Why should you extend your au pair-time? Well, why not?

"Going as an au pair to the USA does not always need to be going away for 12 months - we hope you are well aware of the fact that if you are enjoying your time in the USA, it does not have to stop there - you can extend with 6, 9 or 12 months, and you can choose if you want to extend with your host family or if you want to find another host family - maybe in another part of USA?

Here you can read few examples from our au pairs who extended, why they decided to do it and why they think it was one of the best decisions they ever made!

"My best advice will be to just do it. Don't think to much about it, just jump into it and do it! It's most likely gonna be the year of your life, and you won't regret it! It can be scary to think that you have to be away from everything you know for that long, but times fly by. When I started looking for Au Pair opportunities I was looking at things that was 6 or 9 months, but then decided to go with Cultural Care, and I ended up being there for 21 months, and didn't want to go home again!"

- Majken

 

 

"I am currently in my 6-month extension. I had not considered extending until my host family asked me to. They needed me for 6 more months and I have thought through before saying yes. I have tried looking at the pros and the cons but I only had pros! I could still go back to college after I came back, I could enjoy San Francisco for 6 more months as we had just moved there, I could improve my English even more and also travel more, discover more. My family was the kindest possible so this was a no-brainer.

I really don’t regret my choice: I would have never been ready to leave after a year! It goes by way too fast. The extension has been an opportunity to bond even more with my host family and leaving them will be very hard. I think a year and a half was the perfect duration for me."

- Caroline

 

"Becoming an au pair had been obvious for a long time but it took me months to decide about the extension. Since I arrived, the days have been passing by and one morning, I got up and realized I have been here for 6 months and was crossing to the other half of the adventure.

To be honest, I was not ready to come back home. Not ready to leave my American bubble, my incredible host family, my little monsters and my friends from all over the world. The extension then became obvious too.

After talking with my host family, I have chosen a 6-month extension. It allowed me to make the dream last while letting me go back to college after.

The au pair adventure goes by extremely quickly -when you reach the middle, you ask yourself where the time has gone? The extension is a personal choice and I had to make sure it would not compromise my long-term projects but I really chose with my hear, chose to spend a few more months in the most incredible host family."

- Myriam

 

 

"The main reason why I chose to extend my year for another 12 months was because I had such a great time and I didn’t wanted to give that up. I loved the work with my host kids. I had a great and very unique time with my host family. I made so many new friends there and I just simply loved the ‘American way of life’.
I would advise every au pair out there, who is still thinking about extending to just do it.”
- Kathrin

Want to read more? Check our homepage!

Finland: http://culturalcare.fi/uutiset-ja-tarjoukset/au-pair-extendaus/
Sweden: http://culturalcare.se/nyheter-och-erbjudanden/forlanga-din-aupair-tid/
Denmark: http://culturalcare.dk/nyheder-og-tilbud/extend-aupair/

 

Give and take!

We asked some of current and past au pairs what the au pair-program gave for them and what kind of thoughts they have - do you agree? What did the program give you? Please share your own experiences and stories - we love to hear them and of course the others as well!

“Working as an au pair has totally opened up my eyes. When you live back at home and are only surrounded by people from your own country you necessarily do not understand how many different cultures and people there are around you. I have become much more open for new things and I understand so much more of the world. I am also braver and more confident and of course my English skills have improved so much! I would suggest traveling as an au pair for anyone who is ready to take onto new challenges and who have the inner urge to work abroad. Working as an au pair is a great way to get to work abroad. If you are ready to take a step to the unknown, traveling as an au pair is a great opportunity!" -Meri, au pair in Texas

”My time as an au pair has changed me a lot. I have become stronger, more independent and more open as a person. I have learned a lot about life and people. I have also gotten a better view of the person that I want to become. I am so proud of everything I have achieved during my time.

I recommend traveling as an au pair for everyone who is ready to spend time abroad working with children, and also for everyone who wants to take some time to find themselves and figure out their plans for the future. This is a great opportunity to improve your English and learn really to speak it. You get to see so much of the new culture and meet new and great people. I have also gotten a great change to travel and see a lot of USA. The most important qualities of au pair-job is getting along with children, the will to learn to know a new culture and also to accept all the differences between the culture in the USA and with your own.” -Riina, au pair in New Jersey

”I can honestly say that my life totally changed during my time as an au pair. I grew a lot personally and I learned so much about myself and the people around me – also a lot that I would not have learned back home. I am much more confident and I believe in myself and I know what I want from life. And most importantly – I got a new family in the USA and a lot of great friends that I will never forget.” -Jennica, au pair in Minnesota

"My host family and I have a great relationship. They have included me in everything since the day I came here and I'm really thankful for how they made me become a part of their family. I really couln't have found a better family to spend this year with. We are so much alike but we can also learn from our differences. It's hard coming from another country with another culture and then just live with a new family that doesn't work the same as your own in your home country. My host family have made this so much easier than it could have been. They are amazing people and I'm sure that they will stay in my life, as they will in my heart, forever." - Rebecca, au pair in Washington D.C.

 

 

Want to read more experiences from the au pairs from your country? Check our website:

Sweden: http://culturalcare.se/direkt-fran-usa/lar-kanna-vara-au-pairer/

Denmark: http://culturalcare.dk/historier/mod-vores-au-pairs/

Finland: http://culturalcare.fi/tarinoita/tapaa-au-pairejamme/