Ahh, the USA… an all time favorite destination for au pairs to spend a year 🇺🇸
For this reason, we asked our former au pairs about their time in the land of unlimited opportunities. The results? Our top 10 reasons why you should become an Au Pair in America.
(Warning: content ahead may cause FOMO)
1. Not just living the American Dream, but dreaming American!💭
Do not worry if your language skills are a bit rusty at the beginning of your stay. Most others feel the same way, but that will change quickly! After all, you’ll be surrounded by native English speakers in the USA – whether it’s your host family, staff at the supermarket, or the local people when you’re off exploring in your free time.
Communicating with native English speakers on a daily basis is a very different experience than learning in the classroom. You will expand your vocabulary, perfect your pronunciation and improve your English enormously in general – without the all textbooks! Our au pairs often say that they eventually start to think and dream in English. If that happens…congratulations, you’re fluent! 💁♀️
2. The ladder for your career 💼
The ability to speak fluent English can open many doors in your professional life- but that’s not the only thing that will be beneficial for your future career. Notable skills that will enhance your CV include your improved time management and organizational skills, teamwork, multitasking and communication skills as well as a high resilience, empathy and sense of responsibility. You can also gain important intercultural skills through your stay abroad.
Not to mention you also get the option of college courses that will allow you to become a little more knowledgeable about a subject that interests you.
The end result? You’re simply the absolute dream candidate for employers after you return from your au pair year!🙌
3. Look at you go! 🔥
Living abroad = goodbye Comfort Zone! Anyone who dares the adventure of going abroad for a longer period of time, living there in an initially unfamiliar household and communicating exclusively in a language that isn’t their first, is – in a nutshell – seriously brave. And the benefits are totally worth it: You become more open and independent and get to know yourself better. It will be easier for you to approach new people and adapt to unusual situations. You will outgrow yourself and get a HUGE dose of self-confidence 💪
4. A Home in 2 Continents 🏠
It’s the greatest feeling to have people who you’re not related to, but have grown so close to that in your heart, you feel like a real family member. Of course, it takes time until you have settled in and feel completely integrated into family life – but when the time comes to feel at home in another place, in another country, even on another continent, you’ll know what makes an au pair. Many of our participants still keep in touch with their host family years later, and will always have a warm and welcoming place to stay when visiting the States.
5. Start your modeling career – as a role model 🌟
You are the entire package of a supervisor, best friend, big sister and playmate in one. Depending on the age of the children, you help them get dressed, prepare meals for them, help with homework, pick them up from school, accompany them to sports or other leisure activities, play games and laugh with them, or comfort them up when they’re sad. In short: You will become an important caregiver and role model for your host kids. It’s scary and wonderful all at once, and you learn so much from one another.
Plus, a daily life filled with glitter, cartoons, cookies and building forts?? Um…YES PLEASE 🍪📺
6. Friends all over the world 🌍
As an au pair you will not only find a second family, you will also make friends for life. Most of our former au pairs are still friends with people they met during the Orientation Days in New York . On these introductory days, we will occupy the hotel rooms with participants who are placed in the same region, if possible. Not to mention all the people you’ll meet at cluster meetings, during college courses, or even just out exploring!
Your new friends can come from all over the world – so you can learn not only about America, but also about various other cultures too. Passports at the ready – you’ll have plenty of BFFs to go visit!✈️
7. Bucket list? Tick, tick, tick! ✔️
America also has an incredible amount to offer that you can’t find anywhere else. A whole 50 states are waiting to be discovered by you: From sandy beaches lined with palm trees, to impressive canyons with deep gorges…Sightseeing in neon city lights, to breathing in the fresh nature air at a national parks. Which one first?!?
Fortunately, you don’t have to choose! During your year, there is plenty of opportunity to travel, and your free weekends are great for shorter trips. Plus, many host families also invite their au pairs to join them on family vacations. Better yet, you have an additional two weeks of vacation during your stay, where you can go adventuring for longer. If that isn’t enough, the perfect end to a great year for many of our au pairs was the 13th month they toured across the United States! 🧳
8. Start your Wanderlust 🗺️
It’s no secret: Anyone who gets a taste for an extended trip abroad becomes a serial traveler! 🎒
Your au pair time can be the door to your passion for traveling. And we’re happy to encourage this. Often our au pairs will extend their stay for another 6, 9 or 12 months, or return to be an au pair with us at a later date.
9. We are family 💕
You are not alone, but surrounded by a large au pair community. Your local contact person is in constant communication with you and your host family. So you always have someone to contact if you have any questions, misunderstandings, problems, etc. They’ll also organize regular meetings with other au pairs in your area – so you know you’ll find a friend to swap tips with, gain support and hang out with during free time. It’s quite likely that you will find travel mates here that you can experience short trips with and other activities and also do your 13th month of travel.
10. Au Pair – Oh Yeah!✌️
So basically, being an Au Pair = moments and experiences that you will look back on throughout your life with a smile on your face, and stories that you will tell over and over again from a time that you might just call the best year of your life. ✨
