Dear Au Pair
Greetings from the United States! I know you must be very excited about
your upcoming experience in America. Let me tell you a few things about our family.
My husband and I are both professionals. My husband travels to Michigan
and Chicago for his work. We have 2 daughters aged 13 and 9. Our eldest is completing the 8th grade in Middle
School and loves it. She is very smart, very outgoing and loves to swim, play tennis and play the piano. She also
loves to listen to pop music and write stories. She wants to be a journalist when she grows up. It's hard to believe
time has gone by so fast. Our youngest is completing the 4th grade. She, like her sister, enjoys piano and tennis.
They're both very close and play very well together. We have had au pairs live with us for 9 years, since our eldest
was born, so the girls are always excited about meeting new girls and learning about new cultures. We have had au pairs
from France, Germany, Latvia and Thailand.
We currently live in New York state and we moved here in June 2005.
It's a beautiful community with lots of trees, large homes, great shopping and great restaurants. There is a train that
takes you to Manhattan and we're also very close to Connecticut and New Jersey. Our home is a 5-bedroom house and the
au pair's room is on the first floor with it's own bathroom, TV and DVD player. We have a large back yard and there
are many parks in the area. But the biggest advantage we have is being so close to Manhattan with all of the theaters,
restaurants, musical and dance events.
As you can imagine with work, school and lessons, our family life is very
busy. We absolutely adore our children and want the very best for them. Education is very important and exposing
them to different cultures, places and activities is also important. We always try to find interesting family activities
to participate in on the weekends, including outdoor festivals in the summer, the zoo, museums etc. We also use the
bike paths around our home and the swimming pool and tennis courts. We take a few vacations a year, usually someplace
warm with a beach or pool and lots of sight seeing activities.
Because we have lots of prior experience with au pairs, we know it is important
for you to become and integral part of our family life. I want to involve you in all of the planning for the kids homework
and activities. It is important that we have open communication at all times, and that we help you make a smooth transition
in the local au pair cluster. We hope to help you learn about American life and make great friends.