Do you wish to travel for cheap? aaand….. do you enjoy spending time with kids?
Then being a (summer) au-pair might be the job for you! It can become one of your best experiences you’ve had!
You get the opportunity to meet great people and spend time with a nice family. Besides that, you get lots of free time to explore the city and country.
Sounds great right?! So let us tell you everything you should need to know!
You might be wondering; what exactly is an au-pair?
Well, this means you will stay with a family and help them take care of their kids and teach them a foreign language (usually English) or doing some small housework in exchange for a room, food and some pocket money. An au-pair differs from a nanny because au-pairs are typically from a foreign country and are also trying to explore the country a bit more. It obviously depends on the agreements you make with your host family, but it is usual that you get some days/evenings off, where you will be able to travel or explore the city.
What can you expect as an au-pair?
Obviously, it depends on the agreements you make with your host family. However, you can expect either a stricter schedule in the morning and have the afternoon free or a more flexible schedule based on the family that will host you. At GP-Connect we also help families to connect with au-pairs. The average time worked by an au-pair is no more than 30 hours a week.
How much money do you usually receive?
It is usual for an au-pair to receive an allowance or ‘pocket money’. This isn’t perceived as actual payment, because you also already get accommodation and all the meal are included too.
In most European countries, it is common to receive around 70-80 euros per week. Again, make sure you make agreements about this before coming!
For example, at GP-Connect it is already agreed with the host families a monthly allowance of 350 euros, that would be approximately 87 euros per week.
How can I find the perfect family for me?
A popular site to visit for connecting with families is www.aupairworld.com . Many would recommend it but it is not really “bulletproof “. You are on your own and do not have support of any organisation, so if any inconvenience would happen might be much difficult to be dealt with.
With organisations such as Yellowaupair or CulturalCare you pay a fee to them, and then they would arrange some of the things for you. But with GP-Connect you don’t need to pay any fee and we take care of all the details! We even offer visa sponsorship and cover the flight costs! And in case of any disagreement we will try help you find a fitting solution for both parties.
How can I connect with other people?
There are many ways to make friends, however, when you are in a foreign country and don’t know the area or the people, there are some useful apps for you. You can use Facebook. On Facebook you have certain groups that you can join, just type in ‘AuPair in…’ add the are where you are and I’m sure you’ll find something!
Once you’re in the group, you could post a little message about yourself, your area and the fact that you’re looking to meet up with some other au pairs in the city.
Once you meet one au-pair, others will follow. There is usually a whole network of au-pairs in the city that you will find out about!
Another thing that could be useful are actually dating apps! Often there is an option that you’re looking for friendships instead of a relationship. Very popular in the Netherlands is Bumble. Here you can personalise your profile more and have 3 options: looking for friends, looking for professional networking and of course dating:)
Why you should become an au-pair:
If all this information above doesn’t immediately get you to pack your bags, then here is a small
summary of all the reasons why you should become an au-pair:
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- Explore the world for cheap
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- Make amazing connections
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- Getting to know yourself on a whole new level
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- Free accommodation, Free food and earning pocket money
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- Getting to know a new culture
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- Improve your skills in a foreign language
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- Have an international experience
If you are or you know an unmarried international with the age between 18-25 years old ready to be part of a Dutch family from 25th of August 2024 contact us!
