It’s my birthday that always reminds me how long it’s been since my au pair days. I moved there in January of ‘01 and celebrated my 21st birthday in February of that year. Makes it easy to keep up with. And yes, if you do the math – I’ve just turned 31 – and some days I don’t feel it has even been all that long since those (relatively) carefree days of completely and utterly enjoying life abroad.

Anyhow, we’ll walk down memory lane another day, but for now, I’m curious whether any other former au pairs are out there. Surely there are … did you love the job? What were some of your favorite moments? What are/were some of your most difficult?

As I celebrate this ten year anniversary of being an au pair, I’ll be doing a series over the next several weeks on my best/worst memories of the experiences. This is a bit more personal than I’ve been with this blog, but working as an au pair was life changing in many ways, so I think this site wouldn’t be complete without some of the personal.

So get ready, and enjoy!

Cultural Care currently has a special lasting until December 31. New host families will save the $350 application fee, and an extra $150 will also be shaved off the program fee. This is a total savings of $500, which isn’t going to make the au pair experience cheap, per se, but it will give you some extra money to start of the new year with!

For the special, go to www.culturalcare.com, and use the promo code PCWIN2009 when you apply to host an au pair.

Then enjoy looking forward to having a year of peace, with an extra person around the house to help with your children!

Ricardo works for a family who has a handicapped 16-year-old boy who is nonverbal. According to the host family, Ricardo has been an excellent caregiver and has treated their son as a normal teenager, which is something no one had really done before. For more about Ricardo and the Au Pair of the Year award, click here.

Hats off to Ricardo – way to represent the male au pairs!

Cultural Care - New how families who apply by September 15 will have the $350 application fee waved and get a $500 program discount, and more. They also offer special savings for returning host families. Check them out at

http://www.culturalcare.com/hostfamilies/programcosts/discounts.aspx

Au Pair USA – This agency is offering similar discounts to Cultural Care – host families can save $1000 if they apply by September 15 -

http://www.aupairusa.org/index.html

Eur Au Pair – This agency is offering repeat host families, as well as new host families, savings of $900

http://www.euraupair.com/

Chi Au Pair USA – Families can apply to host an au pair for $1 (yes, just a buck!) through September 30. In addition to this saving, they are also offering families the program fees from 2008 if they sign up now.

http://www.chiaupairusa.org/news.asp

And remember,  if you’re an au pair, or want to be,  you don’t pay a thing! And this year you’ll be making a bit more money than before, so now would be a great time to get started on an American adventure!

This means the au pairs working in the United States now earn a weekly stipend of $195.75 (which is almost $20 more than they had been earning up to now). This puts monthly ‘pocket money’ for au pairs at around $800.00, and more for the months with five weeks…Not too shabby, considering room and board is covered.

Now is definitely time to consider coming to the US to work!

Buy a new USA travel book today from Lonely Planet!

For those who don’t get to get away from their work during the summer, there are other ways that you can enjoy a semi-vacation. If you host family is going on vacation and invites you along, then consider takingthem up on the offer. Often you will not have to work while they are on vacation, and even if you do, the hours will likely not be what they are normally. If families vacation with friends and family, you will benefit from having other built-in helpers for the children.

If you can’t afford – or take off the time – to take a ‘real’ vacation, consider taking a short day trip or getting away for the weekend. Talk with your host family as well, as they may be willing to work with your schedule if you’re really itching to escape for a bit. They may be able to switch work days around, freeing up a long weekend or even a couple of weekdays in a row. Depending on where you are working, you can probably find good deals on transportation for last minute trips, which are perfect for the au pair budget. Trains offer specials in the summer, and budget airlines (think Ryan Air) also offer great deals on flights to many different places. For a complete listing of budget airlines outside the U.S., see attitudetravel.com.

If there is no possible chance of getting away this summer and vacation for you is a long way off, then be sure to take advantage of the special summer activities that are offered this season. Many towns and cities host summer festivals of all sorts, and they can be loads of fun. You can also check out local pools, go to a nearby lake for a picnic, or host a grilling party (of course, run this by your host family first!). There are many ways you can enjoy the hot summer days, so take advantage of the season.

Whatever you end up doing this summer, remember to have fun and enjoy!

While it is required that the host family provide you with transportation for the times that you are working and need to get somewhere, as well as a way to get to and from your language classes, they are not required to give you a car for your free time. Host parents don’t legally have to provide you with a way to get around town when you are off the clock, so if you are with a family who does, make sure that you appreciate this benefit.

So if you are given use of a family car during free time, there are a few things to remember. Believe me, this is a privilege you don’t want to lose! (note: this list may seem like a bunch of no-brainers, but the longer you live with your host family, the easier it is to begin to forget that the rules of etiquette still apply, even if you do feel like family…)

1. Make sure that you only drive the car when you know your host parents don’t need it – This may seem like a given, but it is easy to take ownership of something that isn’t yours, especially if you are pretty much the only person who uses the car. Even if the car is primarily for your use, don’t assume that it is always available. You never know when it might actually be needed by someone other than yourself.

2. Be sure to keep the tank filled with gas – This may be another given, but it is important to remember. Be sure to work out with your host parents who will be paying for gas (this can vary). And whether you pay, or the host family pays, or both, be sure to leave gas in the car. Even if you are the primary driver, you never know when your host parents might need it for a quick trip. Having a full tank of gas also ensures that you will be able to get where you need to as well.

3. Keep the car clean – Again, even if the car is primarily under your care, keep it tidy. No one wants to find food wrappers, makeup, ciggarettes, and other stuff of the au pair’s in one of the family vehicles. Get into the habit of grabbing all your things out of the car every time you use it.

4. Know the house rules for vehicle use – More than likely, your host parents will go over any rules concerning the car. But just in case they don’t, be sure to ask if they have any rules for using the car. It’s better to know before you go. Things that vary from family to family are: how long the au pair is allowed to keep the car, if there are any limits as to how far he/she can drive, if insurance covers other drivers, etc,.

5. Make sure that you do any neccessary up-keep. If you are driving a family car often, it’d be nice if you kept it up as well. Having the oil changed, getting it washed, and having any other necessary repairs done would greatly help your family. Chances are, your host parents will foot the bill for these services, but if you are the one driving the car most of the time, you can definitely be the one who takes responsibility for keeping it serviced.

I actually wish I had paid more attention to my own host family – they were both very accomplished and ambitious, and were self-employed. Now that I am in business for myself, I wish I’d been a bit more interested in my future than I was in boys and going out to party. It wouldn’t have taken much more effort on my part to simply have my eyes and ears open, ready to learn from them.

That said, I did learn from my host parents. I learned more about organization from my host parents than I did my own parents. Granted, they (my host parents) were German and, in my opinion, a bit over-the-top about some things. BUT – I did learn, among other things, the importance of making lists, getting mundane tasks sooner rather than later, and washing  dishes while you’re preparing a meal (avoiding a pile of dirty mess before you’ve even eaten – so practical!). I also learned the importance of honesty and straightforwardness – again, a very German trait, but a very worthwhile one.

Just to be clear, I am not advising you forgo fun nights out on the town to stay home and follow your host parents around with a notebook and pencil. But keep an open mind and be willing to learning from how they live life. While your host family is most certainly not perfect, you may have landed with a gem of a family, and with people who could help you grow as a person. Listen to them and learn, remembering that one day you may end up looking back, wishing you’d paid more attention!

I’d love to hear from any current – or past – au pairs on this one. What have you learned from your host family? Did your experience with them impact you in any way beyond the typical cultural exchange? Do share!

So what does this have to do with anyone interested in being an au pair? That all depends, but not much if you are careful. Young women are most often tricked into forced prostitution by being offered a job overseas as waitresses, models, house cleaners, au pairs, and other positions. Yes, au pairs was on the list … But before you freak and throw out the idea of working as an au pair, you can rest assured that the potential for danger is virtually ZERO for au pairs who are placed by legitimate au pair agencies.

Agencies carefully screen their host families with interviews and background checks, to be sure that they are 100% for real and a safe place for au pairs to live and work. The only real threat exists when au pairs bypass an agency and find families on their own, or they do not check into whether the ‘agency’ they are dealing with is the real deal.

And for the record – this information is not meant to scare anyone away from being an au pair (or to keep parents from letting their daughters or sons try the job!). But in a world where the threat of human trafficking is very real, it would be irresponsible to not warn of the potential risk involved. Moving abroad alone as a young adult is a big thing, and it is vitally important to be as informed and safe as possible!

For a chance to win an apron and be the most stylish au pair around, visit

http://www.hearthmanagement.com/2009/03/dress-for-success-and-giveaway-its-real.html?showComment=1237860600000#c4209082308129715562

p.s. don’t take too long to get your entry in – the giveaway ends March 27 at midnight!