This is the start of the Fall semester!
\nPart of a successful year as an au pair includes your education requirement. You\u2019ve heard about it at orientation, and, hopefully, thought about it already, but one way or the other, now is the time to act.<\/p>\n
So how do you get started? Any of the Au Pair in America resources will give you all the details, but for a quick start, here are a few pointers that will guide you on the road to educational success.<\/p>\n
Begin<\/strong> the process! Every accredited school has its fall schedule of courses available online and locally, schools are all in the registration period right now so get going! You may be able to register late, but classes fill quickly. Even if there is room available, it will cost you extra money and courses are already expensive, so this is something to avoid.<\/p>\n Think<\/strong> about how you want to fulfill the requirement. You can take one course or a few, travel, or become a student on an American college campus. Do you want to improve your English? That is a good place to start. This could be an opportunity to see another city by taking a travel course worth 3 credits, to explore new subjects that you have always been interested in, or to study a subject that you have already planned a career in. If you really have no interest in any of these possibilities, the UCLA online course is available for your 6 credit requirement. You have many choices, but there are other steps that you need to take before you are done.<\/p>\n Talk <\/strong>to your host family, your community counselor, and other au pairs. Ask your host family about the time in your schedule that is available for you to take courses. Your counselor will tell you whether a school is accredited. Other au pairs will give you their opinions about courses that they have taken.<\/p>\n Research<\/strong> the choices by using the Au Pair in America website (www.aupairinamerica.com) to view all the choices that other au pairs in your cluster have made. Select one or two classes that you would like to take, their cost, where and what time they meet. Then ask for a host parent or community counselor\u2019s opinion.<\/p>\n