Read what the Chipiron family have to say about being an au pair for the summer. They share their views on this adventure with us!
We were lucky enough to spend some time with them in Hossegor last August, when the family were still hosting their au pair. She tells us about her au pair experience.
Pouvez-vous présenter votre jolie famille en quelques mots ?
Hi, we’re a family of 4: Dad Chipiron, 🏄♂️surfeur and entrepreneur, Mum Chipiron, surfer and entrepreneur, and our little boys, Teo (5) and Noa (2) 👶. We’re on the move, as it were. Our heads are full of ideas and projects, and we never stop. Between our surfing business in Hossegor, extra-curricular activities, beach life 🏖️, etc. but we love it!
What led you to resort to au pairing?
We opened a surf school (Chipiron Surfschool) 2 years ago. With Teo at school 🏫 we found ourselves having to organise two months’ holiday. Even though we spend all summer on the beach, it was unthinkable for us to have him spend two months with us at surf school 🌊. We love to travel, and open-mindedness and curiosity are part of our upbringing. So we opted for the au pair option, with a 24-year-old Spanish girl.
Don’t hesitate any longer and enjoy your au pair experience by becoming a host family with Butrfly!
What do you expect from your au pair? What tasks will you entrust to him/her?
We entrust them with our children, and above all with the task of keeping them amused and looking after them 🙂 That’s the main thing we ask of them. We only use au pairs during the summer months ☀️. We want our children to have the chance to have ‘real’ holidays too, with a slower pace, fun, laughter…
At home, we appeal to their common sense. There are 5 of us and we have our own habits. It’s not always easy to welcome someone into your nest 🏡. We ask them to help, as if it were their home. Things that seem obvious to us, like tidying up the breakfast table 🍽️, hanging out the washing from the washing machine if we don’t have time to do it, and so on.
When are you recruiting?
We go away for relatively short periods, July – August usually. The rest of the year, we don’t need it 🙂.
Do you have a preference for a particular nationality?
We’ve only used Spanish teachers for the time being, as we both speak 🗣️ the language fluently and we wanted our children to discover the language.
For next year, I think 🤔 we’ll also be looking at Germany and England.
Don’t hesitate any longer and enjoy your au pair experience by becoming a host family with Butrfly!
What is the most important quality you look for in an au pair?
For us, it’s dynamism and taking the initiative. We have 2 boys who are full of energy, who like to run around, be crazy and play sport 🏉… We leave the house at 9am until 8pm, I want to make sure he doesn’t stay at home 🏠 when it’s sunny ☀️. We’re lucky enough to live in a superb region, with lots of things to do.
We’re also looking for a responsible person. Between the swimming pool 🏊♂️, the ocean, the beach, … there are many risks and I want to be sure that the au pair is aware of these dangers, especially with young children.
Do you have a story to tell us?
One positive and one negative.
Let’s start with the negative… My 5-year-old son went to the leisure centre in July. One morning, it was impossible to wake him up 💤. So I asked my au pair to look after him until early afternoon and bring him to the surf school 🏄♂️ at around 3pm, so that she too could enjoy her day as planned. At 3pm, I see my son arrive at the beach… on his own. I ask where the au pair is, and he tells me that she’s gone 🏃♀️, that she had left him at the bottom of the stairs on the other side of the dune. I didn’t understand why she had let him come on his own, anything could have happened… I called her straight away, she realised her mistake and I think she understood.
The good anecdote, with this same au pair, a few days after she left, we received an email from her 📧 with a WeTransfer. She was a photography student. Throughout her stay, she had taken photos 📸 of the boys, and she gave us these superb photos. You could see the boys enjoying themselves, and a real bond had developed with her. We were very touched.
Any advice for families who are still hesitating?
I think the most important thing is to communicate clearly about the family’s real needs and what will be required. As long as things are said, everything goes well 👍.
For recruitment, don’t hesitate to make several Skype 📱 or other appointments to talk to the person and get to know them better. Don’t hesitate to ask for recommendations and call former families 👪, or parents. And a good solution may be to turn to Butrfly 🦋.
You can also read the advice article on choosing the right au pair for you 👉 ‘5 key tips for choosing your au pair’.
If you’re interested in hosting an au pair, join us at our next Free Masterclass.
