#1 Get to know the au pair and allow the au pair to get to know your family. Spend time together learning about one another.
#2 Help make the au pair feel welcome and show the au pair how she can get involved with your family. When in doubt at the beginning, include our au pair as much as possible in family activities until she makes friends and/or you or she decides she doesn’t wish to participate.
#3 Share critical information your au pair needs in the first week – where the children will go (activities, school, camp etc), the au pairs schedule as well as the kids for the week (in writing), things the kids like to eat, and strategies for being successful with the kids (i.e. the kids have a hard time leaving without any notice and will put up a fight. A good way to avoid this is to give them a 10 minute warning and then 5 minute warning. At 2 minutes, say lets get our shoes on it is time to leave.)
#4 Get a map of your community and mark the important places your au pair will go. Show her/drive her around your community on day one and have the au pair bring her map with her. After day one, talk about where you are going and have the au pair drive there. It’s good practice for the au pair driving and learning the community and will help give you confidence in her ability to get around after the first few days.
#5 Connect her to other au pairs. If your au pair doesn’t know anyone yet in your community, reach out to your AuPairCare AD and help get your au pair connected. Going for coffee is empowering and an important step in connecting with others.
#6 Show the au pair what you want her to do – don’t just tell the au pair. Do a dry run on a typical day from soup to nuts so she sees how you want her to do it and can take it from there.
#7 Share with the au pair some of the reasons why you chose her as your au pair. This helps the au pair to feel more confident and connected to you and your family.
#8 Ask the au pair what kinds of foods she likes to eat. If it is something outside of what your family might normally eat, see if you can incorporate something from the au pair's culture/home to make the au pair feel at home even far from home.
#9 Personalizing the au pair room. Ask the au pair if there is anything needed – blankets, pillows, etc. I also put a welcome basket or flowers and a picture drawn by the kids to make the au pair feel welcome.
#10 Talk about things the au pair wishes to accomplish or see in her year and then help the au pair plan how and when to do them.
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