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Au pair
Meetings
These kind of meetings give you a possibility to meet other
au pairs who are placed all over the Netherlands, allowing
you to make new friends, exchange experiences and maybe find
a travel partner. Don’t miss this, come and enjoy these days
that we plan especially for you!
Note: If you agreed coming to a meeting, we
expect you to show up. You have to understand we have to
make reservations and plan our activities. We therefore
advise you to give us a call, if you cannot make it. |
Dutch courses
The
host family will advise your concerning Dutch courses
in your region. |
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Staying in the family
First
hours in the family arethe most important, The family was expected you to come and all the members,
especially children, are very curious to to find out
as much as possible about you. So you have to be prepared to answer many
questions and don’t hesitate to ask them back. |
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Things to resolve in first
days:
*List of phone numbers -
parents, emergency numbers
.
*Your day schedule - time for
children toget up, to go to the bed, what time they
have to go to school, come back, do you have to pick them up, where, lunch,
dinner time, who is cooking in the family and any other questions you and your
family find important. We advise you to makea written
form schedule, to avoin any misunderstandings in the
future.
*“Home rules”. May be same of them
you can consider (AMUSEMENT)but in practice
they are very important. Ask the parents about methods of education (food,
plays, toys, TV, computer, what are the children allowed to do, what is forbiden, how to respond on children‘s screams etc.); where
is the school, kindergarden, playground, post office,
shops; selection of garbige; where does the family
shopping; condition for using computer, home phone, DVD, TV; till what time you
can go out in the evening; are you allowed to bring friends to your place; may
you give the home phone number to other people and etc.
*Ask about Dutch courses for
you - schedule, how many times in week, the best way to get there, will the
family pay for it (Note: not all the families are paing
for the Dutch courses.)
*Your
obligations - what
exactly has to be done during the day. Don’t hesitate to ask about the things
you do not know, family will apreciate if you you will try to do your best in this case you might expect
the same from them.
*Usually
Au Pairs have following obligations, but you have to realise
that it will vary (but not to
much) from family to family. |
List of obligations
approved by Netherlands Au Pair Organization:
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Washing dishes
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Loading and unloading the dishwasher
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Preparing simple meals
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Keeping the kitchen in order and general tidying up
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Shopping for light groceries
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Loading laundry into the washing machine
*
Packing away laundry/clothes
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Ironing
*
Tidying and cleaning of children’s room(s)
*
Tidying and cleaning of own room(s)
*
Tidying and cleaning in general
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Vacuuming
*
Dusting
*
Keeping floors clean
*
Taking out garbage but only on the ground floor
*
Walking and feeding pets
*
Watering plants and taking care of plants/flowers
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Making and changing beds |
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Tasks which may not be part
of expected light household chores:
* all and any tasks for which the au pair is solely responsible
within the host family
* all tasks with regard to gardening and the garden
*
washing of windows (inside and outside)
*
scrubbing
*
mopping/scrubbing any area large than 30 m2
*
washing/cleaning a car or automobile
*
cleaning of bathroom facilities unless such facilities are to be used solely by
the au pair |
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Homesickness
First
weeks you will have homesick and this is something normal. It is not a bad
thing. This only means you care about the people and places ayou
have left behind for a while. |
Right
things to do:
*Stay busy. It is important
to go out and meet other people as soon as possible, start colling
to other Au Pairs in your area, or just for a walk.
*Avoid calling home too much.
First of all it’s a good way to save some money and this won’t help to adapt in
new family. Writing letters, or e-mail, will make you feel like you are in
touch with you frends and family. Be honest with the family about how you feel.
They will notice if you are unhappy and knowing the reason will make it easier
for them to help and support you.
*Be proactive. You are the
only one for whom everything is new and different. Your family as well has to
get used with you staying at their place. And it is mainly up to you to make
the year of stay in the Netherlands unforgetable.
This does require from you toshow the interest and
initiative: ask questions, play with childrens rather
than just watching them playing, help to clear the table after the dinner, etc.
Little things like this will mean a lot to the family.
*Be honest. Open
communication is the key. We highly recomend you to
be honest and open in a polite manner, of course, having talks with your
host-family. Otherwise there is no way for them to know how do you feeland together you can resolve any problems. |
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Eating habits
Dutch
families (in general) value sharing family meals together. That is way the
family will expect you to join, even when you are not hungry. You have to know
that the children need to be set an example not to eat throughout the day, but
at the set time. Besides, this is a good opportunity to build a good
relationship with the family. |
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Cultural shock
Moving
into a new home with people you know from phone convesation
is difficult. You will have to deal with new customs, new ways of doing things,
new types of food and so on. This is a part of the experience. In this case we
advise you to have an open and positive mind for all the things. howeverthis doess
not mean that the year in the Netherlands will be succesful
all the time. For sure, there will be moments when you will prefer to go home istead of staying here. At that moment you stop being a
tourist and the people around you expecting you to become a memberof
their every-day life. |
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What
might help you to overcome the problems of a cultural shock:
*Don’t lock yourself up in
your bedroom. You should try to be active and fimd
interesting activities;
*Try to read as much about
the Dutch culture as possible. The more you know about the culture the better
you can understand the inhabitants;
*Is not right to think that
you are alone. Expres your feelings to your host
family or your friends;
*If you think the problem you
have is of
another kind, you can always contact Mission Hollandaise. |
Staying with children
*You
realise that most of your time you will spend with
the children. This is not easy, but in the same time is not so difficult if you
know how to find a way for a goog relationship with a
child. One more important thing you have to know that the children from your
host family are not the same as your brothers, sisters and any other relatieves. You have to build
?????????different kind of relation with them.
*First
of all, you may find the way your host family has chosen to bring up their
children is totally different from what ou are used
to, and each family will have its own rules and ways of dealing with
misbehavior. The only right thing for you to do is to respect these rules and
follow them. It does not mean that you are not allowed to make suggestions and
find your own way to children, but, again, it should not contradict to
parents’. And, of course, it is essential that you communicate with your host
parents about issues relating to the children. You have to know that the
parents are the only one who can support you and advise what to do. It is everyone’s interest to have a good
relationship with the children, so the parents will do their best.
*Show
sincere interest in the children. Ask them about everything,
propose new games to play, new books to read and any other fun activities. They
might not take it immediatly but with a little
patience they will. Children, even very young ones, are very smart and will
sense if you are genuinely interested in being a part of their lives.
*Don’t
expect to win children’s trust very soon. The most important is to make a good
start from the beginnig. Be flexible and avoid confrontations with
children. It will help if you make things into a game, to let the children do
the things you
want them to. Also helps pretending that you need their help. Especially it
works in the beginning when you don’t speak Dutch very well, you may ask them
to learn you to speak the language. Children like more to teach then to be tought! |
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Gross Misconduct?????????????synonym
Gross
misconduct is leaded either by the Au Pair or by the host family that gives
rise for the contract to be immediately terminated without further notice and
compensation. |
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Examples of gross misconduct
by the Au Pair:
*leaving children unattended;Ÿ psysical abuse of children;
*theft;
*drugs;
*smoking if especially
prohibited in the family;
*inviting a person to stay overnightin the family home against the express wishes of
the family;
*consistently failing to
adjust to the Host Family/Au Pair Agreement;
*misleading the family on the
application form;
*engaging in sexual relation
with a member of the host-family’
*alcohol abuse. |
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Examples of gross misconduct
by the host family:
*physical or mental abuse of
the Au Pair;
*theft of the Au Pair;
*sexual molestation of the Au
Pair by any member of the host family;
*consistently failing to
adjust to the Host Family/Au Pair Agreement;
*violation of rights (e.g.
confiscation of passport, luggage etc.);
*non-payment og
pocket money or any other payment due.
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Make sure you lock up when
leaving the house, even if it is just a pop out for few minutes!
Respect
the family’s need to spend time on their own once in a while. Although most
families will treat you as part of their family, the parents may sometimes have
personal issues to discuss. The fact that you are supposed to to be treated as a family member also means that the family
is not expected to treat you as a guest throughout your stay and are not meant
to entertain you always, once you have settled in the area you live in.
Important to know:
Guidelines for au pairs and
host families
2nd revised version as
established by NAPO’s members at the general assembly on June 11th 2005 |
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Remember!
Most of the problems can be
resolved through conversation!
Never smack a child or use phisical punishment in any way!
Never leave chidren unattended when on duty! |
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GUIDELINES
Age:
An
au pair is not younger than 18 and not older than 26 years of age.
Working hours:
Maximum
of 30 hours per week spread out over a maximum of five (5 )days
during which the au pair is not allowed to work more than a maximum of eight
(8) hrs per day. Babysitting activities can be undertaken over a maximum period
of three (3) evenings perweek.
Duration of stay:
An
au pair stays with a family for a maximum of 12 consecutive months.
Leisure time:
2
days per week and a minimum of one full weekend once per month.
Vacation:
An
au pair is entitled to two (2) weeks of paid vacation per 12 months, during
which time the au pair’s pocket money will be paid in full. If the au pair
placement is for a shorter period of time, vacation is awarded accordingly.
Pocket Money:
A
minimum of 300 Euro per month, regardless of whether or not the au pair
actually works the maximum number of 30 hours per week and a maximum of 340
Euro per month.
Insurance:
The
host family is responsible for taking out and paying for health, accident,
repatriation and travel insurance in the au pair’s name for the duration of
stay.
Room and Board:
All
costs during the duration of the au pair’s stay regard to food and drink will
be paid by the host family. The au pair is to be registered at the same address
the host family while at the same time actually staying and living there. In
other words, the au pair lives the family at one and the same address, thus
becoming part of the family as is the spirit of the au pair program. At this address, the au pair
must have a with a window containing a minimum of a
bed, a and a chair. Bath/shower facilities must be offered and when desired
being able to use.
Travelling Costs:
It
is to be agreed in advance whether the host family the au pair is obliged to
pay for such costs. Normaly the family will reimburse
the costs after completition of the agreement.
School- and language course
costs:
A
maximum of 240 Euro annually will be paid by host family.
Visa:
The
host family together with the au pair are responsible
for applying for where applicable. Any candidate who decides to leave the
family without notice will be reported at the police and considerd
to be an illegal person in the Netherlands. Insurance as well as other subsribtions will cancelled asap.
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Police: 0900-8844
Emergency: 112 Mission Hollandaise
06-19412136
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