English Version Below - 

Nel completare l'application, vi sarà richiesta una lettera di presentazione destinata alla famiglia. Questa parte del processo è di vitale importanza in quanto la lettera è la prima cosa che una famiglia vede nel vostro profilo ed è un modo per farvi conoscere al meglio e per attirare l'attenzione delle famiglie. Vi verrà chiesto di presentarvi, di presentare la vostra famiglia e la città dove abitate. Dovrete poi raccontare dei vostri hobby e interessi, della scuola o dell'esperienza lavorativa, per poi arrivare alla vostra esperienza con i bambini. Per finire dovrete spiegare il motivo che vi spinge a diventare au pair. So che può essere difficile iniziare una lettera da zero, per questo ho deciso di postarvi la mia  "dear family" letter, in modo tale che possiate prendere un pò spunto! Potete trovare la lettera alla fine di questo post.

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When completing your application, you will be asked for a letter for the host family to introduce yourself. This part of the process is really important since this letter is the first thing that a host family sees in your profile and it's a way to get to know you better and to draw the host family attention.
You will be asked to introduce yourself, introduce your family, your hometown etc.
You will then have to talk about your hobbies and interests, school or work experience, and finally talk about your experience with children.
To conclude, you should explain the reason why you want to become au pair.

I know it could be hard to start a letter from scratch, that's why I decided to share my letter, so that you can get some inspiration!


Dear Family, Hello! 

My name is Anna and I am writing to introduce myself and to tell you why I would like to be an au pair and why you should choose me. 

My full name is Anna Claudia, but everyone calls me Anna. I am 18 years old (in September 2013 I'll be 19) and I live in Giussano, a small town near Milan. I like the town where I live, it isn't so big (about 25.000 inhabitants) but you can find everything you need.  I live there with my parents and my sister in our own apartment. 
My family consists of 4 people: my mother, my father, my sister and me.My sister's name is Francesca, she's 20 years old and she's studying marketing at university. Sometimes we argue but usually we all get on well and we help each other. Both my parents are teachers: my mother teaches maths and english in a primary school, so she has kids from 6 to 10 years old. Sometimes I go to her school and I help her doing projects or shows with children. For example, we organized a show in English for Halloween and we dressed and made-up children from zombies or witches. I taught them a choreography of Michael Jackson's Thriller and then they played some really funny sketches. My father teaches Italian and history in a high school, so he has students from 14 to 19 years old. I have a wonderful relationship with them: both are excellent parents and I had a wonderful childhood and adolescence also thanks to them. My family support my choice of being an au pair in the United States and they think this would be a great experience and a way for me to be independent. 
Speaking of family, I have 21 first cousins, which inturn have children, so I've always been used to having kids around.  

So what am I like? Well, I always try to be friendly and helpful to other people and I grew up with very important values. For instance I know that education is the main thing, but also kindness and respect. I'm a flexible, polite and humorous girl. I am a creative and ambitious young woman because I have a lot of ideas about my future. I have a lot of hobbies and interests: I have been dancing hip-hop music in a crew for 7 years, but I had to quit last year because of school (too much to study!!), but sometimes my sister and I make some choreography up and we have a lot of fun! When I danced I also helped my teacher with the younger dancers, teaching them the choreography and helping them with the steps. I have been swimming for something like 10 years (from 3 to 13) but I decided to stop because I wanted to focus on dancing! In addition to this, I love reading all kind of books and spending my time in the library. Moreover I like playing volleyball (most of all beach volleyball), listening to the music and watching soccer (my family is a fanatic of soccer and all sports in general!!) Another thing I love doing is cooking, above all cakes and cookies and then eat them!!! My mother taught me how to cook a delicious pizza and I make it often to my friends! I like singing karaoke, even though my friends say I'm not very good and I'm out of tune, but I think they're just jealous!!! In my spare time I like hanging out with my friends, going to the cinema (I love watching films), going for a walk at the local park, watching tv-series in their original language (in general english) or going to the mall. 

At the moment I'm still at school and as I write this letter I am in my last year. I'm studying three languages: English, German and French. I have been taking care of my little cousin Alberto since he was 4: his parents had to work all the day long and they took him to my house. I also have been taking care of a little kid, Pietro, (6 years old) for 2 years and last year I helped a girl, Cecilia, (12 years old) doing her homework and studying. I also did voluntary work in a secondary school where I helped children (from 10 to 14 years old) doing their homework and studying. You can find all the details of my childcare experience in my application form or even better you can ask me! 

Now, I would like to tell you why I want to be an au pair in the United States. First of all, obviously I want to be an au pair because I can deal with kids and I love them a lot. Secondly since I was a little girl it was my biggest dream spending a year in the USA, knowing a new culture, meeting new people and living in an American family as a new member. In addition to this, I believe that this is a big chance for me because I could improve my English skills. I'm sure that if you choose me as your new au pair then we will have a great time together! I hope that this letter has given you some idea about me and what l am like, and I think I could be the right person to take care of your children . 

I am looking forward to hearing from you soon! 

Kind regards, 

Anna