“Don’t put a pretty picture of you. Otherwise your host family will think that you want to get married.”
Lisa found a photo that was taken during a walk in the forest. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and there was no makeup on her face. With this, she certainly would not attract anyone.
Then Lisa wrote a short application:
Dear host family,
My name is Lisa. I am twenty-two years old. I am a language teacher and I have a lot of experience in international communication. I love working with children. I can give your children a lot of new knowledge (teaching foreign languages, playing the piano, etc.). I also think that I can help you with your household. I like cooking.
In participating in this program, I see a chance for me to improve my foreign language skills.
I hope that I will be a good au pair for your family.
Kind regards,
Lisa
She filled out the questionnaire on her skills:
Have you ever been an au pair abroad? - No.
Do you have experience in childcare? - Yes.
Do you have experience with babies? - Some.
Have you attended a first aid course? - Yes.
Do you have a driver's license? - No.
Do you have experience in your household? - Yes.
Can you cook? - Yes.
Can you brush? - Yes.
Can you iron? - Yes.
Can you sew? - A bit.
Are you into sports? - A bit.
Can you ride a bike? - Yes.
Can you ride? - A bit.
Can you swim? - A bit.
Do you play an instrument? - Yes.
After some time, Lisa received an e-mail from one family. Lisa read the questionnaire that the host family had answered:
Name: Dr.M.,
First Name: Clara. Married, with 4 children in the household.
The age group of the four children was 0-1, 2-5, 6-10, 10+.
The hobbies that were in the family were dancing, sports and playing music.
The host mother has no religious affiliation. She is employed full time. She is a dentist and an entrepreneur. The host father is also employed full time. He is the CEO of a well known company. The family lives in a town house. The only pet in the home is a hamster. The family lives in 70km from major cities. There is a train every hour to travel into town. The next language school is a city. It is 0km from the home.
The host family has never had an au pair. They are expecting childcare from their au pair. They are also expecting help with domestic chores and cooking. The au pair will have a private room available for the duration of their stay. The description of the room is unknown, as it hasn't been put together yet. The room may possibly be a small apartment. The room could also be in the home, which is 25 m². The au pair will receive $260 a month in the USD currency. The travel expenses of the au pair may be reimbursed. It was a family of dentists with four children, with a tiny picture attached to the e-mail showing a beautiful couple with their four kids. The e-mail was as follows:
From: Family M.
To: Lisa
Subject: An Au Pair
Our future dear au pair girl,
We are a young family with four kids. We live in a big house near one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Our family lives in a little town of 12,000 people that is situated directly in the suburbs of the city. The responsibilities you‘ll have as an au pair include helping with the kids, some easy housework (iron, cook, and shop at the supermarket). As your host family, we will pay for your language courses and will always take you with us when we travel somewhere. Your pocket money will be 300 dollars per month. You will have your own room and your own shower.
We are looking forward to welcoming a new nanny as soon as possible, who will be a member of our family and become like our children's older sister.
Family M.
And there was continuous correspondence with her future host family.
From: Lisa
To: Family M.
Subject: An au pair
Dear family,
Thank you for your message. Working with children brings me a lot of joy (since I have a teacher‘s education). Also, I can do housework and cooking. I hope to be a good helper to your family.
With kind regards
Lisa
According to this contract, Lisa, as an au pair, could expect:
Duties: child care, domestic help, cooking
Does the au pair have a private room available? Yes
Brief Description of the room: a room in our house, about 25 m²
Reimbursement of travel expenses: maybe
Assumption of costs for language courses: Yes, up to 2 courses
Takeover of travel expenses to the schooclass="underline" yes
Payment is made for monthly tickets: yes
Entrainment of au pairs in the holidays: yes
Soon Lisa received the following e-mail.
From: Family M.
To: Lisa
Subject: An Au Pair
Dear Lisa,
Many thanks for your quick response. July would fit in very well. As of August, my children have school holidays for six weeks. That would be a very good opportunity to meet and get used to each other’s company.
Our children, especially the big ones, would be very pleased if you could assist them in completing their homework. Very good English language skills would be super. While taking care of the children, you will receive the support of our dear grandmother in the afternoon. In case of occasional trips to a city, we also have an apartment available.
Of course, we have the Internet. We have broadband both in my medical office where you could spend time with the kids during the day, as well as wireless internet at home. It is also possible to make free calls over the Internet because we have a flat rate.
My eldest daughter attends high school. It would be important to me if you could practice some piano lessons with her. Nick, our nine-year-old son is in 3rd class. Nataly, is six-years-old, and will go to first class in September. You will need to give her a little support learning the letters. The youngest, Luca, will be starting kindergarten in September.
Therefore, in the morning, all children are taken care of and you have time to study or do other things. In the afternoon, you would help my mom take care of the children. She is looking forward very much to your help.
We look forward to meeting you soon.
Many greetings
Clara, Christian, Luca, Nick, Nataly and Julia.
Lisa was given a contract that explained all her rights and responsibilities. Under the contractual agreement, the family had to get insurance to pay for her accommodations, as well as her meals and language courses. She was entitled to a private room with a private shower. She was expected to spend four days with the education of the children, and have one day off per week.
She was satisfied with her future arrangements. The host family seemed so nice. She had been corresponding with the host mother, Clara. She was confident that this family suited her needs. She was also confident that she would be able to suit theirs. Lisa was the most excited about being taken on their family vacations. She was also going to get $300 a month in pocket money. She could save up this money or take the train into town. She would get to travel and explore the city. She could shop in the local stores and try the food at the local diners. She would only be half an hour away from the nearest large city. This was going to be a paradise.