Hello and welcome to the first episode of the Au Pairs in Australia Podcast where we will share information and experiences about being an Au Pair in Australia and about being a Host Family to an Au Pair in Australia.
My name is Fiona and I’m a Mum of three young children with a busy professional job. I have relied on Au Pairs over the last eight years as our main form of childcare and we have really enjoyed the experience. I’m often asked questions by families who are considering hosting Au Pairs and families who have just started hosting Au Pairs. I’m also aware through our own Au Pairs that there isn’t much opportunity to hear stories about other Au Pairs, especially those who’ve chosen to have their adventure in Australia. So it made sense to create a podcast to share information and experiences, and we have plans to include some guests over the coming episodes as well as reach out to ask what you would like to hear.
So what is an Au Pair? An Au Pair in Australia is a person between the ages of 18 and 30 (or 35 for a few countries) who meets the criteria for a Working Holiday Visa and has then applied for and been granted a visa before arriving in Australia, I will share a link in the show notes to the Department of Immigration website that has all the information that you need regarding visas.
An Au Pair lives with a host family and provides the family with flexible and personalised childcare within the home in exchange for food and board plus an allowance or stipend. An Au Pair will also generally complete some household tasks as part of their role, these are usually related to the children, such as washing their clothes, or related to being part of the family, such as sharing dinner duties.
So, why would you become an Au Pair? An Au Pair is generally someone who wants to travel and experience another culture, but they would also like some stability and support while they do this, and they like caring for children and generally have some experience with children. It’s important that the person doesn’t decide to become an Au Pair if they like children but don’t like the idea of living with a family, or if they like the idea of having the support of a host family but don’t like the idea of looking after children. Becoming an Au Pair can be a great way to have a break between school and further study, or between school and work, or study and work. It can also be a great opportunity to improve your English if it isn’t your native language, and for some Au Pairs their time spent as an Au Pair might be recognised in future study or work applications. Becoming an Au Pair may also mean that you have a second family and a lifelong connection on the other side of the World.
That brings us to asking, why would you host an Au Pair? For many families, the attraction of hosting an Au Pair is being able to access flexible childcare within their home. For some families they require unusual childcare hours, for example, a shift worker, for some families they prefer their children to be looked after at home and not attend a childcare centre, for some families they would like their children to be involved in after school activities which wouldn’t be possible if their children were attending after school care, for many families they like the idea that one person is looking after their children and that that person gets to know their children very well. In addition to the childcare reasons for hosting an Au Pair, many families embrace the opportunity to expose their children to another culture and maybe even another language, and many families also look forward to having that lifelong connection with their Au Pair and being able to share updates about their children long after the Au Pair placement has come to an end.
Let’s talk about some common myths. For Au Pairs some of the common myths are that it’s easy, it’s not, there will definitely be some tough moments, from missing your family, to being tired, to maybe having children not listen to you at times, it can be hard work but it can also be so rewarding. Another common myth is that every day will be amazing, again there will definitely be some amazing days, but some days will be quite ordinary and some days will be difficult, so be prepared and always remember that you can start fresh the next day. The final myth for Au Pairs today is that it’s easy to make friends, we always hope that this will be easy but it can take some time, firstly to find friends to meet up with, then finding time that you’re both available, deciding on an activity and once you finally meet up with them deciding if they’re the right friend for you - take your time and meet up with lots of different people, it can take a few weeks to find out who you want to spend your time with, it can also be more difficult if you have close group of friends at home that you are used to spending most of your time with.
For host families the common myths are that the Au Pair will be able to provide perfect childcare from the start, they need time to get to know your family, to get to know your children, to get to know your way of life and to get to know the best way to care for your children which may be different from how they have cared for children in their home country. Another common myth is that the Au Pair will understand and remember everything that is said to them in the first week, this is particularly important in the instance of an Au Pair where English is not their native language, when providing information in the first week consider highlighting the essential information, asking them to repeat information back to you so you know they’ve understood (especially if it’s safety related) and put information in writing for them to refer back to as needed. Another common myth when host families go on to host subsequent Au Pairs is that they will do things the same and have the same relationship with them, every Au Pair is different so it’s important to set your expectations but they will all have their own strengths and skills that they will bring to your family.
So now it’s time for some truths. For the Au Pairs, there’s a good chance that you will be homesick at some stage during your Au Pair time. Unfortunately some Au Pairs experience terrible homesickness, but even for those that don’t you may experience it at some stage such as if you are unwell, on your birthday or if there’s something happening with your family back home that makes you miss them more than usual. Although it’s great to be able to speak with your family, you should also consider keeping yourself busy, spending more time with your host family or the friends you’ve made or getting out and having an adventure to keep your mind busy. Another truth is that you will have difficult conversations at some stage during your Au Pair time, unfortunately being an adult in the host family home comes with responsibilities and there will be times when things don’t go right so you might have to have a conversation with your host parents about it, it might feel awkward but it’s best to be open and honest, then it’s time to work on a solution for the issue and move on, see it as an opportunity to grow if possible. Now the most important truth of all for Au Pairs, this will be an adventure that you will never forget, time with your host children and host family, adventures with your friends, the places you will see and the things you will do, embrace it and live in the moment.
Ok host families, it’s your turn now for some truths. The biggest truth to consider is that you will have an extra adult in your house, for some families this is not an issue, for some families they may wonder how they will feel about having an extra adult on the couch in the evening when watching TV, or an adult sleeping in after a night out, or even another adult that your children will run to instead of you because you’ve just them off for something. The next truth is that things will go wrong, from simple things like not being able to find something because it’s been put in the wrong spot, to a piece of clothing being ruined because it wasn’t washed properly, to the big things like car incidents, but ultimately as long as everyone is safe and well that’s the most important part, most things can be fixed or replaced, so long as the behaviour isn’t reckless or repeated then communication is key to moving forward, a good agreement on car use helps as well! And the most important truth for host families, you will likely find that your Au Pair becomes part of your family forever, there will be laughter, there will be tears, there will be growth and development, and hopefully there will be plans to meet again in the not too distant future.
So to wind things up for this first episode of the Au Pairs in Australia Podcast, I thought I would leave you with my key takeaway messages. Being an Au Pair or hosting an Au Pair is not for everyone and that’s ok. Talk to lots of people about their experiences, either those you know personally who’ve been through the experience, via online forums or speak with a reputable Au Pair agency. Communication - by far the most important ingredient for success in being an Au Pair and for hosting an Au Pair, keep the communication open and honest and it makes everything so much easier.
Thanks for listening to this episode, I appreciate your interest and support. If you have enjoyed this episode it would mean a lot to me if you could share it with your friends and family, subscribe for future episodes (they should be released weekly) and maybe even write a review on the podcast platform you’re listening on. I would also love to hear any feedback that you might have on this episode or suggestions for content in future episodes, so please reach out via the Instagram account aupairsinaustraliapodcast with any feedback. Thanks again, and I’ll catch you next time!