have ample time off.  Most days, you will work in the morning before school.  A car will be available for your use.  We believe that someone who is responsible enough to take care of our children does not need a curfew but we ask that you’re well rested for the days that you spend with the children.  We have had wonderful experiences with our first two au pairs and they have both told us they feel very lucky to have matched with our family.  We are excited to have as positive an experience in the coming year.

 

 

 

Family 4

 

We have been in the au pair program now for 4 years.  We have had a wonderful time with our au pairs and keep in touch with them.  All our children have had a great time with their au pairs.  To them they now have new friends for life that have taught them something about their home country and the ways of their culture.  Throughout the year our kids also had the chance to meet many more people from our au pairs’ home countries, as relatives and friends of theirs were always welcome to visit them and stay with them in our home.  It is very important to us that our children grow up to be loving, caring, responsible citizens of the world.   Both my husband and I have traveled extensively throughout the world and feel that our children should be exposed to as many different cultures and people of the world.  Having an au pair will provide them with an opportunity to learn from another culture as well as build a new life lasting friendship.

 

All our children enjoy being active.  Our son goes to Kindergarten and enjoys being with his teachers and friends.  He also enjoys sports such as soccer, basketball, baseball, swimming and skiing.  Our eldest daughter enjoys time with her playgroup friends and also dances, reads books and does arts and crafts.  Our youngest daughter is still young but loves to interact with her older brother and sister.  All the children spend time with their friends outside of school as well.  The au pair takes them to their classes and to their playgroup dates.  We would also like for her to travel extensively throughout the year to visit family and friends in the USA.  This is a good opportunity for her to see the USA and help us out with the kids at the same time.    We hope our au pair will be active in sports with all of our children and teach them to love the outdoors.

 

We live in Connecticut, which is a shirt train ride away from NYC.  We live in a very rural area that is pretty and quiet.  Our home is nice and you would have your own private bedroom as well as entertainment area for your friends.  We also live in an area where many au pairs come so you will be able to have a really big social circle.  Many of our au pairs have done a lot of fun things around here going to the city, joining volleyball leagues and going to the beach and for coffee or the mall or movies.  There are also many wonderful colleges for you to take your classes. Our family is very loving, friendly and caring.  We will treat you very much as a family member and want you to experience what living with an American family is like.  We have alwayas included our previous au pairs in our family gatherings, travels, meals and any time that we share as a family.   Our children have come to love our au pairs like big sisters.  We hope to provide with a loving family environment for more or one years.  We hope that you will com and live with us.

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Family 5

 

Hi!  I am a mother of two young boys.  In September my oldest son will be 2 years old and his brother will be 10 months old.  They are 15 months apart and already fast becoming friends.  For the last two years I have been a stay at home mother for the boys.  I am returning to work in September and I’m excited to have au pair as part of our family.  Our days are pretty straightforward but require energy, patience, creativity and enthusiasm.

 

Our oldest son is a very social, energetic, athletic and curious toddler.  He loves to make everyone laugh and is into everything.  He likes to run around outside, climb things, throw balls, build with blocks, push cars around on the floor, chase the cats and play with his little brother.

 

My youngest son is adorable.  He’s still a baby.  He smiles and laughs easily.  His current favourite activity is putting everything in his mouth.  He worships his big brother and laughs at just about everything he does.  He’s constantly learning new skills.

 

The children’s day is pretty basic.  They eat three meals and two snacks a day.  The boys nap for two hours in the afternoon.  During the rest of the day they play indoors and outside.  We play ball, build with blocks, read books, sing songs, run around and play on the swings. 

 

While you are with the boys I will be at work.  I work 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday in Marketing.  I have traveled all over the U.S. for work and have lived in many places in the U.S. including Washington D.C, North Carolina, Kansas City, New York City, Florida and more.  I have friends all over the country and can help you with your travels.  Before the boys were born I loved to travel.  I have visited many parts of the world including Eastern and Western Europe Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, Peru, Costa Rica, Turkey and Egypt.  I think your idea of becoming an au pair is a fantastic way to see the U.S.

 

Our family lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia – a 30 to 40 minute drive from the city.  We live in a 3-bedroom townhouse.  It’s large for a townhouse with a family room, big kitchen, deck, playroom, finished basement and small backyard.  You will have your own private bedroom with queen-sized bed.  Since we are in the suburbs you will need a car to get around and I will be providing you with a car that will be just for your use.

 

Overall I am looking forward to having an au pair join our family.  The boys would have a lot of fun and learn a great deal.  Our family would benefit from the skills you can contribute towards the development of the kids.  I also believe that you would have a wonderful time, experience the American culture and visit many of the major sites and cities in the U.S.