Urgency leads to the wrong choice of an au-pair – after all, time comes to the fore for the family, but not the necessary qualities and competencies of au-pair.
Where do most families look for au-pair? They use free online sites, not au-pair agencies. On such sites are mostly registered girls who are not prepared for the Au-Pair program, who want to leave quickly and cheaply, and therefore agree to the first family. And families make their choice according to the principle “who will arrive faster”. Competencies, experience, the ability to establish contact with children, the ability to understand the tasks set for an au-pair and the result expected by the family are not taken into account.
A quickly found au-pair is only temporary relief, but the family is likely to change such an au-pair again within the first two months. As a result, this leads to permanent stress for everyone – for the family, children and the au-pair herself, and everything goes in a cycle.
Try a different approach for an urgent au-pair lookup:
- Look for an urgent au-pair only for a short period to cover urgent priorities, but not important ones.
- When looking for an “urgent time au-pair”, tell an au-pair exactly what your short-term needs are and what you expect. For example, we are looking for a housekeeping assistant. It is important for us that an au-pair is engaged in cleaning and cooking 80% of the time, and spends 20% of time with children.
- Identify important and long-term priorities for your family. With a long-term goal in mind, start looking for a competent au-pair for a full year without rushing.
By using this approach, stress is reduced, children feel stable and the au-pair year becomes comfortable for everyone.
Remember, if you are looking for an au-pair for a long term, for a year or two, it will be difficult to find the right girl in 1-3 weeks. We recommend planning your search for a new au-pair at least 6 months in advance.
