Safety is a concern for nearly every traveler, especially au pairs, who are typically young women traveling solo. And even if the au pair herself (or himself) isn’t overly concerned about their safety, there are probably parents back home who are! Below are a few tips for staying safe overseas:

Make sure you are healthy before you leave

It’s important that you start out your au pair journey healthy. Adventures Abroad recommends seeing your doctor at least three months prior to leaving your home country in order to check your overall health. Not everyone is organized enough to plan a doctor’s visit that far in advance, but the important thing is that you do get a physical exam and check up with your doctor before leaving for your trip. The last thing you want to do is get to your new country and have a health issue that could have beeen prevented or treated beforehand.

Another benefit of visiting your doctor is that you can get prescriptions of any medications you will need to have for the first little while overseas. It can take some time to get health insurance coverage through your host family, so you will want to have several weeks of any necessary medication that you take regularly on hand.

Remember dental and eye health as well. Visiting your dentist and/or opthamologist to check for any problems will also help ensure that you arrive to your new home in as good a shape as possible. If you are a contact lense wearer, be sure to take a copy of your prescription with you, as well as extra lenses.

Get travel insurance

Even though your host family will provide you with health insurance while working as an au pair, it can take several weeks for coverage to start. Even when coverage does start quickly, it often will not be in effect until you actually start your job. Having travel insurance will ensure that you are covered in the event of an emergency during the first weeks of your journey. It is usually not very expensive and is worth the small investment.

Safety while en route

Use your street smarts when travelling to and from your home to your new destination, and while you travel during your stay. The U.S. State Department suggests traveling light, dressing casually (affluent-looking tourists are more likely to be victims of theft), and keeping as few valuables as possible with you while traveling. The State Department also has the following recommendations for being out and about abroad, and the list is pretty complete:

• Don’t use short cuts, narrow alleys or poorly lit streets.
• Try not to travel alone at night.
• Avoid public demonstrations and other civil disturbances.
• Keep a low profile and avoid loud conversations or arguments.
• Do not discuss travel plans or other personal matters with strangers.
• Avoid scam artists by being wary of strangers who approach you and offer to be your guide or sell you something at bargain prices.
• Beware of pickpockets. They often have an accomplice who will:
  • jostle you,
  • ask you for directions or the time,
  • point to something spilled on your clothing,
  • or distract you by creating a disturbance.
• Beware of groups of vagrant children who could create a distraction to pick your pocket.
• Wear the shoulder strap of your bag across your chest and walk with the bag away from the curb to avoid drive-by purse-snatchers.
• Try to seem purposeful when you move about. Even if you are lost, act as if you know where you are going. Try to ask for directions only from individuals in authority.
• Know how to use a pay telephone and have the proper change or token on hand.
• Learn a few phrases in the local language or have them handy in written form so that you can signal your need for police or medical help.
• Make a note of emergency telephone numbers you may need: police, fire, your hotel, and the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
• If you are confronted, don’t fight back — give up your valuables.

In the end, using common sense and paying attention to your surroundings will help ensure that you stay safe during your stay abroad. Use your head, be careful, and have fun!

If you have any other good safety tips for au pairs/travelers, please comment below!

Where are you thinking about going? Which places keep you up at night wishing you could see? Is there more than one place you would consider working as an au pair? I worked as an au pair in Germany and loved it, but as I was am pretty much obsessed with all things French, I sometimes wonder whether I should have gone to France instead …

But what about you? If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Please let us know in the comments field – and yes, you are allowed to list more than one top destination!

In our last post, we talked a little bit about the growing popularity of China as an au pair destination. One of our readers, G. M., who is working as an au pair in China, has been gracious enough to share her experience with us. Here is some of what she has written about her time in China so far …

“I’ve been here for 3 weeks now. The agency told me that the first week was the ‘honeymoon’ phase, and then it gets hard. That didn’t happen to me … I hated the first week … “

She goes on to say that the first week she was very depressed and homesick. She was having some trouble getting used to such a different culture, and was even working more hours than she should. She was more or less wondering what she had done and if going to China had been the right decision. But she did go on to say…

“After the first week things started to get better and are continuing to get better.”

After getting over the initial sadness of leaving home and culture shock of living in such a new and different place, G. started to really appreciate China. Except for maybe the bad weather … About the country, she says,

“China is amazing in every sense. The size of Beijing, the number of people, the weather is bad, and the people somewhat difficult.”

She also says that people who can’t adjust quickly should not go to China, which is probably very true. For many westerners, Asia can be a BIG change, so you need to be sure that you can handle such a drastically different place and culture.

Like most au pairs, there has been the occassional issue with her host family, but for the most part, the au pair job in China is working out. An email sent several weeks into the job reveals that things are working out great. The agency she is working with is great and encourages other au pairs in the area to get to know each other. She has also made friends outside of her family and au pair circle, and she her work situation has balanced out nicely. She works 30 hours a week, taking care of the family’s son, whom she is getting along with very well. Of course, things haven’t been 100% easy, but G.M. is happy she made the decision to work in China as an au pair.

So, the final verdict on working as an au pair in China? Totally worth it, but not for the faint of heart!

Are there any other au pairs working in China? Or interested in going? If so, please speak up – we’d love to hear from you!

Due to its strong economy and growing number of high-income-earning families, China is emerging as a popular au pair destination.

Requirements for working as an au pair in China

To be an au pair in China, you have to be between the ages of 18 and 29 years old and single with no kids. Minimum education requirements are a high school diploma. No Chinese language knowledge is required, as au pairs in China speak English with their host families (unless of course they want to learn Chinese, and they will be placed with a family who will speak Chinese with them).

Au pairs usually have to cover their own travel expenses to China, and the length of stay as an au pair in China can either be 6 or 12 months.

Pay and benefits

Monthly pay for au pairs in China is approximately (or 60 Euros). This is not a lot of money, but China is a very inexpensive country, so you can get by on this.

… Those are the basics about working as an au pair in China. Our next post will share the personal experience of one of our readers, who is currently an au pair in China. Stay tuned …

I’d like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the coming New Year. For Au Pairs who are abroad and homesick, hang in there! You will survive and see your families and friends again. And for all the rest of you, enjoy the holidays!