Skypedates with Families

 

 

 

Children:

 

How many children do you have?

 

 

What are their names?

 

 

How old are they?

 

 

 

What are the favorite activites of each child?

 

 

 

Could you describe their personality a bit?

 

 

Will the children attend school/kindergarden during my aupair year?

 

 

How far is the kindergarden or preschool.

 

 

 

What classes do the children attend?

 

 

 

Does any of the children have a special diet, illnesses, diseases or allergies?

 

 

 

What special need does that child have? What do I have to pay attention to?

 

 

 

How do the children feel about a new Au Pair joining the family?

 

 

 

 Please describe each childs character. Who is the most active/ shy/ sensitive one?

 

 

 

 Hobbies, Interests, favourite games/toys)

 

 

May I talk to them for a few seconds?

 

Hi “XY” this is Janine from Germany! How are you? Are you going to school/ kindergarden? How do you like it? Can you already read/ count? Etc.)

 

 

 

Describe your style of education and upbringing?

 

 

 

Do you want me to discipline too or just remind them with sentences like “you parents would not appreciate that”?

 

 

 

Can I make decisions like ‘no TV today’ and you back me up?

 

 

 

My responsibilities for each child?

 

 

 

What can I do during the weekends or with the kids during my working time? Zoo, childrens)museum, amusement park, ….

 

 

 

A typical day:

 

Can I make and plan them with other mothers and other aupairs?

 

 

 

My daily/weekly schedule:

 

 

 

Work on Weekends?

 

 

 

Am I responsible for any household duties?

 

 

 

What would a typical working day for me look like?

 

 

Do I have to do babysitting in the evening?

 

 

 

How much hours at leat will I have to work?

 

 

 

What characteristics and skills do you consider important for an Aupair?

 

 

 

Do I have to drive the children to school/activities?

 

 

 

How many babysitters/au-pairs did you have before?

 

 

Will I cook dinner? Just for kids or for whole family?

 

 

 

What are you eating in general? Just organic and expensive or regular stop and shop stuff?

 

 

When will I have vacation?

 

 

Am I off on holidays? Do you let me join you?

 

 

 

Who makes the grocery shopping?

 

 

 

What do you want me to do while the kids are in school?

 

 

 

 Sharing in the family lifestyle

 

 

 

Names / Ages

 

 

 

Working time

 

 

 

Do both parents work? Full time or part time? Professions? Do you have a lot of buisness trips?

 

 

 

What are your Hobbies/Interests?

 

 

 

Favourite family activities?

 

 

 

What does every day life in your family looks like?

 

 

 

What does a typical weekend look

 

like?

 

 

 

What religion do you have?

 

 

 

Please describe yourself and your husband/ wife?

 

 

 

What is an aupair for you? E.g. Live in houseworker, daughter, friend, another adult

 

 

 

Why are you interested in getting an au-pair?

 

 

 

What general rules do you give to your au-pair?

 

 

 

My relationship with you as a family member?

 

 

 

Do you have any pets?

 

 

 

Where do the grandparents or other relatives live?

 

Do you travel often? Would you want to take me with you during your vacations?

 

 

 

Will I be allowed to have friends staying in my room or people come and visit? E.g.

 

other Au-Pairs, my boyfriend, my parents if they would like to visit me?

 

 

 

Do you provide a car for me? - May I use the car in my spare time? Are there any restrictions on using the car?

 

 

 

Does the car has restrictions? Curfew or special area?

 

 

 

Do I have a curfew at night?

 

 

 

How will my first days upon my arrival look like?

 

 

 

Are there other au-pairs in the area?

 

 

 

Are there other families with children nearby?

 

 

 

College/university in the city?

 

 

 

How will I live with you? Own bedroom and bathroom?

 

 

 

Will I have accsess to the Internet?

 

 

 

Will I get a mobile phone?

 

 

 

How did you get along with the LCC?

 

 

 

Have you an Au Pair right now? Are you happy with her?

 

-May I can speak with her?

 

 

 

What was it about my application that made you decide to call me?

 

 

 

Where I can get more information about the region/sports/college?

 

 

 

Why do you want to get an aupair instead of an American nanny?

 

 

 

Have you ever been to the country where I live?

 

 

 

How do you celebrate christmas or thanksgiving?

 

 

 

Are you hoping that we (meaning au pair + host family) will eat dinner together?

 

 

 

Do you have a host family handbook?

 

 

 

Hang out together during the evenings?

 

 

 

Tell me why your first au pair worked out so well. What was it about her/your relationship that worked?

 

 

 

What is one problem you had with your previous au pair?

 

 

 

How did you handle it? How can we avoid having similar problems?

 

How do your expect au pair to spend her free time?

 

 

 

Would you help me to get a bank account, a SSN and a collage course?

 

 

 

Do I have to do the driving license again?

 

 

 

Do you expect me to take care of the kids alone for several days?

 

 

 

Do you expect me to work regularly on the weekends?

 

 

How far is it to the nearest bank/office/grocery store?

 

 

 

Would you mind giving me your e-mail adress so we can keep in touch?

 

 

 

Would you mind sending me an e-mail with some pictures of your family?

 

 

 

Current Au Pair

 

 

 

How was your time as an au-pair so far?

 

 

Are you happy with the family? Tell me on a scale from 1 to 10 (1unhappy, 10 very happy) ?

 

 

 

Which things about the family do you like/ don’t you like so much?

 

 

 

Do you spent any of your freetime with the family? How do you spent your weekends?

 

 

 

How do you get along with the kids, how are they?

 

 

 

How would you describe your relationship with the children?

 

 

 

What do you do with the children?

 

 

 

What was the biggest problem you had with the parents or with the children?

 

 

 

How were your first days, how did you feel?

 

 

 

Can you give me three characteristics that would describe the family best?

 

 

 

Do you celebrate holidays with your friends or with the family?

 

 

 

Do you somtimes talk about problems wih your hostparents?

 

 

 

How would you descirbe your realtionship with your hostmum/dad?What r they 4 u?

 

 

 

Did you feel welcome and did the family make efforts to make u feel welcome&home?

 

 

 

How did you get along with the counselor?

 

 

 

Can I have your e-mail address in case I have more questions?

 

 

 

Can you leave a list of activities and places to do and to got?

 

 

 

Can you give me some e-mail addresses of au-pairs in the area?

 

 

 

What does your typical working day look like?

 

 

 

Do you discipline the kids or do you say nothing?

 

 

 

Do they Ignore what you say?

 

 

 

Any special characteristics you dislike?

 

 

 

Do the parents Talk often to you about anything?

 

 

 

Make jokes with you?

 

 

 

Do they back you up?

 

 

 

What householdworks are you doing?

 

 

 

Do you cook for the family?

 

 

 

How do you like your area?

 

 

 

 A few polite ways of phrasing questions:

 

 

 

- May I ask you ...

 

- Could you please tell me....

 

- Did I unterstand correctly that ...

 

- I would be interested in knowing ...