Let me Google that for you...
/əʊ ˈpɛː/
noun
a young foreign person, typically a woman, who helps with housework or childcare in exchange for food, a room, and some pocket money.
- What website did you use to find a host family?
I used a site one of my friend's (who was also an au pair, in Germany) recommended: The Best AuPair
- So, what do you do exactly?
- take care of Svenja
- basic cooking/meal preparation (usually just helping)
- housework
I do 6 hours of housework every Monday. Here's my typical "chore list":
Switzerland:
- Air out house/open windows
- Change sheets and/or make beds
- Tidy up (kids rooms, living room, bibliotek/office)
- Clean windows (where necessary)
- Empty trash
- Dusting
- Wipe handrails
- Clean bathrooms x2 (toilets, sinks, mirrors, shake out rugs)
- Vacuum (whole house/3 stories)
- Mop (kitchen and dining area)
Every other week:
- Mop (whole house/3 stories)
Additional chores throughout the week:
- Setting/clearing the table
- Loading/unloading the dishwasher
- Folding laundry
- Other miscellaneous work
ie: tying paper into bundles for recycling (required here)
wiping down doors/handles
etc...
Tenerife:
- Air out house/open windows
- Change sheets and/or make beds
- Tidy
- Empty trash
- Dusting
- Clean bathrooms x3 (toilets, sinks, mirrors)
- Shake out rugs
- Vacuum inside
- Sweep outside
- Mop inside and outside
- Clean kitchen
- Clean laundry room
- Do you have a lot of free time?
On average I work about 6 hrs per day. About 4 hrs in the morning and then 2 hours after Svenja's nap. Saturdays and Sundays are my days off, but typically my evenings are free as well (except when I have Deutsch class), unless Tamara and Peter ask for an evening out.
- How is your host family? Do they treat you well?
My host family is AWESOME. They have been very welcoming and friendly; I don't think I've ever met anyone as patient as both Tamara and Peter are, towards each other, and towards the children. They treat me as part of the family, and I am always invited to go out with them or do activities with them.
- Do they speak English?
Yes. Tamara speaks German, English, and French. Peter speaks German, English, and Spanish. The boys, however, aside from a few English phrases, only speak German so far.
- Are they like super rich?
Um, I don't even know how to approach this question for a couple reasons:
1) I don't usually ask people their financial status, cause really, it's none of my business.
2) It's none of YOUR business either.
I will just say that they have both worked very hard and as such they live very comfortably (but not excessively, in my opinion).
- Is your host family LDS/Mormon?
No. Tamara is Christian and Peter is Eckankar.
- Have you learned German yet?
I'm understanding a lot more, a lot better now. I still have a hard time actually speaking it, but progress is progress. Hopefully it will just keep gradually coming. (Updated 12/21/14)
Really guys? I've been here like a month, give me a break! I've learned the alphabet, how to count to 20, and some basic phrases and words, but German is a hard language and it's slow going.
Ich heisse Rebecca und ich lebe in der Schweiz. Komme aus den U.S.A. und habe vier Brüder und zwei Schwestern.
- Why Switzerland?
Do people not have desires to travel and see the world outside of their personal bubble like I do? WHY NOT?! haha. No, but really, it just worked out that way. I wasn't picky. I just wanted to have a long-term (at least one year) experience out of the country, so I stayed very open to any possibilities that came my way, but I was also very cautious and refrained from getting too excited, too quickly. You can't just bite on the first hook you're thrown, you have to really see if you and the family will be compatible and CHECK THE VISA REGULATIONS/RESTRICTIONS. I browsed TONS of families from all over the world, and I had families contact me from Australia, Canada, Spain, and even China. When Tamara contacted me from Switzerland, everything just fell perfectly into place.
a young foreign person, typically a woman, who helps with housework or childcare in exchange for food, a room, and some pocket money.
- How did you become an au pair?
- What website did you use to find a host family?
I used a site one of my friend's (who was also an au pair, in Germany) recommended: The Best AuPair
- So, what do you do exactly?
- take care of Svenja
- basic cooking/meal preparation (usually just helping)
- housework
I do 6 hours of housework every Monday. Here's my typical "chore list":
Switzerland:
- Air out house/open windows
- Change sheets and/or make beds
- Tidy up (kids rooms, living room, bibliotek/office)
- Clean windows (where necessary)
- Empty trash
- Dusting
- Wipe handrails
- Clean bathrooms x2 (toilets, sinks, mirrors, shake out rugs)
- Vacuum (whole house/3 stories)
- Mop (kitchen and dining area)
Every other week:
- Mop (whole house/3 stories)
Additional chores throughout the week:
- Setting/clearing the table
- Loading/unloading the dishwasher
- Folding laundry
- Other miscellaneous work
ie: tying paper into bundles for recycling (required here)
wiping down doors/handles
etc...
Tenerife:
- Air out house/open windows
- Change sheets and/or make beds
- Tidy
- Empty trash
- Dusting
- Clean bathrooms x3 (toilets, sinks, mirrors)
- Shake out rugs
- Vacuum inside
- Sweep outside
- Mop inside and outside
- Clean kitchen
- Clean laundry room
- Do you have a lot of free time?
On average I work about 6 hrs per day. About 4 hrs in the morning and then 2 hours after Svenja's nap. Saturdays and Sundays are my days off, but typically my evenings are free as well (except when I have Deutsch class), unless Tamara and Peter ask for an evening out.
- How is your host family? Do they treat you well?
My host family is AWESOME. They have been very welcoming and friendly; I don't think I've ever met anyone as patient as both Tamara and Peter are, towards each other, and towards the children. They treat me as part of the family, and I am always invited to go out with them or do activities with them.
- Do they speak English?
Yes. Tamara speaks German, English, and French. Peter speaks German, English, and Spanish. The boys, however, aside from a few English phrases, only speak German so far.
- Are they like super rich?
Um, I don't even know how to approach this question for a couple reasons:
1) I don't usually ask people their financial status, cause really, it's none of my business.
2) It's none of YOUR business either.
I will just say that they have both worked very hard and as such they live very comfortably (but not excessively, in my opinion).
- Is your host family LDS/Mormon?
No. Tamara is Christian and Peter is Eckankar.
- Have you learned German yet?
I'm understanding a lot more, a lot better now. I still have a hard time actually speaking it, but progress is progress. Hopefully it will just keep gradually coming. (Updated 12/21/14)
Really guys? I've been here like a month, give me a break! I've learned the alphabet, how to count to 20, and some basic phrases and words, but German is a hard language and it's slow going.
Ich heisse Rebecca und ich lebe in der Schweiz. Komme aus den U.S.A. und habe vier Brüder und zwei Schwestern.
- Why Switzerland?
Do people not have desires to travel and see the world outside of their personal bubble like I do? WHY NOT?! haha. No, but really, it just worked out that way. I wasn't picky. I just wanted to have a long-term (at least one year) experience out of the country, so I stayed very open to any possibilities that came my way, but I was also very cautious and refrained from getting too excited, too quickly. You can't just bite on the first hook you're thrown, you have to really see if you and the family will be compatible and CHECK THE VISA REGULATIONS/RESTRICTIONS. I browsed TONS of families from all over the world, and I had families contact me from Australia, Canada, Spain, and even China. When Tamara contacted me from Switzerland, everything just fell perfectly into place.
