1 - Flexible, cost-effective childcare.
No need to draw you a picture. Do you know many nannies who can not only take care of the children after school, but also babysit from time to time and look after the youngest child who has a cough and can’t go to school? Your au pair can!
Admittedly, his hours are fixed, but he’s there to help you, and adapts to your needs on a daily basis. Financially, the cost is moderate: around €90 pocket money per week, room and board (for more details, see How much does it cost). And that’s regardless of the number of children!
And for you, the peace of mind of knowing that anything can happen, and that you can count on him or her to take care of everything.
2 - Everyday domestic help.
Your au pair isn’t there to do the housework, but as a member of the family, he or she helps out on a daily basis.
Among the pleasant surprises you’ll notice when you get home: the dishwasher is emptied, the children’s room is tidy, he’s bought the bread on the way home from school, or even vacuumed the living room… So many little things that oil the wheels and free up your time to be a better parent: playing a little game with the kids, reading a story, revising the next day’s quiz with the older one…
Sometimes all it takes is an extra 15 minutes a day to savour the joy of being together.
3 - Opening up to the world and a new language.
Everyone knows that languages are learned with disconcerting ease when you’re little. With an au pair at home, your children will have the chance to spend time with someone who speaks another language. Your au pair will be keen to share his or her language with them, as well as all the habits of his or her country of origin: food, schedule, activities… Get ready to discover that your children have a wonderful accent!
4 - Accepting the stranger and sharing.
On a daily basis, your children will also gently integrate beautiful ideas such as difference and tolerance.
After all, by welcoming an au pair, you open your home to the Other. In effect, you’re welcoming them to your table and sharing the essentials of your life with them. At every moment, you’ll decipher your habits as choices, not universal rules.
Every day, your children will understand that elsewhere, life can be lived differently, and that it’s perfect too. A gift for their whole lives!
5 - A strong, lasting relationship
You’re going to share a good part of your life with your au pair.
He’ll share your grumpy breakfasts, your children’s birthdays, the evenings you’re fed up with and the weekends you’ve had too much fun. He’ll help you out a lot of the time. You’ll pamper him like a member of the family. The children will adopt him. He’ll share with you his doubts and discoveries as an adult in the making.
In short, the relationship with your au pair will surpass the one you’d have with a childcare professional looking after your children. You’ll be entering his or her life. He’ll be entering yours. And that’s one of the reasons why choosing an au pair is such a rich experience. We even know au pairs who regularly meet up with their host families like old friends, and even au pairs who have never left their host country!
