Do you have any friends or relatives in your home country with children close to the age of your school-age children?  You can encourage them to exchange letters (or emails).  Simple notes or even pictures arriving by overseas mail are very exciting for children (and au pairs).

As you know, it is illegal to buy or drink alcohol, beer and wine in the United States if you are under 21 years of age. If someone buys alcohol for others who are under 21, it is the person who is buying the alcohol who will be in trouble with the law. It is not a chance worth taking. Do not put your friends in an embarrassing or dangerous position by asking them to buy alcohol for you if you are under 21!

Don’t use the internet to vent.  Remember anything you post on Facebook or other social networking sites can be seem by millions of people.  Don’t be fooled into thinking that a post in your native language won’t be understood!  If you are having a bad day, call your counselor and she can help you find a solution.

Many of you have been here for several months, don’t; let yourself get into a routine of not doing your best.  Take initiative – don’t wait to be asked, anticipate children’s needs, offer to help when you are sharing “family time.”

Host families are required to provide transportation, to and from classes, complete your educational requirement, even if the $500 education allowance has already been spent and you are paying for classes to meet the au par requirement.

These costs may include one or all of the following: gasoline for the car, parking fees, or public transportation fare. The cost of transportation is in addition to the $500/$1000 allocated for tuition.