Question of the week

The “Question of the week” is still there. It has just been relocated! And since it has a new concept and layout, we decided to give it another name too: "One topic - your questions". ...>>

Question of the week (issue 57). Monika and her future au pair have already clarified this matter: the au pair shall pay her travel costs herself. However, Monika is not quite sure whether this is really common practise or if the host family should indeed bear the travel costs? ...>>

Question of the week (issue 56). Au Pair Jenna from the UK wishes to become an au pair in Spain. She has found three families in Madrid among whom she will choose her host. There is one host family she likes in particular. How can she be sure to make the right choice now? ...>>

Question of the week (issue 55). Lisa from Switzerland is looking forward to her one-year au pair stay in Spain. During this period, she would prefer to keep in touch with her parents and friends via phone. Can she simply continue to use her present mobile phone while staying abroad?   ...>>

Question of the week (issue 54). Alisha from Poland has found a host family in Germany. She is now preparing for her trip. What more can she do to be well-prepared, especially in terms of safety measures?  ...>>

Question of the week (issue 53). Elena from France wishes to work abroad as an au pair for one year prior to starting her language studies. She wishes to know which conditions and qualifications she needs to bear in mind in this context. ...>>

Question of the week (10 October 2011). Host mum Edna and her Russian au pair are not getting along well with each other. They noticed this after the girl had been staying with the family for two weeks. Edna talked to her many times. However, she had no success. Now she wishes to terminate the contract. What does she have to consider? ...>>

Question of the week (26 September 2011). Claire from Germany is always busy around the clock. She has a full-time job and three children. She has now decided to invite an au pair to assist her. She has many applicants whom she would like to get to know personally. As she cannot invite them all for a personal interview, she wonders whether there are any other alternatives. ...>>

Question of the week (4 October 2011). Angèle from France wants to plan her placement in advance. She would like to become an au pair in Canada after taking her final school exams in 2012. She checked our website but could not find any matching families searching for an au pair to start in 2012. Angèle asks: When should I start my search?  ...>>

Question of the week (19 September 2011). Ute from Germany has been in Italy for three weeks. She does not have any friends. She has not really got to know any other people than the members of her host family. What can she do to change this situation? ...>>

Question of the week (12 September 2011). High-school graduate Vanessa from Germany wishes to go to London for three months after finishing her exams. That would be exactly on 19 October. Is that feasible?    ...>>

Question of the week (5 September 2011). Host mum Betty from Ireland is quite excited: her first au pair will arrive in a month: Chantal from France. How should she prepare for her arrival? What should she consider prior to the girl's arrival?   ...>>

Question of the week (29 August 2011). Elena from Greece would like to spend a year abroad as an au pair. She wants to promote her German knowledge. Her question to Aupair World: How do I find the right course for my language level?  ...>>

Question of the week (22 August 2011). Esther from the Netherlands would like to become an au pair in Germany. She wants to be well prepared. Therefore she inquires: what would my duties as an au pair be? ...>>

Question of the week (15 August). Host mom Ana from Spain is angry about au pair applicants who do not have serious intentions about their au pair employment. Her British au pair changed her mind shortly before her due start date. Ana asks: How can I make sure that I find a "real" au pair who is serious about his/her intention to work for us?  ...>>

Question of the week (8 August 2011). Host mum Arleen from the UK is unhappy with her Spanish au pair: Mercedes speaks English so poorly that Arleen has difficulties explaining various issues to her. Arleen has asked Mercedes to return home to Spain. However, the earliest plane she can catch will leave in three weeks time. This is just too long for Arleen. "What shall I do now?", she wonders. ...>>

Question of the week (1 August 2011). Host mum Germaine from France will be hosting an au pair for the first time in her life. She has found an au pair girl and wishes to talk to her via Skype. "Which questions should I clarify in this context?", she asks the Aupair World Support Team. ...>>

Question of the week (25 July 2011). Au pair Ruby from Wales has found a nice host family in France. The family has also expressed their interest suggesting an appointment for a Skype conversation. Ruby is nervous: which questions should she definitely bear in mind? ...>>

Question of the week (18 July 2011). Host mother Nicola is surprised by the high demands of some au pairs. She says that her last au pair girl expected a lot but did not do much in return. When financial demands got too high, she dismissed the au pair. How can host families protect themselves from au pairs who consider the au pair placement to be a mere profitable employment - vice versa? ...>>

Question of the week (11 July 2011). Lucia, host mother from Italy, is looking for an au pair from England who is willing to stay with them from 12 to 18 months. Lucia has already sent messages to many au pairs. Unfortunately, she has only received very few answers. Now she is asking: "What can I do to change this situation?" ...>>

Question of the week (4 July 2011). Anja from Austria wishes to become an au pair in France. She has already registered and is in contact with a host family. "What is the next step now?", she asks the Support Team of Aupair World.   ...>>

Question of the week (27 June 2011). Ana from Finland has just decided to become a summer au pair in July. Her question is: is this too short notice or can I still find a placement? ...>>

Question of the week (20 June 2011). Elisabeth applied as an au pair at Aupair World. She has already sent out some standard messages. However, she is uncertain about the next step. She has received many positive replies from families, but not from her favourite family yet. How should she proceed in her communication with other families? ...>>

Question of the week (14 June 2011). Hannah W. from Canada is looking for an au pair. As there is no official au pair programme, but others such as the "Live in Cargiver" and "Work & Travel", she asks us: How much must we pay hourly? ...>>

Question of the week (6 June 2011). This time, our question of the week is actually a reply. The reply of au pair Monika to our question of the week of 4 April 2011. We had asked you about your experience with homesickness. Monika knows this feeling quite well. She reveals to other au pairs and host families how you can tackle homesickness. ...>>

Question of the week (30 May 2011). Host mom Amy would like to host an au pair boy. She looked through our  Au Pair Stories, but has not found what she was looking for. Aupair World now takes her question as an occasion to launch an appeal to our users: Please tell us about your positive experiences with au pair boys! ...>>

Question of the week (23 May 2011). This question keeps au pairs and host families occupied: which language should the au pair primarily speak? Au pairs wish to learn the national language of their host country. Host families, on the other hand, wish to learn their au pair's native language. How can you come to an agreement in this context? ...>>

Question of the week (16 May 2011). Suddenly, au pair Denise B. finds fewer families in her EasyFind compared to a few days ago. Some families whom she was interested in have completely disappeared. "How come?", Denise asks. „I haven't changed anything in my profile". ...>>

Question of the week (9 May 2011). Host mum Marivi G. from Sevilla would like to host an au pair. Her problem is that her family with three children live in a small flat. There is actually no more room for an au pair. Marivi asks: May we accommodate our au pair outside our home?     ...>>

Question of the week (2 May 2011) Melanie G. from England would like to go abroad as an au pair. Due to her experience with her younger sisters, she feels confident. Providing childcare is not a problem for her. However, she is worried about the housekeeping part. Her question is: What kind of housework will I have to do? ...>>

Question of the week (26 April 2011): Au Pair Juliane W. from Germany received what appeared to be an au pair application through Facebook. She is convinced that this was an attempt to defraud. She wishes to know: does it make any sense to forward these kinds of messages to Aupair World? ...>>

Question of the week (18 April 2011): Host mother Freja G. from Denmark has found a nice au pair from France through Aupair World. She is now calculating the total cost of the placement. She asks: Who pays the travel costs of the au pair? ...>>

Question of the week (11 April 2011). Host mum Petra H. from Germany wishes to accommodate an au pair. However, she is hesitating, as her family live in the country. The closest larger place, in which language courses are offered, is about 14 kilometres away. Petra wishes to know: Would that be reasonable for her au pair?  Does she even have a chance of finding an au pair? ...>>

Question of the week (4 April 2011). Host mother Liz from England worries about her au pair from France: Adrienne has recently been retreating into her shell. After enquiring Liz found out that she is homesick. What can she do? ...>>

Question of the week (28 March 2011). Oliver M. from Austria is searching for a new au pair. He has received many applications through Aupair World. Making a choice ist not easy, at all. His question to Aupair World: Have you had any exceptionally good experiences with au pairs from particular countries: Which nationalities would you recommend? ...>>

Question of the week (21 March 2011). Francine is interested in becoming an au pair in the USA. However, she is surprised about the fact that there are American host families on Aupair World, although you still have to apply through a designated agency for the USA. ...>>

Question of the week (14th March 2011). Au Pair Sandy created her profile on Aupair World. She uploaded nice photos of herself and wrote informative bilingual texts. However, she has still not been contacted by as many host families, as she had expected. "Is my age the possible reason?", she asks Aupair World. And: "How can I improve my profile?" ...>>

Question of the week (7 March 2011). This time, we received a telephone enquiry. Host mother Sonia M. from Germany asks: I saw that the au pairs' pocket money differs from one county to the other. Which country shall I concentrate on in order to pay less pocket money? ...>>

Question of the week (28 February 2011). Au Pair Jacqueline Q. from France is being contacted by a certain Victoria Smith through Facebook. Jacqueline is sceptical about this. She turns to Aupair World to ask, whether this might be a Scam?   ...>>

Question of the week (21 February 2011): Jenna W. is a municipal equal opportunities officer in Germany. An au pair who urgently wishes to change host families, turned to her in need of help. What does Aupair World suggest? ...>>

Question of the week (14 February 2011). Kathrin N. from Germany wishes to know: How much will I have to pay for a year as an au pair? ...>>

Question of the week (7 February 2011). John from the USA wishes to travel to London to become an au pair. His question to Aupair World: What do I have to bear in mind with regard to visa requirements? And: Is it legal for an American to become an au pair in the UK?  ...>>

Question of the week (31 January 2011). Host mother Tina E. from Germany is interested in an American au pair. Tina is uncertain about the formalities she will have to take care of. She asks Aupair World: Would a British au pair be a better alternative? ...>>

Question of the week (24 January 2011). Elisa from Italy would like to travel to Malta as a summer au pair for one month. Her question to the Aupair World Support Team is: "Do you also organize placements in this particular place?" ...>>

Question of the week (17 January 2011). German host family Kröger chose Kristina from Uzbekistan to be their au pair. Her visa application is being processed. Their question is whether or not she may also go on vacation with them to Spain. ...>>

Question of the week (10 January 2011). Malte from Sweden will soon be setting off on his journey. In a few weeks time, his au pair stay in the UK will begin. However, before he starts packing his luggage, an important question crosses his mind: Will my host family be expecting presents from me? ...>>

Question of the week (3 January  2011). Irene C. from New Zealand feels uncertain: her child is suffering from Down's Syndrome, a mild intellectual disability. How is this disability to be assessed? Does Irene have to answer the question concerning disabilities with "yes" or "no" while creating her profile and if so -- which consequences will this have? ...>>

Question of the week (20 December 2010). Host father Victor L. from Belgium created a profile on Aupair World. However, he was not able to find it in the search lists. He wonders: Why is that? ...>>

Question of the week (13 December 2010). Host mother Isobel C. from England broke away from her au pair sooner than originally planned. Reason: Although the au pair possessed a driving licence, she had no driving experience. Her question: How can I protect myself from choosing the "wrong" au pair next time? ...>>

Question of the week (6 December 2010). Christina has found her host family in Australia through Aupair World. She would like to know, whether au pairs are entitled to paid holidays. ...>>

Question of the week (29 November 2010). Host mom Selma K. from Norway has found her matching Dutch au pair. Her favourite au pair is 26 years old. Selma found out that au pairs in the Netherlands may be no older than 25. Her great concern is whether or not her family may invite this au pair. ...>>

Question of the week (22 November 2010). During her stay in England, Zuzana from the Czech Republic realised that being an au pair was not the right thing for her. However, she did not want to cause her kind host family any trouble. Thus, she wondered what she should do. ...>>

Question of the week (15 November 2010). Corinne G. from France registered as a host family on Aupair World two weeks ago. Her question: Why am I contacted by so few anglophone au pairs? ...>>

Question of the week (8 November 2010). Family Abel from Germany: My au pair received a personal identification number from the German Federal Central Tax Office, what now?* ...>>

Question of the week (1 November 2010). Danica from Germany: Is it possible to travel to the USA to become an au pair for only six months? ...>>

Question of the week (25 October 2010). An au pair from Austria asks: How is it possible that I only get ten matches in my search for a host family in the USA? ...>>

Question of the week (18 October 2010). Sandra from Germany: How much are the placement fees at Aupair World? ...>>

Question of the week (11 October 2010). Nina R. from Germany: Has my profile been deleted or is it just inactive? ...>>

Question of the week (4 October 2010). Host mum Hanne P. from Germany receives 50 au pair applications per day. She did not expect this onslaught. She wonders, whether the Aupair World Support Team could explain the reason to her.  ...>>

Auf Deutsch: Herausgepickt: Die Frage der Woche
In English: Question of the week
En Español: Pregunta de la semana
En Français: Question de la semaine
In Italiano: Domanda della settimana
In het Nederlands: Vraag van de week