Experiences of au pair girls and boys in Ireland. Cover and ten inside black and white illustrations by Peter Kent.
More than 40 au pairs talk about their experiences, good and bad, with Irish families. They give advice on how to avoid problems and deal with them as they come up. The consensus is: everyone should be an au pair once - but once is enough!
Host mothers also share their insights into how families and au pairs can live and work together in harmony.
This is a supplementary reader at the intermediate level for students of English.
Reader review:
"I quite enjoyed reading this book. It is an informative book for young non-English adults wishing to be au pairs in Ireland. It is informative without being condescending, and straight to the point. A must-have for any mothers wishing to allow their daughters to go and be au pairs abroad, dealing frankly with problems likely to be faced, how to address them and what's not acceptable for both the au pair and host family.
"I really liked it - and I never read serious books. Most mothers are letting their daughters apply to be au pairs in America and Europe so it was very useful to know what to expect, what problems may be faced and how to deal with them. I have passed it on to my book club here in Zimbabwe and the mothers are loving it. I can frankly relate to this book as I was a live-in carer in England for my gap year."
hazelle123, LibraryThing, 16 December 2009
Excerpt
Joys of Au Pairing
Catherine (French, 24):
Golden, a very bright and good time, but too short; six months is not enough.
I went au pairing because it is an easy way to go away when you are not an adventurer, and I found it lovely to live with people you don’t know. Moreover, it’s a good way to learn a language. In Ireland it’s fine, because you are not frightened because Irish people are friendly and helpful, and at school you meet a lot of friends, which is very important .
Problems
Au pairs, agencies, and the Council of Europe say that a firm written agreement with the family before coming to Ireland is the best way to avoid problems and misunderstandings.
Susanne (German, 20):
I think it’s very important to write a lot of letters just to get to know each other, so you know what to expect – if it’s a whole family or if they’re separated, if the father comes to the house to collect the child, what the relationship is between the mother and the father if they are separated.
It’s also good to speak on the phone, because you can ask questions and get immediate answers.
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