Adapting to life and sharing cultures from around the globe as an Au Pair in the U.S.

Our au pairs come to the U.S. from all over the world, many from very different cultures and customs. One can imagine that the adaptation process can take time and patience for both the au pairs as well as the host families.  Below are some stories shared by our au pairs about the connections they make.

  • Au Pair Encounters an American Critter

    Maryland Community Counselor Cynthia Chan shares her blog post about her Au Pair: Kayleigh hails from South Africa and has been an au pair in Maryland for almost two years now! She shared some reflections on [...]

  • New Au Pair Arrivals Have Such Interesting Observations!

    I was having coffee recently with two new au pairs.  Both were doing well with their host families but not without some stumbling blocks.  As we discussed the importance of differences in styles of communication and [...]

  • She Should Know

    “I really must leave this host family,” said the au pair. “She knows nothing about childcare,” said the host mom. “Why,” I asked. Each party went on to describe the perceived error and ended with, “She [...]

  • “Are American children the boss?”

    “…in America, children are the boss!” I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve heard that from au pairs. Many arrive in the U.S. “knowing” that American children are spoiled, allowed to do as they [...]

Learn About the U.S.!

As excited as we are to learn about other countries and cultures, our au pairs are just as excited to learn about life in the United States! To address diversity, this section of the Global Awareness site is dedicated to learning about different cultures within the U.S.  We’ll highlight au pair “firsts” as they explore life across the country and share their stories on the road to cultural exchange.