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Au Pair Interviewing Tips Guide

The document provides tips and questions for interviewing potential au pairs. It covers topics like childcare experience, lifestyle fit, homesickness, driving experience, and making a selection decision. The interview questions are meant to evaluate an au pair's suitability and compatibility with the host family.

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Matheus Ribeiro da Silva
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
10 views2 pages

Au Pair Interviewing Tips Guide

The document provides tips and questions for interviewing potential au pairs. It covers topics like childcare experience, lifestyle fit, homesickness, driving experience, and making a selection decision. The interview questions are meant to evaluate an au pair's suitability and compatibility with the host family.

Uploaded by

Matheus Ribeiro da Silva
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Au Pair in America

Interviewing Au Pairs: Quick Guide


Interviewing Au Pairs • How can you make bed time fun and easy?

A thorough review of the au pair’s application will provide you • How can you help a child who cries when the parent leaves for
with the groundwork to make the right choice. Over the years host work?
families have shared their top interviewing tips and we wanted to
• Have you ever taken care of more than one child by yourself?
share them with you! To review our complete selections guide,
please refer to the “Selections – A Three Step Guide to Matching” • What can you do if two (or more) children want your attention at
on your host family resource site. the same time?

Getting started Tip:


It is very important to give the au pair a clear picture of what life Ask her what is the most fun she has ever had while caring for
will be like with your family. children.

Plan a “family portrait” before you make the call, as language


difficulties and the excitement of the moment often erase all Finding out if your lifestyles and personalities are a match
memory of what you want to say.
Remember, you have to live together for a year. Questions about
lifestyle are also important to help you make the right decision.
Interviewing Tips: Here are a few to help you with your list:
• Set up a time so the au pair is prepared for your call
• Do you live at home now? If not, when was the last time that you
• Prepare your questions in advance did?

• Speak slowly and use simple words if your au pair is a non • Describe your relationship with your family? Do you get along
English speaker with your brothers and sisters? What activities do you do
together as a family? What is your favorite thing to do together?
• Ask open ended questions that encourage conversation, rather
than simple “yes-no” responses • Who is responsible for things like cooking, cleaning and doing
laundry in your house? How much is everyone expected to
help? How much do you help?
Tip:
Ask one question at a time, rather than asking a compound • How do you feel about house rules?
question.
• How do you feel about having a curfew?

• What are your hobbies, do you like sports, what does ‘fun’ mean
The Interview Questions to you?

Asking about child care experience • How would your best friend describe you?

The most important thing your au pair will do is care for your • What are your favorite foods to eat? Is there anything you
children. So ask a lot of questions. Here are some ideas: cannot eat? Do you follow a special diet?

• What is the longest amount of time that you have taken care of • Do you have any allergies that you did not put down on your
children by yourself? application form?

• Do you prefer to take care of children of a certain age? Gender? • Are you comfortable around pets?
Why?
• Do you ever smoke cigarettes ~ even socially (even if the
• What would you do to fill time with the children? applicant indicated non-smoker on her application)?

• What do you like best about caring for children?


Tip:
• How have you disciplined the children you have cared for
Ask fun questions too! What is her favorite ice cream, music or
before?
color!
Homesickness and culture shock • Have you driven a manual or an automatic? Do you fill your own
gas?
None of us can predict how homesick we will be when leaving our
home country for a long period of time and au pairs can’t either. • Describe what the roads are like in your country? Have you
Talking about it always helps: driven in the city/highway/snow?

• What is the longest period of time you have spent away from • Have you ever parked in a garage?
your family and friends? Did you ever get sad or lonely because
• Are you nervous about driving in the United States?
you were away from them?

• What does your family think about your decision to become


Tip:
an au pair? Do you think they will visit you while you are in the
Ask her what side of the road she drives on!
U.S.? How do you plan to keep in touch with them?

• Do you have a significant other? If so, how do they feel about


your decision to become an au pair? Do you think they will visit Decisions, decisions! Questions for YOU!
you while you are in the U.S.? How do you plan to keep in touch
You now have a lot of information and now it is time to choose:
with them?
• Did you “hit it off”?
• How do you think we can help you feel better if you get
homesick? • Does she have what it ‘takes’ to be successful with your family?

• Did you cover all the basics and then some?


Tip:
• Did you get a sense of the au pair’s personality? Will she ‘mesh’
Ask her what she will miss the most from back home. You may be
with you and your children?
surprised by her answer.
• Does she have the qualities you are looking for? (Interactive,
high energy; Academic and/or interested in the arts; Flexible
Driving
and willing to go with the flow)
Don’t be shy! Ask, ask and ask again especially if you need a
• Would you like to speak with her again?
good driver! Don’t assume anything! Go over everything in the
application and get details:
Tip:
• How did you learn to drive? How long have you been driving?
Go, Go, Go with your gut!
• How often do you drive? What kind of car do you drive? Do you
have your own car?

Congratulations
It’s a MATCH!

Common questions

Powered by AI

An interviewer can assess compatibility by asking questions related to lifestyle preferences, such as the au pair's experience with household responsibilities, feelings about house rules and curfews, hobbies, dietary preferences, and views on social activities. Questions about family dynamics and how they reflect their home environment also provide insight into lifestyle compatibility .

Interviews can mitigate misunderstandings by clearly outlining household responsibilities, ensuring the au pair understands expectations regarding house rules, curfews, and daily routines. Discussing these aspects openly helps establish clear expectations from the start .

Effective strategies include setting a specific time for the call to ensure the au pair is prepared, creating a 'family portrait' to give a clear picture of what life will be like with the family, preparing questions in advance, speaking slowly and using simple words, and asking open-ended questions to encourage detailed conversation .

Hosts should look for attributes such as previous experience with childcare, patience, adaptability, creativity in engaging children, and a positive approach to handling children's emotions. Queries should explore past childcare situations to assess these attributes .

Questions should include inquiries about the longest duration they’ve cared for children alone, their preferences for the age and gender of children, activities they use to fill time with children, their favorite aspects of childcare, and specific methods they've used to discipline children in the past .

Hosts should directly inquire if the candidate smokes socially even if they indicated otherwise on the application. This question should be framed in a way that encourages honesty and addresses any discrepancies between reported and actual habits .

Personal interests can indicate compatibility with family routines and leisure activities. Interviews should explore hobbies, favorite foods, sports interests, and how they define fun. Understanding these can help ensure a harmonious living and working relationship .

Hosts can evaluate driving abilities by asking about the au pair's driving history, frequency, and type of vehicles driven. Questions should include their experience driving in different conditions such as city and highway, experience with different vehicle transmissions, parking skills, and any nervousness about driving in the U.S. .

Discussing homesickness and culture shock is important to prepare both the family and au pair for potential emotional challenges of living abroad. Questions can include their longest time away from family, methods for maintaining family contact, their family’s opinion on becoming an au pair, and plans to cope with homesickness .

Hosts should consider whether they felt a connection with the au pair, if they demonstrated attributes that align with family requirements, such as high energy or flexibility, and if the au pair will integrate well with the family dynamics and values. Gauging their personality and overall match with children is crucial .

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