Children are the center of the family universe, they bring joy into the parents’ life and make it sparkle with bright colors. They are energizers who crave boundless time and attention, which is a limited resource in our hectic days. Often parents are compelled to dedicate a lot of their time to work, and thus, look for a person to stay with the kids. As a rule, a nanny or a daycare will do just fine, however, they are pretty tough on schedule and conditions, which creates even more worries. Unlike these typical childcare options, the au pair will make a world of difference. Besides, it creates equal benefits for each member of a ‘team’ – parents, kids, and an au-pair.
Benefits for parents
- Piece of mind
When having an au-pair, parents can breathe a sigh of relief, as their kids are always being watched. All the au-pairs have a pre-enrollment screening, thus, there will only be a person motivated and eligible for work. Besides, all the participants have a pre-enrollment course in first-aid, which just adds another layer of security.
The kids have a ‘guardian angel’ all day long, while the parents are away, thus, there will be no need to check up on their location using various apps and trackers.
- Flexibility
Unplanned meetings, holiday breaks, school cancelations – all the shifts in schedules are terrifying the parents, as there is always a need to ask a caretaker to stay longer, and it is often a matter of annoyance. As long as au-pairs are on-site sitters, who can back you up, therefore, you will not need to worry about time-related emergencies.
When hosting an au-pair, you can count on up to 10 hours of babysitting a day and 30-45 hours a week overall.
- Cultural exchange
According to Nina.Care, which is a reliable provider of au-pair experience, one of the most appreciative moments in hiring an au-pair, is the cultural influences. The babysitters come from all around the world, which helps kids to immerse into another world of traditions, get interested in learning other languages and just extend their outlook on life.
- Financial benefits
Hiring an au-pair is a good value for money, as the overall price for the services is significantly lower when compared with other forms of babysitting. Besides, the payment is fixed and doesn’t depend on the number of kids, and extra time (in case of emergencies) will not be paid with the double rate.
Benefits for children
While the parents enjoy all the numerous advantages of having an au-pair at home, what do the kids get from it?
- Smaller generation gap
The au-pairs are young people who haven’t yet settled in life and just keep exploring the world. They haven’t turned into adults who are weighted down by the problems, thus, it will be easier to make the whole communication light-hearted and open. Au-pairs are probably well-aware of modern trends regarding music, style, and movies, which will help to find common ground with children from the very beginning.
- New people
Having an au-pair at home is about opening a new cultural dimension. The whole family is exposed to a new culture and has an opportunity to learn about life in other countries. If the child struggles with learning a foreign language, hiring an au-pair native speaker will certainly improve the situation.
- Communication
The influence of au-pairs is hard to underestimate, as they can often be taken as older siblings and a role model for the children. As long as au-pairs are typically open-minded people, children will share with them secrets without being afraid of criticism from an “adult-ish” point of view. When there is only one child in the family, the advantages of having an au-pair triple, as they have someone to take after in terms of behavior.
Au-pairs are particularly helpful for children who shy away from new people and struggle to make friends. They get adjusted to a temporary member of the family and learn to communicate with strangers breaking the communication barrier.
Benefits for au-pairs
Au-pairs apply for the program aiming to deepen their knowledge of languages and extend their horizons. They are given a room, food, and pocket money, so in free from childcare time, they can explore the city or the country.
When the family travels somewhere, they often take the au-pairs with them, and cover all the travel expenses, thus, the geography will go even further.
Hiring an au-pair favors everyone – parents, kids, and young people. If you want to bring some novelty into the family, help kids to develop communication skills, and have fewer worries over the rigid nanny schedule, don’t hesitate and contact the au-pair agencies. Not only will you have parenting assistance, but you will also have a new member of the family and a true friend for the kids.
