Being an au pair totally changed my career plans!

We interviewed our recruitment leader Susanna from Finland, who has been interviewing and coaching our applicants for over two years, and even before that she has started her "career" with Cultural Care Au Pair in Massachusetts! Susanna is currently studying to become a teacher, and now she tells how going as an au pair totally changed her career plans!

1. Why did you decide to work with children?
Actually, I swore from early age that I would be anything else except a primary school teacher, since my mother is a primary school teacher. But then, my little brother and sister were born and from that on I just started to work with children; as a nanny, a group leader in camps, an au pair! And then when it came time to apply to an university, I found myself applying to study to be a primary school teacher, and only that, since nothing else was closer to my heart. Before I started studying I spent a year as an au pair in Boston, MA, USA and that year made clear to me that I had made the right decision to study especially in Intercultural Teacher Education.

 2.  What would your advice be to someone thinking about a career working with children?
Get experience! It does not matter what the experience is, but just get to know children and their world and interact with them. When working with children, and especially teaching, you are never ready. You learn everyday about yourself and the children. And enjoy the company of children, they are so much more fun than adults are most of the time! 

 3.Having experience as a babysitter and then transitioning into working full-time with children, what would you say is the biggest difference in interacting with the children?As a babysitter I was there to take care of the children and have fun with them, and make sure their day went well, upbringing them in small situations and discussions. Now I am interacting all the time with 15 or more children and going through quite big discussions with them. I find myself now somehow being more on the background and giving the children more space to talk and ponder on those big questions and trying to help them to think for themselves rather than just telling them what to do. With over 10 years of experience from children I would strongly advice everyone to listen to them with your mind open. Usually children think outside of the box, and we adults have hard time understanding them!

 4.  What do you see as the benefit for kids in having an au pair?
There are plenty! First of all, from very young age onwards children get to experience closely someone from a different culture and practice interacting with that someone. Further in life we interact daily with people from different cultures, so I think it is very valuable for children to already notice that people are different depending from the culture and also with a culture. I think children also gain a lot of confidence from au pairs since they usually speak English as a second language and children get the chance to be "teachers" for the au pair. And of course, one close caring adult in a child's life is always great.

5.How can au pairs best help their host children prepare for school?
Listen to the children and make sure they feel good - school days are often full of different situations that  might be troubling children afterwards and they can have an effect to how the child feels about school. School is so much more than just doing exercises in class and learning from the teacher. Before the school day, make sure they have all they need for school and go through the day with them, this helps the child to be confident and if they forget something, this is when they usually remember it. After the school day, pay interest to the child's day: ask what they did, who did they play with and what do they have for homework, and what did they learn? This will help the children do way better in school and motivate them too!

 6. What do you think the benefits are for young kids in being exposed to different cultures early on?Chidlhood is the time to get educated for the upcoming life, so what could be a better practise to interact with people from different cultures than living with an au pair? Since in the modern day world we are required to be global and interculturally competetive, it is more than good to start from young to practise communication skills and also reflect on one's own culture. When children are exposed to different cultures from early on, I believe, that they become less judgemental when it comes to other cultures and learn from early on to appreciate the differences and richness of different cultures!

Top 8 reasons on why to become an au pair!

I decided to list out few reasons why I think becoming an au pair is basically the most awesome thing ever! Do you feel there is anything else that should be added to the list?

1. Become fluent in English
While being an au pair in the USA you will be using English in your every-day communication - with your host family, with your host children, with your new friends and even when visiting the local grocery story! Before you notice, you will be dreaming in English. Being fluent in English will definitely help you in your future in your studies or with your future profession!

2. International experience
Being an au pair in the USA is the best kind of international experience that you can have! Many employers appericiate when an applicant has experience from abroad, and it will definitely make you stand out! Being an au pair means also that you are fluent in English, you are organized and work hard! Many of our au pairs want to work with children in the future, as teachers for example, and while being an au pair you receive a lot of experience from being full-time with children, and you will be able to see from their side how they grow and learn new things!

3. New friends - from all over the world
Cultural Care Au Pair has offices in over 20 countries all over the world and we have au pairs travel to USA weekly who are about to start the same adventure as you! Meeting new people starts already at our au pair training school!

4. New family
While being an au pair in the USA you will become an irreplacable part of your host family. You will be living under the same roof and live the everyday life together. You will spend many great moments with your host family - including for example many American holidays such as Thanksgiving! You will also be there for many moments with the children - maybe their first steps or their first day of school! After your time as an au pair in the USA you will have two families - one back at home and one in the USA.

5. Travel in the USA
Every au pair has two weeks of paid vacation as well as also an additional month to be spent traveling in the USA after you have finished your time as an au pair. These times are great to spend exploring other parts in the USA as well! Maybe you will be taking roadtrips to the neighbouring states with your new au pair friends during weekends? Maybe you will take a long weekend and visit some friends in another state who you met during your first week at the training school? Make sure to explore what Manhattan looks from the top of the Empire State Building, if Chicago is as windy as they say, what it feels to drive through the Golden Gate or to swim with dolphins in Florida?

6. Cultural exchange
One of the main points of our au pair program is cultural exchange - you will become part of the American everyday life and through that learn about the local culture. You will maybe experience your first Halloween or your first Thanksgiving, you will get to experience if Americans are as social as they are rumoured to be and if everything really is bigger in USA as they say? Since this is about cultural EXCHANGE you get to also bring in your culture - what are you going to be telling about your home country and your culture? Maybe during Christmas your family will not be only eating American Christmas foods?

7. Study in the USA
One of the requirements of your J1 au pair visa is that you have to take minimum of six credits (72 hours) at a local university. Have you always wanted to study photography? Maybe you want to learn the basics of Spanish? Maybe you want to really see if marketing is something you might be studying after your time as an au pair? Remember, that your host family will pay up to $500 towards your studies. Studying at a local university is a great way to meet local people as well as experience the American university life!

8. Learn more about yourself and become more independent!
Going as an au pair for many of our au pairs is the first time that they move away from home - and for even more it is the first time they will be living abroad! While being an au pair you will become more independent and often grow up to become more social. After your time as an au pair you will absolutely have easier time to make decisions, take risks and I can guarantee - you have learned so much more about yourself!

Do not forget to share your own thoughts as well! Make this adventure to happen NOW!