Au Pair in America has a bi-annual conference where we have the opportunity to meet with our international partners, colleagues from across the country and the Connecticut and London office staff. There are lots of workshops to help us better serve our au pairs and host families.

A few highlights for me:

Au Pair Cultural Fair – In the DC/MD/VA area, we have a lot of experience coordinating cultural fairs. This was an opportunity for counselors from other parts of the country to learn about the process and see what an amazing event our au pairs can put on.

16 PF – Learning about the 16PF personality questionnaire we use in screening our au pairs. It was interesting to know how much research went into selecting this screening tool and the care that is taken in using it to make sure that candidates possess the attributes necessary to be successful in the program. I got to take the questionnaire and it looks like I could qualify to be an au pair, if I was still under 26 years old.

Cultural Competency – I learned more about our new webinars for host parents that help to explain some common cultural differences and how to overcome challenges by taking these underlying factors into account. I would encourage all host parents to take part. Even after 15 years as a community counselor, this workshop helped me get a better understanding how it might feel to be an au pair trying to adjust and communicate with her host family.