Tips for the First 30 Days with your Au Pair

There are so many logistical issues host families and au pairs need to conquer within the first two months of your program year.  From getting a social security number, to helping your au pair get their drivers’ license, host families and au pairs need to allow for some flexibility and a lot of wait time! Check out our family tips for your first two months!

  1. Review our Top 5 Tips for Host Family & Au Pair Relationships with your Au Pair. 
  2. Don’t Procrastinate!
    • Once your Au Pair has been with you for about 10 business days, start calling your local Social Security Office to make an appointment.  A Social Security Number is absolutely necessary for everything from opening a bank account to getting a drivers’ license. 
  3. Need your Au Pair to Drive? – Start Studying
    • Check out your Local DMV Website for study materials and provide these to your Au Pair.
    • Remember many DMVs will allow your Au Pair to take their written test in their native language if available!
    • Have your Au Pair complete our Driving in the USA Self-Guided Course!
  4. Make sure you have scheduled your Weekly Meeting! 
  5. Review where important items like your First Aid Kit, Fire Extinguishers, Medications, etc are located in your home. Go back over this several times a week until your Au Pair is confident about where to find things!
  6. Plan something fun for bonding! Check out a local event, or plan a family game night. Make sure you are taking the time and opportunity to bond with your Au Pair.  We scheduled our Au Pair for a Saturday morning shift, or an extra hour at the end of the day so that we had an opportunity to spend time together as a family. 
  7. Talk about family chores!
    • If you don’t have a Chore Chart or a family plan for pitching in, consider creating one!
    • Work together as a team and make compromises on who will do what each week. 
  8. Plan meals together! Ask your Au Pair if they are willing to make dinner once a week! Trying new foods together is a great way to bond and exchange your culture. 
  9. Work in training throughout the first month!
    • It takes an average of two weeks to two months for someone to form a new habit! Don’t forget to take time to retrain on routines and expectations throughout the first two months so they become habits. 
  10. Review your Household Guide Weekly!
    • Go over expectations and household rules each week so that you are all on the same page. 

My very last tip is to put yourself in your Au Pair’s shoes! You are in a brand new country where you don’t speak the language fluently and you don’t have any family around. Give your au pair a little grace and time to get acclimated.