New Au Pair Course

Smartaupairs is contributing to a brand new ‘au pair’ course which has already received accreditation through the OCN, the Open College Network. The course is designed by Milton Keynes Language Center and will be online. It will be a 30 hour course set out over 4 sections.

The course is designed to be a 30 hour course set out over 4 sections, covering topics such as Getting To Know Your Family, Health & safety, Food & Recipes and ‘Out & about’. Throughout the course you will have access to support from a tutor plus a student forum. At the end of the course, when all the assessments/tasks have been completed successfully, an official certificate will be issued.

The Au pair course is one unit of a larger course titled ‘British Culture’; other units in the course being: British business etiquette, British heritage, People in history and Famous Britons.

In addition to the OCN accreditation, we are hoping to gain endorsement from BAPAA for this course, which provides an excellent starting point for every au pair candidate travelling to Britain or recently arrived with their British host family.

The course will be sold at £60 including exam fee and certificate and will launch from 1^st September 2009.

We also hope to include the course in some of our promotions at a reduced fee so ‘watch this space!’

We feel this will be a fantastic benefit for all au pairs keen to embrace the cultural experience!

Channel 4 looking for Families with 4 or More Children of the Same Gender

Love Productions has been commissioned to make a documentary for Channel 4 about large families with single-gender offspring.  We are looking to feature families based in the UK who have four or more children of the same gender and are pregnant, or trying for a baby of the opposite sex, in order to complete their family.  We want to explore what it’s like living in a same-sex household, and look at the reasons behind the decision to have another child.

There are many reasons as to why a family might continue to try for the other sex ranging from the previous loss of a child, to wanting to bring a female presence to an overwhelmingly male household.  We also understand that particularly wanting a boy or girl is not uncommon and we want to explore the emotional and psychological reasons behind that desire.

We are already filming with two families in the UK, one family with 8 boys hoping to have a girl, the other with 6 boys and their new baby girl.  The film promises to be a sensitive, insightful and celebratory portrayal of large families who would love to have a boy or a girl, and the how much it means to them to achieve their dream.  It will be broadcast as one of Channel 4’s Cutting Edge documentaries later this year.
It would be fantastic if you had a family on your books wishing to share their story in the film.  I would be most grateful if you would consider passing on this information to any of your clients who may have 4 or more children of one gender.  If a couple wants to just call for further information, that’s fine, there’s no obligation for them to feature in the film and all calls are treated as confidential.

Please contact Smartaupairs on 0800 917 81 66 – and we can put you in contact with the Producer.

News from ISA (The Independent Safeguarding Authority)

The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) has been created to help prevent unsuitable people from working with children and vulnerable adults.

You can view www.isa-gov.org.uk

The page relating to the au pair industry is:
http://www.isa-gov.org.uk/default.aspx?page=314

This scheme takes effect as from July 2010 and will be compulsory as from November 2010.

The BAPAA committee is currently seeking clarification as to whether au pairs are to be included in the scheme.

Au Pair of the Year awarded at City Hall in Vienna

Published by Ozgur Tore  – credit to ftnnews.com

IAPA – the International Au Pair Association has announced the winner of the Au Pair of the Year, 24-year old, Ricardo Silva de Araujo of Brazil. He was placed with a family in the United States.

Now in its sixth year, the annual award presented by IAPA goes to an Au Pair that embodies the spirit of cultural exchange. Families from around the world that have received an Au Pair from one of IAPA’s 140 plus member agencies can nominate candidates for the award. A panel of IAPA representatives then selects three finalists from the hundreds of entries, with a winner chosen from these.

“As is the case every year, we had a very difficult time selecting just one winner from the many, many deserving entries we received. Ricardo was so special for his openness, sharing and commitment to his host family and their son Taylor,” said Jack Hompes, IAPA chairman.

Cultural Care Au Pair, an organisation based in the USA placed Ricardo with the Boyer family. The family’s now 17-year son, Taylor is multi-handicapped, having suffered an allergic reaction to an immunization as a six month old. He is unable to speak, has difficulty walking and experiences seizures. In Ricardo’s words however, “he may not able to talk, but he is able to feel. His feelings are pure as an angel and his smile when happy, is the best way to say thank you.”

Upon Ricardo’s arrival with the Boyer family that was in the midst of preparing for their daughter’s upcoming wedding, Ricardo was amazed by the incredible patience and support the family showed him during this stressful time. There was much Ricardo had to learn in order to help properly care for Taylor and the family’s support made the enormous transition to a new culture, new language and learning new skills much easier.

Talking about his time with the family, Ricardo says, “I learned the real meaning of love, patience and respect. Real love does not come in phrases like: “I love you,” this is easy to say but difficult to feel.

Taylor’s disability is not an obstacle for his happiness, this has made me feel good. I love Taylor and know he loves me back. I can feel it.”

Ricardo concludes, ”I came to America as an au pair, I will leave a better human being.”

For his achievement, Ricardo Silva de Araujo received a commemorative plaque and prize from IAPA, in addition to an all expense paid trip to Vienna to receive the award.

The award is presented as part of the IAPA Annual Conference and in conjunction with the Work Experience Travel Market.

About the International Au Pair Association (IAPA)

The International Au Pair Association (IAPA) was established in 1994 by cultural exchange organisations seeking to improve and protect the rights of au pairs and host families around the world. The association has been responsible for the creation of internationally recognised guidelines for au pairs and exchange programmes with its 140 plus member organisations agreeing to abide by the IAPA Code of Conduct: signifying competence, fair dealing and high integrity.

Smartaupairs Now Member of IAPA

Smartaupairs has joined IAPA, the International Au Pair Agency Association. After being on the executive committee of BAPAA since 2007 and representing The British Au Pair Agencies Association on ECAPS, the European Committee of Au Pair Standards, I felt it was time to take Smartaupairs to the next level.

In the last few years IAPA has become more important in the au pair industry and have really gained ground. Many au pair agencies all over the world realise that being part of a trade association is a great way to share best practise to find professional business partners.

It is likely that the au pair program will continue to gain popularity as in the current economic situation young people may not have many job options after full time education and this is a great program to help them to gain more practical skills before they start looking for a job or possibly before they decide on further education.

Go to http://www.smartaupairs.com/

Protect Yourself from Internet Recruitment Scams

Why you should always use a reputable and established au pair agency. Newspaper, internet advertisements or one of the many web-based matching services may appear to be acceptable and inexpensive alternatives for securing an au pair placement. There are, however, potential risks in arranging a placement in this manner.

10 potential risks you face when not using a reputable and established au pair agency

* high probability of unsuitable au pair or host family candidate
* absence of a written contract
* little or no experience in the au pair industry
* lack of professionalism or financial stability
* nonexistent standards or guidelines
* insufficient references and /or medical certification
* danger of document falsification
* no rematch policy (secondary placement) if the initial placement is unsuccessful
* no local support during the placement
* limited understanding of national au pair regulations

This message was provided by the International Au Pair Association – please take note and tell your friends!

~~~

We received this message from Maite, from Spain – who has now found a lovely family through Smartaupairs and is preparing for her arrival in June.

” Please help me out, I just had a terrible experience with a family I contacted through internet, we weren´t doing the whole thing through an au pair organization but through a travel agency. Things where going great, to good to be true actually, but then when I was needed to pay for the ticket, they gave me a Nigerian address, it sounded pretty wired, though I paid. We still decided to have them check through a friend who lives in London, and she told us that besides everything was beyond wired, that the phone number the family game us was fake and the whole family as well. I’m completely dissapointed, but still I’m not giving up, I want to have this experience in working as an au pair. Is there anyway you can help me?? “

Why Choose a Local Au Pair Agency?

Many host families who first embark on the journey of hosting au pairs look for an au pair agency local to them as they feel safe and comfortable in the knowledge that there is assistance nearby.

Originally, many more au pair agencies were run by ‘host mums’ as a hobby. In today’s tougher climates however, it pays to consider a professional expert agency with a solid network of partners in Europe to supply vetted candidates and the ability to put your au pair in touch with others who are nearby, providing her with a social network from the day she starts.

Register now

Local au pair agency versus professionalism

Our au pair agency is members of the British Au pair Agencies Association and in fact, Nicole Kofkin, the MD is on the board of BAPAA and actively involved in the constantly changing International au pair industry. She is also on the committee of ECAPS, the European Committee of Au Pair Standards, funded by IAPA the International Au Pair Agencies Association.

Where is the au pair agency based?

Smartaupairs is an au pair agency based in England, so we have knowledge of the destination and understand the local culture. Our office is in Kent, in the village of Charing near Ashford and Canterbury. We have lots of host families in/near Ashford, Canterbury, Folkestone, Maidstone, Bromley, Bexley, Beckenham, Sevenoaks, all very popular as they have such easy access to Central London by train.

How about au pair placements in other locations?

We place au pairs all over England and we are considered a specialist for the South East of England – about half of our host families are based in or near London. Very popular au pair areas are Wimbledon, Battersea, Clapham, Wandsworth, Fulham, Twickenham, Putney, Richmond and we have a couple of host families in Chelsea and Kensington. We often find that once we have one host family in an area, they are often so impressed by our service, they tell their friends and then we usually have a few host families in the same area or from the same school for example. This is ideal because the au pairs immediately have a network of friends and a happy au pair is an au pair who will stay.

As the au pair is live-in childcare, we often find that certain areas of London are more usual for au pair placement due to the size of the homes. The large family homes where an au pair can have her own bedroom are usually in the areas close to but not right in the heart of the city.

We also have a number of other very popular locations for au pairs, where over the years we have gained many host families through recommendations. The most popular cities are Cambridge, Oxford, Bournemouth, Brighton, Portsmouth, Southampton due to the fact that there are lots of young people there from all over the world due to University and language courses.

Many host families come to us from commuter areas, up to an hour or so from their work location in London, this means Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Essex,

We have a number of host families in High Wycombe, Reading, Windsor, Guildford.

What makes a popular au pair location?

Many au pairs put on their application form that they prefer to be based in London. It is often the only city that they know by name and they may have been there before on a school trip or weekend break with their parents or even just seen it on TV. When the au pair agency in their own country explains to them that many families live close to London, allowing them to visit at weekends and go sightseeing they are usually fine with this suggestion.

For an au pair to be happy, she needs to generally have social interaction. If you live in a town/city, walking distance from language schools, parks, cafes etc. your au pair will find it very easy to meet up with other young people, make friends and practise her English skills. If you live in a village and you know other host families, it can equally be easy, especially if there are good transport links into nearby towns or your au pair has access to a car.

How can your au pair meet others nearby?

In addition to introductions through language classes and local connections from your host family, Smartaupairs are part of an online ‘find a friend’ website www.aupair2aupair.com, which is safely shared between 25 BAPAA members and the ideal way to find other au pairs in your local area.

Where would we not place an au pair?

We do not place au pairs in remote locations where there is no access to language courses. Our experience has been that the au pair, even with the best intentions from the host family and the au pair candidate, finds it hard to make the most of their cultural experience, simply as there are no ways of meeting enough other people. We have however been able to place au pair couples successfully with families who live remotely but it is not really part of our core program as this is not truly a cultural exchange.

We are also hesitant to place in locations in Wales and in the Channel Islands due to past experiences of au pairs finding it hard to get in touch with other young people. For placements in Scotland we now work together with specialist BAPAA agency to ensure that the au pair has a network of friends and regular activities to take part in.

Go to Smartaupairs http://www.smartaupairs.com/family/

Live-In Tutor Program

In addition to our regular au pair program, we have found that there are more and more families who are looking for that little bit ‘extra’ and when only the very best candidates will do, we need to look at slightly different options to the regular au pair role.

We have designed a live-in tutoring program due to popular demand from families who need an educated young person who is willing and able to take on more responsibility and really interact with your children and help them with home work and contribute towards their learning requirements.

It is an ideal role for a newly qualified/part qualified teacher or someone with an interest in a teaching career.

For this program we are selecting applicants who fit the following criteria:

• Minimum commitment 6 months (ideally 9-12)
• 21+
• Flexible about location
• Good/excellent English
• Experience or qualification in teaching, home-work support

We will be able to place them with families who are

• Looking for help with school aged children
• Allocating tasks directly related to children only and with focus on education & development
• Allocating tasks like a nanny but for older children, such as; planning + preparation/tidy up after meals, preparation of school bags/uniforms/sports-kit, laundry for children, tidy children’s rooms, transport to/from school, transport to/from children’s activities, planning/organising activities for the children, help with homework revision
• During school holidays – more hours, more activities for the children (extra pay)
• Able to give access to local language classes or other studies such as teacher training, Vocational childcare qualification
• Wiling to give 2 weeks paid holiday for every 6 months worked
• Extra pay for extra hours and ‘other tasks’ such as additional cleaning, laundry for parents, additional babysitting may be agreed.

Pocket money is minimum £100 per week for 25 hours (tutor) + 2 evenings babysitting, which still means you are under the level for Tax/NI contributions, so the paperwork remains simple! (This tax year (2008-09), the basic Personal Allowance – or tax-free amount – is £6,035)

For more information about the placement fees, please see our fees page.

Please call us today on 0800 917 81 66 to discuss your search for a tutor or register online today.

go to www.smartaupairs.com

How is your manny? (or male au pair?)

How is your Manny?

There is so much written recently about ‘mannies’, male nannies and male au pairs. Some of our families have also shared their experiences with us. These are some of their observations.

A Male au pair is usually very flexible about the ‘practical aspects’ of the au pair stay, without generalising, they are usually not fussy about what they eat (but they may eat more!) where they sleep (a simple bedroom, very simply furnished is fine!) so is sharing the bathroom (and they’re quicker too!), a more rural location and pets in the house are all right also.

As an agency I can add to this that we have never had a male au pair quit the program due to home-sickness or ‘lack of chemistry’ between the au pair and the family. They simply seem to ‘get on with it’!

One of the questions we get asked is about their ability to help with the housework, and stereotypical as it may be, I do try to answer this……

First of all, an au pair, male or female, is not a (trained) housekeeper, but on a cultural exchange program, however, they are expected to help with light housework. Most au pairs will need guidance at the beginning, even if they have helped out at home, your family routines and requirements are unlikely to be the exactly same as theirs and if you set aside some time at the beginning to ensure the au pair is fully settled and understands your expectations, you will benefit from this for the entire stay!

At smartaupairs, we recommend for all au pair ‘training

- Explain

- Show

- Let them do it!

Another big advantage of male au pairs that many of them have an interest in being active and playing sports. We have recently placed a boy who spent his last 2 summer holidays as a tennis coach for the juniors in his town and who would love to be able to teach the children in the host family some tennis!

This is a great way to keep children, especially slightly older children, active after school and during school holidays. There is nothing worse than long faces and hearing ‘we are bored’ as soon as you come home from work! The male au pairs seem to have lots of energy and even if they may not be a skilled tennis coach, they are usually able to kick a ball in the park!

We also find that most male au pairs have more experience when it comes to driving. If they have a driving license they are most likely to have taken the opportunity to drive and, with a few lessons in the UK, they usually adapt quickly and confidently to the driving in Britain.

And who are these male candidates interested in the au pair experience?

We have some young males who are interested in a career in teaching either academically or coaching in a sport environment but also sometimes those who wish to work directly in a care environment. We have seen a number of German candidates who had chosen to do social work instead of military service, an option available in Germany as an alternative solution to fulfil your service duty and they sometimes chose to continue their career in a caring role, such as au-pairing. Generally, male candidates chose the au pair option as it gives a genuine opportunity to learn the language and culture of a country from the comfort of a pleasant family home. Male au pair candidates are usually truly interested in the learning and development aspects rather than the money.

So are there situations where we would absolutely not recommend a male au pair?

Well, ultimately, it is a very personal choice and finding the right person is more important than male or female, older, younger, or a particular nationality. However, most of our male au pairs are more confident with families who have children who are already slightly older, rather than young babies and toddlers, you may need more physical care, help with potty training, bedtime and bath time routines, which can be very intimate moments and may be harder for a young man to feel comfortable with and for a host family this may equally not feel uneasy.

It is key that it feels right for all parties involved, parents, children and au pair, so that everybody is happy!

Here is what one of my host families wrote to me when I asked them why they now prefer male au pairs;

QUOTE

further to our conversation earlier here is my experience of male au pairs.

I think male au pairs if well vetted can be a really good option as any man who has decided to be an au pair is more likely to be really committed to and interested in children, whereas many girls just fall into it as a way to go abroad. I have had one female and 2 male au pairs and the guys were both really good, especially at being creative. My children are 4 (girl) and 2 (boy) and not only are the male au pairs good at doing physical things (trampolining, gymnastics, ball games, carrying children and buggy etc) but also they can be very creative (making models and masks out of card and paper etc) which really appeals to my little girl. They don’t get emotional and weepy once a month and are generally a joy to have around! Female au pairs please forgive my generalisation – the one I had was not through smartaupairs anyway!

all the best, Juliet

UNQUOTE

Summer au pair

It is about this time each year that parents begin to ask the same question, “What will the kids be doing for the summer?”

For parents who have busy schedules, it can be challenging to meet summer child care needs for school-aged children.

Some parents mix and match from assorted options: a week with the grandparents, a week at day camp, two weeks of activities through the town’s recreation department. By the time it’s all said and done, parents need a holiday from summer holiday.

But one Kent au pair agency is hoping to bring a unique solution to the area in order to help meet the needs of local parents — a summer au pair.

Read more……