Advice To Host Families On How To Make A Great Profile

 

There are three main ways to improve your profile so that you can find that perfect Au pair or Nanny ;

 

1. The quality of pictures you upload on your profile
2. The quantity and quality of information you supply on your profile
3. The personal touch (i.e the introductory letter)

We have conducted extensive research into what constitutes a great family profile. Our findings surprisingly revealed that au pairs tend to favour certain kind of profiles while ignoring others. This leads to a situation in which certain host families get all the attention while other are ignored.
In response to this problem we felt it necessary to draw up this advice column to assist you in the preparation of your profiles.

We understand that you are all very busy and may not have the time to draw up a great profile page. We wish to assure you however that it really is worth your effort to take just a little time to make one; a great profile page will ultimately lead to you finding the  kind of au pair that you actually want!

It is important to remember that the average au pair is often a young girl who is leaving home for the first time, she is  understandably nervous and want to find a loving and caring family whom she will feel safe, secure with; in return she will provide a safe and loving carer for your children. These tips are designed to help you to show the au pair that you are indeed that kind of loving family.

 

Tips to make a great profile 

 

1. Upload photos. 

We all remember the expression. A picture is worth a thousand words. Well, this is very true when it comes to finding an au pair. Au pairs are overwhelmingly drawn to families whose profile contains lots of loving family pictures. You will discover to your pleasant surprise that uploading loving happy family pictures of you and your wonderful family will do more to promote your profile than anything other thing you might write or add to it.

So, If you have not already done so please look for those great family shot!

 

 

2. Give as  much information as possible  

You are welcome to leave as much or as little details about yourself in your profile as your want. You may even add a little bit now and then come back later and add more!

However you should bear in mind that our studies have revealed that au pairs tend to respond more favourably to profiles that contain lots of relevant details about the family and the job as opposed to those that don’t.

Always remember that the more you reveal about yourself and your interest the more you are likely to find an Au pair with similar interests. For example if you are regular skiers and would love to have an au pair to accompany you on your holidays then this is something that could be mentioned in your profile page.  

We have drawn a list of information that Au pair have continually stated was important to them when viewing the profile pages of host family.

 

Information that au pair consistently stated was important to them

Information regarding the job

 

• How many children you have and ages for the children
• The ages for the children that they will be required to look after.
• Whether any of the children have special needs and if so the degree of care required 
• The hours  of work and the duties that they are required to perform
• Their days off and whether they would be required to work in the evening and or weekends 

 

Information regarding your home.

• What kind of accommodation you have i.e. house, bungalow or apartment flat.
• How many bedrooms in the house.

• Will they have their own room and whether the room has a TV and access to internet?
• How far away your home is from the nearest town/city.
• How long it takes to get to the nearest town/city from your home.
• What kind of transport facilities exist to get to town/city.  
• What kind of language schools/further educations schools are in your area and how much they cost and whether the family is happy to pay it.  
• The dominant language spoken in the home.
• The occupation of the family and their work pattern/routine.  

 

 General information

They also wanted to know general things like;

• What kind of social activities the family engage in, if any?.
• Activities like  house riding, swimming, hiking, camping, going to the  cinema and family picnics etc had a lot of interest for the au pairs 

• whether the Au pair would be included in the family holidays
• Whether the family had an au pair before and how long they stayed.
• What kind of cuisine the family cooked.

 

show the  advantages of joining your family

It really does help your profile to clearly show potential au pairs the advantages of working for you. Don’t assume that au pair will work these out for themselves.  For example,

• If you only live a few, easy to commute, miles away from a major hub of social activity, then this is a clear advantage that should be stated. It will attract many young au pairs looking to have a varied social life on their days off.

 

• On the other hand, if you don’t live so close to the major hub of activity but you have equally attractive aspects about where you live, then this is something that should be stated i.e.  you live in the middle of the country side with beautiful scenic  spots for great hiking or outdoor activities

• Alternately, or in addition, if you and your family go away on great holidays to great locations then this again is something that an Au pair would love to hear about.    

 

Requirements for the job

When drawing up your list of requirement for the job, try, if possible, not to make the conditions too onerous. Always bear in mind that the au pair is not a hired servant but a young person who will become part of your family for a brief period.

Accordingly, if a specific task is not vital to you then be flexible in listing it as a requirement of the job.  Speak in terms of ‘we would like or hope’ as opposed to saying ‘the au pair will be required’. For example, if I was to state; the following;  
‘the Au pair may occasionally be asked if she could babysit  in the evening’
This sounds a lot more friendly and attractive to an au pair than when you request it in a formal tone, i.e  
‘the au pair WILL  be require to work three evenings a week’

 

Salary

 

Although au pairs are not principally embarking on this adventure to make money its still helpful for them to earn a reasonable allowance on their journey

Your profile will therefore look a lot more attractive if you offer a competitive rate of pay. Please view our salary guide to assist you in deciding the appropriate amount to offer.    

  

 References

Au pair and nannies are often nervous about whom they are going to stay with.  Offering them a reference can often be a very good way to alleviate that fear. For example a reference from a previous au pair can be a great way of revealing what life will be like in your family home.