Questions to ask the host family

English Version Below -  Nel momento in cui inizierete ad avere i primi contatti con le famiglie, vi chiederanno se avete domande da far...

English Version Below - 

Nel momento in cui inizierete ad avere i primi contatti con le famiglie, vi chiederanno se avete domande da fare. Il mio consiglio? Chiedete più che potete. Più sapete di una famiglia, più facile sarà la scelta che dovrete fare. Perchè non è solo la famiglia che dovrà prendere una decisione, ma dovrete farlo anche voi. Entrerete in contatto con molte famiglie, con alcune vi scambierete solo messaggi, con altre inizierete una vera e propria conoscenza, grazie anche all'aiuto di programmi/siti come facebook o skype.
Pensate bene a tutte le domande che vi stanno a cuore, o che semplicemente servono per conoscere bene la famiglia con cui vivrete per 1 anno. E' meglio sapere tutto ciò che bisogna sapere riguardo il lavoro, la famiglia, i bambini, le regole della casa prima di prendere una decisione, in modo tale che siate davvero sicuri che quella è la famiglia che fa per voi! Mi raccomando, fate tutte le domande che vi passano per la testa, anche le più superficiali o banali, dovete sapere con esattezza ciò che vi aspetta!
Qui sotto, vi pubblico la lista delle mie domande, tutte quelle che ho fatto o che farei ad una potenziale famiglia!
Piccolo consiglio: chiedete per prima cosa dei bambini! I genitori vogliono vedere se siete davvero interessati ai bambini o è solo un modo più "economico" per viaggiare e per avere un tetto sopra la testa! Se i bambini sono abbastanza grandi, potete addirittura chiedere di conoscere i bambini e parlare anche con loro! 



When you start having contacts with host families, they will ask whether you have questions to ask. My advise? Ask as many as you can. The more you know of a host family, the easier will be to make a choice. Because it's not only the family that takes the decision, but you will too. You will get in contact with tons of families, with some you will only exchange messages, with other you will have the chance to get to know them, also thanks to services such as Skype or Facebook. 
Think carefully about all the questions that you care about, or that simply will help you to get to know the family better. It's better to know everything that you need to know regarding the job, the family, the kids, house rules etc before making a choice, so that you will be really sure that that's the right family for you! 
Be sure to ask everything that pops up in your mind, even the superficial ones, you need to know what to expect.
Below, I am sharing the list of my questions, those that I asked or would ask to a potential family. 
Small tip: first ask about the children! The parents want to see whether you are truly interested in the kids or whether it's just the easiest and cheapest way to travel and have a roof over your head. If the kids are old enough, you can ask whether it's possible to talk to them.




GENERAL QUESTIONS

Why are you interested in getting an au Pair?
What kind of relationship do you expect from me (family member, roommate, employee, place in between)?
What is one problem you had with your previous au pair? How did you handle it? How can we avoid having similar problems?
Tell me why your first au pair worked out so well. What was it about her/your relationship that worked?
What did you like/dislike about previous Au Pairs? What would you want in the perfect Au Pair?
How do you see au pair fitting into your family?
How do your expect au pair to spend her free time?
How do your children feel about the previous au pair leaving?
Can I contact your current au pair? 


KIDS
Number and ages of children.
What are the kids’ personalities like?
How they go to school, by bus? Am I gonna be supposed to take them to school by car?
What do they usually eat? (for breakfast and lunch)
Do your children get on well?
What do they like to do in their free time? What is their routine like?
Your responsibilities for each child.
What do you consider to be most challenging about your children?
What kind of relationship would you like the au pair to develop with the children?
What values do you think are most important for your children to learn?

FAMILY
Tell me about your family (what do you like to do, how do you spend free time, what are favorite family activities, hobbies, vacations/trips, etc)
What forms of discipline do you use?
Do you eat dinner together?
Do you like to travel? Would you bring me on a trip?
How and where do you spend your holidays?
What a typical work day would look like ? / My daily and weekly schedule.
Do you have pets? Will I have to care for them?
Do they both parents work?
Where do you work and what do you do?
Do you have any religion?
Time you will spend together as a family member.

TOWN/HOUSE
Tell me about the area you live in.
Is it near a big city? Which one?
What is the climate in your are? Is it too cold in the city? Snow there?
What is your neighbourhood like?
What kinds of things are there to do around town (library, markets malls, parks, etc.)?
What are your favorite things about where you live and least favorite things.
Do family members or relatives live nearby?
Are there other families with children nearby? Are there other any au pairs nearby?
What things are there to do with the children?
Are there any English Schools/Universities near your house?
Do you live in house or apartment?
Do you have a housekeeper?
What about the au pair’s bedroom, what part of the house is the bedroom located?
Do you have Internet and Computer access?
Will I have a private room, bathroom? Will I have TV in my room?

AU PAIR
What will be my household responsibilities?
Will I be responsible for driving the kids to and from activities? Cooking? Light cleaning?
What are the most important rules the au pair should know about? (House "rules" - curfew, social activities, friends)
Will I have to work evenings? If so, how many?
Will I have enough time off to take trips while in the country?
When I’ll have free time? How many hours a day will I be working?
Will I have time to study? What time? Can I go to classes when the children are in the school?
What time can I get home during the week and on the weekends? 

THE CAR
Will I have permission to use the car in my free time? How often? How far?
Is a state driver’s license required?
Are there only certain times when I can use the car?
Will I have to pay for the gas when I use the car?

DOMANDE DA FARE ALLA AU PAIR ATTUALE
What do you think about the family? And the kids?
Are they nice with you?
Do they pay you weekly or per month?
Do you do extra work? I mean, if you work for other people, take care of their kids or clean the garden from neighborhood?
Do you do any course? If so, are the courses near from the house?
How are the kids and the family in your opinion?
Is there any cool near place to go there?
What do you most like to do in your free time?
What do you think they would like to receive as a gift?



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6 commenti

  1. Un livello di inglese B1 prima di partire per gli States è troppo basso? Che livello della lingua avevi tu + o - prima della tua partenza?

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. No, un livello B1 è abbastanza. Non viene richiesta nessuna certificazione, ma B1 va piu che bene. Io avevo un B2 e mi è stato detto che ero oltre il necessario :)

      Elimina
  2. Grazie mille:)
    Avrei ancora altro domande ma magari se sei disponibile a rispondermi te le scrivo in una mail !!:)

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. Certo scrivimi pure: anna.sugar19@gmail.com
      Sono disponibile a rispondere a tutte le domande che hai :)

      Elimina
  3. Hei:)
    Ti ho scritto un email un paio di giorni fa...spero ti sia arrivata;)

    RispondiElimina
  4. I hope my next holidays come soon, so i can travel to the solden ski resort. I like the landscape very much.

    RispondiElimina

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