{"id":250,"date":"2010-10-09T13:58:36","date_gmt":"2010-10-09T17:58:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/abc\/?p=250"},"modified":"2010-10-09T13:58:36","modified_gmt":"2010-10-09T17:58:36","slug":"helpful-tips-for-au-pairs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/abc\/2010\/10\/09\/helpful-tips-for-au-pairs\/","title":{"rendered":"Helpful Tips for Au Pairs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>1. <strong>Stay in touch with your Community Counselor <\/strong>\u2013it is the only way he\/she will get to know you!<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Attend cluster meetings<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Call or email if you cannot come to a monthly meeting<\/li>\n<li>Let your counselor know if you will be out of town<\/li>\n<li>Call when you need help or advice-your counselor is an impartial listener and will always consider both sides of the situation. Your counselor will\u00a0 give you an honest opinion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>3. Be a good buddy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Remember what it is like to be a new au pair. Welcome new arrivals. Arrange to meet a new au pair. Take her out. Accompany her to the next cluster meeting.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Take responsibility for your actions<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No one is perfect. If you make a mistake, take responsibility and try to correct the situation. Speak openly and honestly with your host family when a mistake has been made.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. Respect the privacy of others<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gossiping about other au pairs and host families can be very harmful. If your friends confide in you, honor the confidence. Do not tell others about what goes on in other host families. Use discretion when posting on Facebook. Remember, host families read it too!<\/p>\n<p><strong>6. Communicate<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Share your ideas, discuss cultural differences, ask questions when you don\u2019t understand<\/li>\n<li>If you have a problem, present it to your host parents clearly and calmly. Suggest a solution to the situation. Listen to what they say and try to reach a compromise.<\/li>\n<li>Let your host family know if language is a problem. Admit if you do not understand a word or instructions. Ask questions.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Keep in mind that everyone has good intentions.<\/span> We may just not know what they are. When there is a disagreement with your host family, remember to listen to their point-of-view.\u00a0 You may not agree with it, but it\u2019s important to listen and hear it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>7. Follow house rules.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The only way you will establish trust is by following rules \u2013 even those with which you may not agree.\u00a0 If you are not sure of the house rule, ask..<\/p>\n<p><strong>8. Be considerate of your host parents<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Keep them informed of where you are going.<\/li>\n<li>Let them know if you are staying out over night.<\/li>\n<li>If you plan on traveling, discuss the details with them and do not interfere with their schedules.<\/li>\n<li>Remember that your host parents are tired when they get home from work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>9. Show appreciation<\/strong> \u2013 return the favors your family does for you with kindness and generosity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>10. Take initiative<\/strong> \u2013 don\u2019t wait to be asked, anticipate children\u2019s needs, offer to help when you are sharing \u201cfamily time\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>11.<\/strong> <strong>Let a good example.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The children you care for look up to you. Don\u2019t do things in front of the children that their parents would not want them doing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>12.Take care of yourself<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Have reasonable expectations of yourself \u2013 be patient as you learn to adjust to life in America<\/li>\n<li>Try to understand and accept cultural differences \u2013 that is part of why you came here; learn from the experience<\/li>\n<li>If you are feeling homesick or house bound call someone and give yourself something to look forward to<\/li>\n<li>Keep reasonable evening hours if you are expected to get up early to work the next day<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Talk, Talk, Talk! Communication and an open mind\u00a0are key to a successful year!<\/strong><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>1. Stay in touch with your Community Counselor \u2013it is the only way he\/she will get to know you! 2. Attend cluster meetings Call or email if you cannot come to a monthly meeting Let your counselor know if you will be out of town Call when you need help or advice-your counselor is an  <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/abc\/2010\/10\/09\/helpful-tips-for-au-pairs\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[49,487,512],"class_list":["post-250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-au-pair-tips","tag-au-pairs","tag-successful-year","tag-tips"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Helpful Tips for Au Pairs - ABC Blog (Annapolis, Baltimore &amp; Columbia, MD)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Helpful Tips for Au Pairs - ABC Blog (Annapolis, Baltimore &amp; Columbia, MD)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"1. Stay in touch with your Community Counselor \u2013it is the only way he\/she will get to know you! 2. Attend cluster meetings Call or email if you cannot come to a monthly meeting Let your counselor know if you will be out of town Call when you need help or advice-your counselor is an Read More\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/abc\/2010\/10\/09\/helpful-tips-for-au-pairs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ABC Blog (Annapolis, Baltimore &amp; Columbia, MD)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-10-09T17:58:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Natasha Wrobel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Natasha Wrobel\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/abc\/2010\/10\/09\/helpful-tips-for-au-pairs\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/abc\/2010\/10\/09\/helpful-tips-for-au-pairs\/\",\"name\":\"Helpful Tips for Au Pairs - ABC Blog (Annapolis, Baltimore &amp; Columbia, MD)\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/abc\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2010-10-09T17:58:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2010-10-09T17:58:36+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/abc\/#\/schema\/person\/1f6a49cbbaccbdd9a5ca7b8cbe591972\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/abc\/2010\/10\/09\/helpful-tips-for-au-pairs\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/abc\/2010\/10\/09\/helpful-tips-for-au-pairs\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/abc\/2010\/10\/09\/helpful-tips-for-au-pairs\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/abc\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Helpful Tips for Au Pairs\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/abc\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/abc\/\",\"name\":\"ABC Blog (Annapolis, Baltimore &amp; Columbia, MD)\",\"description\":\"The place to find out about Au Pair in America in Annapolis, Baltimore &amp; Columbia, Maryland and the nearby areas.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/abc\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/abc\/#\/schema\/person\/1f6a49cbbaccbdd9a5ca7b8cbe591972\",\"name\":\"Natasha Wrobel\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/abc\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0c5e115dfc32f9775982c1c006cc04803b1e965f411deacd19a99c9e7c876dba?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0c5e115dfc32f9775982c1c006cc04803b1e965f411deacd19a99c9e7c876dba?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Natasha Wrobel\"},\"description\":\"Welcome! My name is Natasha Wrobel and I am the senior community counselor for the greater Annapolis, Maryland area. I have been a community counselor with Au Pair in America since 2000. In college I had the opportunity to study the German language in Austria at the University of Graz. Prior to becoming a counselor I was an attorney with the United States Air Force and was on active duty for nine years. I will retire from the Air Force in July 2015 after 20 years of service. Having lived abroad and studied a foreign language has served me well in connecting with au pairs from around the world in my role as a community counselor. Having hosted an au pair in my home has given me an understanding of the program from a host family perspective. It has been a joy to help facilitate a cultural exchange with these young women and American families as they introduce their children to other cultures and traditions. It is a delight to witness our children gain a better appreciation of our world. 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