Hey from Magdalena!

Hi Everyone! My name is Magdalena, I am 24 years old and I have been working for Cultural Care Au Pair for six months now. It’s incredible how time flies, I can still remember my first day at the office as if it was yesterday. I clearly remember the energy and positive atmosphere as soon as I stepped into the office and that is really what I think defines this place.

It has been a great time working at Cultural Care Au Pair, I have gained so much new experience and got to know my wonderful colleagues here at the Stockholm office. It also got me to start thinking how happy I am that I decided to become an au pair after I graduated from high school - otherwise I would never be where I am today.

When I moved abroad to become an au pair I was nearly 19, had just graduated from high school and coming from the country side outside of a small town in Sweden,  I had quite little experience from life. So moving abroad and away from home taught me so many things about myself and about life.

Being an au pair was also really special since I got the opportunity to see a new culture from "the inside" and to create great memories with my host family and my host child. I didn't just make friends for life, but it also opened so many doors for the future, I realized I could do anything or go anywhere. It led me to many other adventures and I really got the taste for living abroad and seeing more of the world. So that lead to me moving again - I lived in Paris for one year, which is a beautiful city and I had such a great time living there.

I think living abroad with a different culture than what you are used to and people having other habits than you may have, is very good for you. You learn so many things about yourself by putting yourself in situations and places you've never been in before.

So during the six years that has passed since I graduated from high school I have had many adventures, journeys and done a lot of different things and I can honestly say that if I hadn't decided to take the step and become an au pair I may never have experienced any of those things. Maybe I would still live in my hometown, who knows? Instead now, I feel grateful for my journey during these years and where it has led me today; having a job where I am able to help others traveling to become an au pair and have their best year filled with memories and new experiences. My goal is to help everyone start their journey and realize that they can also do anything they dream of!

“The new girl” at Stockholm office!

Here I am! Annimaija, 28 years old and I come from Finland. I have been working at Cultural Care Au Pair for three weeks now. To be part of this Pink team is so much fun with all tasks and days that are so different from each other and the team here is just great!

Some weeks ago I was still working in the hotel and restaurant business as a concierge and helped people from “Matti Meikäläinen” to Lady Gaga to be happy while staying at our hotel and make sure they will get memories for their life. My motto is: never say never and be open minded because you can make all “impossible” things possible if you really want to! 

At Cultural Care Au Pair I work with helping people from Finland and Copenhagen to become an  au pair to the USA. My job is to help YOU to get the most fantastic work experience with children in the new country with a new culture. I really want you to be able to enjoy and learn as much as possible during your au pair time!

P.S: I’ve also been working as an au pair in a foreign country. I will tell you more about it next time… 

Being there for your au pair friends!

You are going to be making a lot of friends during your time as an au pair. Most likely a good portion of those are going to be au pairs. During your time you will also experience difficulties with your host family, just like you do with your family back at home. It can be small things or big things, but you will find yourself needing to problem solve. Good problem solving skills are something we expect from all our au pairs.

You might also find yourself in a position where you aren’t the one in need of advice, but the one being asked for it. What do you do when your friend is having problems with their host family? What do you say? How can you help them in the best possible way?

Listen

Sometimes the only thing you are looking for when you have a problem is a sympathetic ear to listen to you. Let your friend vent, let them get all their cards on the table as we say in the USA. After I listen to someone’s problem, I like to repeat it back to them in a concise summary.  “Ok, so let me see if I understand right, you are saying that…” This helps a lot because sometimes when you hear your own problem said out loud by someone else you get a whole new perspective.

Another thing that you rarely do when you have a problem yourself is to look at the other side’s point of view. This can be sensitive, since your friend probably wants you to be on their side. BUT this can often lead to, once again, a new perspective. Wonder what their host parents are thinking? Well, actually think about it. How does the problem look like from their side? It is rare that someone will give in 100%, so most likely the problem will be resolved by meeting in the middle. Helping your friend think up a solution that benefits both sides will help them be prepared when they actually confront the problem.

Encourage Action

Take charge of the problem! If you let problems fester, they build up. I think that is something that everyone knows, but it is so easy to push stuff aside so it is something that we rarely do. It’s pretty rare for a problem to just disappear. The first step is to admit that there is a problem, which your friend has done by talking to you. The next step is to communicate. Their host family might not even be aware there is a problem or what their au pairs point of view. Encourage your friend to sit down and speak with their host parents. We always want our au pairs to try and resolve the problem on their own first and being the first to take the step shows character.

When its time to involve Cultural Care Au Pair

It is vital for you to know when you should involve Cultural Care Au Pair. As I mentioned above, we do want to see our au pairs and host families communicate. But sometimes it is important to involve us. If the problem has to do with safety, it’s important that your friend gets help straight away. That means theirs, the host kids, or host parents physical safety.  Also, know your rights as an au pair. They are all written in the different materials that you have received before going to the USA. Is your friend or their host family breaking the rules then it is important that we are able to help them get back on the correct path. You can contact your LCC, our Boston office, or even your home country office. Even if it’s just for advice, we are glad to be of assistance! We do not read minds just yet, so you do need to be the one to take the first step.

Be the support your friend needs. No one goes into the au pair program expecting to end it early or even to have problems. Also, it’s rare for an au pair to go into the program having any friends. This means our au pairs usually develop tight friendships quickly with people they do not know very well. But, with that said, you are all experiencing the same thing. It is you, not their friends or parents back home that can best relate to the problem at hand. So use your own experiences, our tips and your best intuition to be a problem solving superstar!

Getting over homesickness!

No one goes into the au pair program thinking they will be homesick. I can probably say that the majority of our candidates listen to our preparation workshops thinking that it does not pertain to them at all. The fact is however that we see almost 9 out of 10 au pairs getting homesick. It is something that happens to almost everyone, but of course to varying degrees.

 As we say in a lot of our courses, homesickness can be anything from just a slight longing to full-blown sadness. It can be triggered from anything from spending Christmas eve away from your family to clicking through Facebook pictures of what your friends are doing back home. The most important thing to remember, however severe your homesickness is, is that it is okay. You are allowed to feel homesickness, to feel sad, and, most importantly, to ask for help.

We at Cultural Care Au Pair have over 26 years of experience dealing with this. We have a lot of advice, tips, and tricks to get through those tough times. The majority of us have even been au pairs ourselves and those tips come directly from our own personal experience. Your host family also understands where you are coming from, that you are in a new country, and that you are leaving things behind. Your new au pair friends will also be in the same boat as you and might just be too afraid to be the one to bring it up.

 I personally believe that one of the best ways to get through homesickness is having the right expectations and attitude. Believing in yourself is something that will get you far and will be useful no matter which path you take in life. I do understand that it is easier said than done, but going into your au pair time with the expectation that you WILL have tough times and the attitude that you WILL get through it is the first step to a successful experience.

Holidays away from near and dear ones

For many that travel as au pairs, this means the first Christmas away from near and dear ones.
It can be hard, and we know that many au pairs experience homesickness during the holidays.

If it happens to you, please keep this mind:
* You are not alone. Many au pairs feel this way. It’s normal, and it will get better.
* This is a once in a lifetime experience. Regardless if you are celebrating Hanukkah with your host-family, an American Christmas or not at all – it’s part of the experience. In a year from now, you will look back and remember the holidays as part of an overall developing, exciting, sometimes tough, but life-changing experience.
* It’s only one holiday out of many. Next year you are back to your old routines.
* Stay as active as you can. The more you want to go in to your room and pull the cover over your head – the more you need to push yourself out there.
* Embrace it! Share some of your family’s traditions with your host-family. Maybe the homesickness will feel a bit better.


If not – remember that you have a network of other au pairs that can offer support. You are all in the same boat, and even if you experience the holidays slightly different – you can always support each other. Sometimes it’s better to talk to them – talking to your family back home may increase your homesickness.

Our office is open on December 22nd and 23rd, December 29th and 30th and then on January 2nd and from January 7th it’s open as normal again. Those days you are of course welcome to call an email. Our emergency number in the Boston office is always open.

Enjoy your time and stay warm!
Victoria and the ladies in the Stockholm office

Hej from Milja at the office!

 

 

Hello there!

My name is Milja and I’m the new intern at Cultural Care Au Pair in Stockholm. My first week has been very hectic but so fun and interesting! I couldn’t have found a better place to do my internship at. The best has been to get to know all the lovely ladies here at the office, and now I’m officially a member of the pink team! And, pink is my favorite color. Pink makes me happy!

I’ve never been an Au Pair, but I would love to go! And after this week my interest has just grown bigger! I love kids and I love to travel and I would love to live abroad. I lived in Africa when I was younger for three years, and it was a great experience thou that I don’t remember that much. But I think that it made a part of me to who I am today. I also think that going as an Au Pair to now for example US would make you look at the world in a different way and everybody would grow in themselves.

I hope everybody had a lovely Halloween!

Take care,

Milja

Challenge yourself!

Whether you currently are an au pair or you are going to become an au pair, you know that traveling abroad and leaving everything familiar behind takes some guts and courage! I want to congratulate you for taking that step – stepping out of your own comfort zone and taking a big responsibility of yourself.

Traveling is one of my greatest passions, for many reasons: you get to see the places you have never seen before (maybe only in pictures), you get to meet so many different kind of people who will wide up your perspective of life and you get to experience so many unforgettable things you would never experience if you would stay at home. All this gives you so much energy for the future! But –as Peter Parker in Spiderman once said- “With great power comes a great responsibility!”

When traveling as an au pair you will face many new and sometimes even difficult situations. Whether it is a matter of applying your visa, calling to an unfamiliar office in English or check-in to your flight for the first time in your life, remember: take responsibility of what you are doing! Take it as a challenge that will make you stronger for the future and a challenge that will make you grow! We at Cultural Care Au Pair Nordics office are more than happy to assist you with all your questions and dilemmas – but first I challenge you to try to solve your situation by yourself. After solving a problem that might seem insurmountable, you feel like there is basically nothing in this world that you cannot handle! I often like to challenge myself with new things that come around. It usually helps me when I think what my mother always tells me “Everything will be all right in the end.” And that’s how it has always been! There is not even one problem I haven’t fixed in the end. Sometimes that might take you twice the energy to try to solve it by yourself instead of taking the easy way out and ask right away, but it will reward you in the end!

Traveling by yourself gives you a great responsibility to manage things on your own! That’s one thing I love about traveling – independency. You are the only person who can make the decision to survive through difficult situations or give up. If you choose to make your way through, you will be 100% stronger and more independent!

Best regards,
Jenni