KangarooAuPair Blog

Hello Kangaroos!

I am sending you my succes story.

Thanks a lot for being on the internet, without you I wouldn’t find this family and I wouldn’t start my life over

The Kangaroo Au Pair team are happy to announce that we will be introducing a new video feature which will allow all au pairs and families upload a small clip to their profile. Our aim is to help finding an au pair or family easier for everybody but before we do so we’d like to hear all your thoughts and suggestions. Do you think it’ll help? Would you like to see this feature introduced? Would you include a video as part of your profile if you had the chance? Send us a quick message using our contact form or email us at info@kangarooaupair.com, we’d love to hear your thoughts. We also hope to have an aupair forum in place in the near future to help our members discuss their thoughts and ideas. We’ve chatted to numerous families in Ireland and the UK who want to find a great au pair. All families agreed that it would be brilliant to see an au pair video to get a flavour for what they are really like before taking the next step. In particular host families have given us the following tips for an au pair video. Au Pair Video Guide:

1. Use the video as opportunity to show off your personality!
2. Include snippets of you interacting with children
3. Include clips of you being yourself and doing your favourite past times
4. Don’t use pictures only. It’s ok to include photo’s in a slideshow but be sure to include a clip of yourself so the family can get an idea of your language skills etc.
5. Smile. First impressions last longer.

Sophie (Au Pair) from Spain found a lovely host family in Ireland. She sent them a video to help give her the edge. Here’s what she had to say: The initial conversation I had with my family they mentioned that they really liked my video and thought it was a great idea to help find an au pair. I was happy to hear they liked it. I think it’s a great way to show my personality and show off my English. I think it’s a great starting point for families. We had conversations on the phone and on skype once they saw my video. It makes the decision easier for them. Aupair forums on aupair agencies have big articles about videos. My advice for au pairs looking to make a video is to keep it simple and don’t make it too long or the family will get bored.

Kangaroo Au Pair hope to have this feature in place in early 2012. If you have any comments please let us know through our contact form here or email us at info@kangarooaupair.com

In today’s modern world Au Pairs are becoming more and more popular. There are a hundred and one reasons to hire an au pair and bring them into your home but this article will tell you about the five that are the most compelling and beneficial to anybody thinking about hiring an au pair.

AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE Au pairs are a lot more affordable than people generally believe. The ongoing costs of having an au pair in your home are incredibly low, especially considering the benefits you will gain from the experience. They are much more than a mere babysitter, but the savings in childcare costs alone more than justify the decision.

EXPERIENCE DIFFERENT CULTURES Au pairs are in this country for often manifold reasons. One of the most prevalent of which is the opportunity to improve their language skills. Whilst their interaction with an Irish or British family helps them to improve their English they also help to educate family members, young and old in the culture and language of their home: generally creating a mutually beneficial and exciting environment of learning. Above all the experience is not only educational for all but also fun!

SCHEDULE PLANNING With the help of an au pair you as a mother or father will be able to plan your weeks with much more accuracy, flexibility and freedom, as your au pair will generally, upon agreement with yourself make him or herself available to collect your children from school, take them to after school activities and many more activities as you see fit allowing you greater freedom to plan in time for yourself. Not only does an au pair enrich family life, but also allows you and your other half to escape the house a night or two a week for some quality time, safe in the knowledge that the little ones are safe and happy.

HELP WITH THE HOUSEWORK This isn’t a written rule but the more you offer out to an au pair the more you will get in return. In return for their weekly fee au pairs are generally expected to help out with household chores. Not to be mistaken for a servant au pairs will help out with household chores (but obviously, not do all of them on their own). Running round after children and managing all of the household duties can be a tiring job so having even a little bit of help in this area could be a great time saver. An au pair can serve as that ‘extra pair of hands’ busy parents are often in much need of, especially during those particularly stressful times!

IN HOME CARE When your children are sent to a registered child minder you are generally at their mercy with regard to location and methods of entertainment, interaction and discipline, as such limiting your control with regard to how your child is looked after. By hiring an au pair you can be safe in the knowledge that your children are being looked after in a familiar environment (your family home) and have greater control of the activities they undertake during the day. It is more like having the children looked after by an honorary family member, who will take on board house rules and personal childcare preferences. Besides these benefits and the numerous others you receive by inviting an au pair into your home, you are also making a great difference to your au pair. In return for assisting yourself and your family in all manner of daily chores, activities and events, they are learning a new language, culture and way of life…which is after all the reason they have left their home country to become an au pair. In short, everyone benefits!

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