Au Pairs Direct

Met an old client

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Isaacs) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:11:00 +0000

Bumped into an old client today was so good to see her and she said from September she will be looking for an au pair! great for the agency

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Isaacs) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:41:00 +0000

Met up with a few au pairs for coffee this morning just checking they are settled and also good for feedback on my au pair agency

Childcare Check List Brochure

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Farrell) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:45:00 +0000

Childcare is a huge part of any child and parents life and the decision on where to place the most important thing in your life shouldn't be made lightly. As a result of the fast paced environment that we all live in we at Au Pairs Direct have decided to take matters into our own hands and have created our first PDF brochure that is available for parents to print off and use.

The brochure is meant for parents who are about to make the decision on which nursery or child minder will have the responsibility of looking after their child. It is in no means a definitive list rather a guide for the parent to take with them when visiting any prospective locations. Along with the check list it also gives parents ideas on what to do before and after your visit.

We intend to produce a whole host of useful parent helping brochures so be sure to subscribe to our blog for future updates. We believe our first brochure is an excellent aid so please feel free to share this document with as many childcare websites as possible.

To download our brochure just click on the link below:

Childcare Checklist PDF

Getting the most out of the Au Pair experience

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Lyons) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:17:00 +0000

If you’re one of the thousands of households who have embraced the benefits of taking on an Au Pair, then you will more than likely be fully aware of the extent to which the extra pair of hands can lighten the load of day to day tasks. In addition to this you will no doubt have also experienced the positives an Au Pair brings socially and culturally. Making an Au Pair welcome and ensuring the most mutually advantageous environment for all involved, does however involve a little work. To help you along, we’ve compiled the following tips and advice:

Communication and Respect

Communication and mutual respect are both crucial from the outset when incorporating an Au Pair into the family. In the first few weeks especially it is vital that you invest plenty of time in helping your Au Pair to adjust to a new culture and the differences in language. Treat your Au Pair with respect, be sure to exercise patience and communicate in simple, clear language. They are not on holiday but nor are they your servant. It is prudent to bear in mind that cultural differences will make things a little strange for both of you at first.

If your Au Pair is experiencing difficulty in understanding verbal communication then it can be a good idea to write things down and advise they use a bi-lingual dictionary to translate it. Another surprisingly effective tool to help them to gain a firm grasp of English is television, not just in the form of language tutorial DVDs but also general programming, as such, installing a television in their bedroom is a great way to speed up the learning process.

Social Inclusion

To help your Au Pair build confidence and generally boost their enjoyment of their experience in the country, look to introduce them to other Au Pairs in the area and also assist them in registering with a local college. At college they will not only further build upon language skills, but also develop a social network outside of the house. As previously stated, they are not in the country purely to service your needs but also for their own enjoyment and development.

An Au Pair’s free time must be their own. By all means invite them to join in with family activities, but do not restrict them from using this leisure time in the manner of their choosing, whether that be going out or staying in their room. A well established and reputable Au Pair Agency will have outlined to all their Au pairs that you and are your partner are also likely to want time to yourself and as such, the Au Pair will respect that, especially if you have cultivated a healthy relationship with them.

Driving

If you need your Au Pair to be able to drive it is your responsibility to arrange and pay for their car insurance, equally the onus is on you to ensure that their driving licence is acceptable for driving in the UK. An Au Pair’s driving ability is likely to be unknown until they have been placed with you, as such it is good practice to arrange for a 2 hour driving lesson such that a qualified instructor can assess their driving ability and road safety, This is particularly paramount if they are expected to drive children, remember that this is your responsibility.

These pointers are only a small selection of the factors to consider when welcoming an Au Pair, but provide a solid foundation and help to ensure that both your family and your Au Pair get the maximum benefit and enjoyment from their placement.

Cross Promoting Directories

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Farrell) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:38:00 +0000

Its always nice to promote other companies that we feel are worthy of promoting especially if they have returned the favour. We dont endorse any of the companies listed below but we have visited their websites and may have used their services in the past. Feel free to take a look or completely ignore its your choice.

Baby Sitters - Visit babysitters2.com to find a qualified babysitter for your child or children plus explore our child care resources directory.

Health4Kid.com - Free Health Directory and Resources for Children.

Web Directory commerce network

Bilingual & Multilingual Children's Association
Your practical web-guide to raising multilingual children. Expert advice and real world wisdom with parent discussions, tips and articles on kids growing up with multiple languages. From birth through school.

Alec's FREE CV writing, resume writing, interview questions & job search tips FREE advice on how to dramatically improve your CV / resume, find a job and handle interviews. Plus sample CVs / resumes, cover letters, psychometric testing, a recruitment agency finder, CV / resume distribution, links to 200,000+ jobs and much more.

Baby Place

New Forum Participation

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Farrell) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:15:00 +0000

Au Pairs Direct like to feel that we are at the forefront of our game so when we were approached by a new forum that will be specifically aimed at helping au pairs and families interact with each other in an informal social way we were only to happy to help.

The forum isn't live yet but will be fully functional early in the new year. It will be free to register and participate and will boast a whole host of subjects and categories to get stuck into and take part in.

Being a top quality Aupair agency ourselves we think its a great idea that there will be a UK based forum for our au pairs to participate in and swap information on.

We hope you like the idea to so please keep an eye on our posts as we will be posting details of the forum in the very near future.

AuPair Agency - First Press release

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Farrell) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:20:00 +0000

Top 5 Reasons To Hire An Au Pair

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Farrell) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:11:00 +0000

In today’s modern world Au Pairs are becoming more and more popular. There are a hundred and one reasons to hire an au pair and bring them into your home but this article will tell you about the five that are the most compelling and beneficial to anybody thinking about hiring an au pair.

AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE
Au pairs are a lot more affordable than people generally believe. Following on from the very reasonable initial fees, the ongoing costs of having an au pair in your home are incredibly low, especially considering the benefits you will gain from the experience. They are much more than a mere babysitter, but the savings in childcare costs alone more than justify the decision.

EXPERIENCE DIFFERENT CULTURES
Au pairs are in this country for often manifold reasons. One of the most prevalent of which is the opportunity to improve their language skills. Whilst their interaction with a British family helps them to improve their English they also help to educate family members, young and old in the culture and language of their home: generally creating a mutually beneficial and exciting environment of learning. Above all the experience is not only educational for all but also fun!

SCHEDULE PLANNING
With the help of an au pair you as a mother or father will be able to plan your weeks with much more accuracy, flexibility and freedom, as your au pair will generally, upon agreement with yourself make him or herself available to collect your children from school, take them to after school activities and many more activities as you see fit allowing you greater freedom to plan in time for yourself. Not only does an au pair enrich family life, but also allows you and your other half to escape the house a night or two a week for some quality time, safe in the knowledge that the little ones are safe and happy.

HELP WITH THE HOUSEWORK
This isn’t a written rule but the more you offer out to an au pair the more you will get in return. In return for their weekly fee au pairs are generally expected to help out with household chores. Not to be mistaken for a servant au pairs will help out with household chores (but obviously, not do all of them on their own). Running round after children and managing all of the household duties can be a tiring job so having even a little bit of help in this area could be a great time saver. An au pair can serve as that 'extra pair of hands' busy parents are often in much need of, especially during those particularly stressful times!

IN HOME CARE
When your children are sent to a registered child minder you are generally at their mercy with regard to location and methods of entertainment, interaction and discipline, as such limiting your control with regard to how your child is looked after. By hiring an au pair you can be safe in the knowledge that your children are being looked after in a familiar environment (your family home) and have greater control of the activities they undertake during the day. It is more like having the children looked after by an honorary family member, who will take on board house rules and personal childcare preferences.

Besides these benefits and the numerous others you receive by inviting an au pair into your home, you are also making a great difference to your au pair. In return for assisting yourself and your family in all manner of daily chores, activities and events, they are learning a new language, culture and way of life...which is after all the reason they have left their home country to come to the UK. In short, everyone benefits!

Welcome & Please Subscribe

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Farrell) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:42:00 +0000

Dear all welcome to the new and fantastic Au Pairs Direct blog. we will try and post hear as often as possible so please check back regularly. Better still please subscribe and have our updates emailed to you as they happen.

We will be posting on all things au pair so be sure not to miss out and subscribe today.