Dear Aupair World,

I am looking for an au pair who could take care of my two children (four and seven years old) from autumn. The au pair should be willing to stay with us for at least 12 or 18 months. It would be better if he or she was from England. I have already contacted many au pairs, but only few have replied positively. Is there a reason why this occurs? What can I do to change this situation?

Lucia from Italy

The answer of the Aupair World Support Team

Dear Lucia,

Here are a couple of handy tips:

• The first thing you should ask yourself is: are you looking for a traditional au pair or are you rather trying to find an English-speaking nanny? The idea behind becoming an au pair is above all getting to know the language and culture of your host country. Furthermore, it also implies becoming a new member of the host family and looking after the children.
• Try to open your heart to future au pairs. Be open to welcome au pairs from all over the world and try to widen your search criteria. There are many au pairs from other parts of the world who speak excellent English. By doing so, you will have more chances of finding an au pair who matches your criteria in your EasyFind.
• You should also be aware of another aspect: when it comes to finding a native speaker of English, especially coming from England, the competition between European families is really stiff.
• The period of time you require for your search is particularly long. Most of the au pairs are looking for an experience from 6 to 12 months. Why not change the period in your profile, too?
• Last but not least: set a deadline by which the au pairs are supposed to answer your emails. They should understand that, if they do not respect this deadline, they will not be taken into consideration. On the other hand, if you do not receive any answers, you already have your answer. This obviously applies to both au pairs and host families.   

We hope you find a nice au pair soon.

Good luck with your search!

Your Aupair World Support Team

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