Au pair jobs
Au pair jobs - The life in a metropolitan city can be very demanding
these days. Many young couples have no choice but to work different jobs
to support the household and to keep the house mortgage payments
ongoing. This becomes somewhat difficult for those who have young kids.
The economic pressures increase even more when there is a little member
in your family. Hiring an aupair is usually the best option for them.
They are young people from foreign countries to have a background in
child care. They must be fluent in your local language. An Au Pair,
world over is treated like the part of your family as opposed to a
servant.
Since they come from foreign countries, there can be confusions and
misunderstandings quite often. This article will help you in avoiding
these problems.
Cultural Faux Pas
They live with you in the same house and help you with children and
other minor household chores. Even though you have to pay them a small
allowance, they are not your employees. There may be some cultural
differences between you and them that you will find only after hiring
them. You will have to respect their cultural practices, even if some of
them might look odd to you. If you find anything unacceptable, try to
put that politely to your au pair. World can be a very odd place when it
comes too cultures and you can make your way through this by a bit of
patience and politeness.
Terms Of Contract
Aupairs and hosts, both should ensure that the terms of contract should
be clear and without ambiguity to avoid clashes at a later stage. You
should also check out with your local laws regarding their working
hours. In many countries you cannot ask them to work for more than a
certain number of hours. A minimum allowance limit is usually prescribed
for an au pair. World over, these laws may vary.
Also, the United States laws require that the au pair should take up
studies along with their work. Also in most cases you are required to
give them at off days.
Background Of The Person
You should check and confirm the background of the person you're about
to hire before finalizing anything. You should see that they are really
qualified and fluent in your language. If possible, try to contact the
overseas authorities on phone to check if they are reliable and have no
disturbing history. Though not many, sometimes there are a few scams in
the au pair world. The onus is on you to keep away from them.
Where To Find Au Pairs
There are many independent private organizations that run au pair
programs. You can hire the services of any such institution for some
charges. These agencies will help you in finding the best suitable
person for your requirements. However the thing with these agencies is
that not all of them are reliable and most of them rarely carry out any
background checks. Another great alternative to this is to look in
online listings. They are usually free and very easy to browse through.