TIPS FOR REGISTRATION and HOW A2Z AU PAIRS WORKS

Dear prospective host family,

Please find below some information on the registration, interview and selection process here at the A2Z Au Pairs agency.

Family registration is fast and simple, but if you have any difficulties with the service please do not hesitate to get in touch.

A2Z Au Pairs will communicate with you through each key section of the Au Pair recruitment process, through text and email and other specified means of communication.

The matching process at A2Z Au Pairs means you will always be matched with a suitable Au Pair.

Here’s the order of events, in a nutshell:

• Complete your on line registration which gives us all the information to match suitable aupairs for you to view.
• CALL US TO CONFIRM YOU ARE READY TO BE INTERVIEWED AND we will then have a brief chat to run through your requirements and explain how we work.
• Suitable Au Pairs are matched and you can then view the au pairs on your shortlist
• Tell us who you are interested in and we organise phone calls for you.
• You choose the Au pair you prefer and we confirm their acceptance.
•  Our fee is only due once your Au Pair placement has been confirmed.
•  A2Z will send you all the relevant documents and preparation material
•  We assist with all the Au Pair travel arrangements to arrive on your preferred start date.

MORE ON THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS

For a more detailed explanation of the recruitment process, please continue reading.

If you have any problems or enquiries at any point during the registration process, please do not hesitate to get in touch with a member of the A2Z au pairs team. We’re available to help all day Monday to Friday.

Once you’ve completed the online part of the registration, YOU MUST CALL US TO ADVISE THAT YOU ARE READY FOR US TO OFFER SUITABLE CANDIDATES FOR YOU TO CONSIDER INTERVIEWING.  During this phone conversation we’ll find out exactly what you expect to gain from the Au Pair experience, and gain a deeper insight into your preferences and suitability for the program.

Each candidate we then select to put forward for shortlist is instantly available for you to view online and we can do this during our intitial chat. It’s a quick and convenient way of getting to know your potential Au Pair.

Next, you’ll get the chance to have a skype, facetime or phone chat with your selected Au Pairs and find out whether he/she is suitable for you and your family. A2Z Au Pairs can provide example questions for you to use if need be.

The profiles at A2Z Au Pairs should contain everything you need to know to make an informed choice. This information includes

•  Personal letter written by each au pair
•  Agency interview notes
•  Photographs
•  Police background check details, medical report and other important   references

It’s a good idea to contact more than one Au Pair during the interview stage. At this point, you can confirm which Au Pair you’ve chosen to come and join your family.

From this point in the process right up until the time of your Au Pair’s arrival in the UK, A2Z Au Pairs will ensure that you are fully prepared with documents and information sent direct to both you and your Au Pair. As always, any enquiries or concerns you may have will be dealt with directly by a member of the A2Z Au Pairs team.

Providing there are no unforeseen problems or complications, your Au Pair will now travel to the UK to meet you and your family. Traditionally, Au Pairs will pay for flights themselves, but it’s courteous to pick your Au Pair up from the airport and transport him or her to their new home.

HOW TO CREATE AN APPEALING PROFILE

1. Facts about Your Family

For this section, A2Z just requires some simple information about yourself and your preferences.

This page is designed to help us match you with the right Au Pair. You might want to consider areas where you’d be willing to adapt and compromise, and vice versa. Let us know as much as possible – there’s a huge number of Au Pairs looking for a new home in the UK and they’ll need to feel reassured that they’re going to the right place!

The majority of Au Pairs are not 100% sure about the dates and exact length of their stay in the United Kingdom. It’s therefore a big help if you can be as flexible as possible in this area, and you’ll find you are matched with a suitable Au Pair much quicker.

The information for this area of the profile can be further discussed over the telephone, and together we can work out ways to match you with the right Au Pair.

2. More about your family

This section allows you to write about your family in a bit more personal detail.
It’s a good idea to write down as much relevant information here as you can, about you and your family, what you expect to gain from the childcare experience, your hobbies and other interests, - there’s enough room here to write down your life story if you need to! This section really helps us narrow down the search for your perfect Au Pair, so provide as much detail as you possibly can.

You’ll also need to write down a little bit about what you expect from your Au Pair in terms of experience and the role he/she will undertake in their new home.

You might also want to mention any special interests or hobbies your children have – remember your Au Pair will be communicating mainly with them so it’s beneficial to the experience if they can share something in common.

The crucial thing to remember is that this section is designed to help us match you with the Au Pair most suited the needs of you and your family. Therefore it needs to be detailed and information-rich, but also keep in mind that many Au Pairs are still learning English and some may be at differing standards than others. Therefore, keep your writing nice and simple.

As a general guide, you should aim to write between 200 and 600 words.

For many Au Pairs, moving to another country to live in a strange home is quite a daunting prospect. Try and be as warm, friendly and personable as possible in your writing and during the telephone consultations. Au Pairs need to feel comfortable and welcomed by their new families, moving away is a scary thing to do!

Act like a member of the tourist board for your home and surrounding area – what are the unique selling points for your location? What is there to do? Are there shops nearby? Is there a community of Au Pairs in the area? It’s worth doing a bit of research and finding out exactly what your town has to offer – it all helps when attracting the right Au Pair and they need to feel that they’ve made the right choice about their future destination.

3. Qualifications and other demands

Be realistic in the demands you make of Au Pairs in terms of their official qualifications.  Many Au Pairs are students on gap years and may not have official qualifications despite being more than capable of helping out with your family. Our more qualified Au Pairs do expect more in terms of pay, which is something to consider when you state your requirements. A2Z Au Pairs will give you the right advice during the time of the initial telephone interview.

It’s a good idea to consider whether your Au Pair will match the requirements of your children. Children with special needs, toddlers and babies will probably benefit from an Au Pair with more experience than the norm, whereas a pair of male teenagers will find more common ground with a male rather than a female. Younger parents may benefit from an older Au Pair, and vice versa. These are important things to take into account, as they can affect the whole dynamic of the experience – all of these variables can be discussed over the phone to ensure you’re making the right choice.

Pocket Money Guide

This option allows you to state the amount you are willing to pay your Au Pair during their time in the UK. You can elaborate on this in Step 2 and detail any further requirements. The minimum payment for our Au pairs is £100 pw with an extra £20 pw study allowance if you require a driver.

Recommendation

We ask for a third party recommendation from a previous nanny, Au Pair or family friend that says a little about you as a family, that we add to your profile.

Photos

According to the vast majority of Au Pairs, photos are the first thing they want to see when considering a family for employment. It’s important for Au Pairs to be able to visualise their new surroundings, so it’s a good idea to upload a few clear photos of your family and your home, and include one or two of the room the Au Pair will have. Say cheese!

4. Telephone consultation

The telephone interview is carried out at a mutually convenient time, and allows us to gather a bit more detail about what you have to offer, your preferences and other details. It’s a crucial part of the process as it gives us the best opportunity to match you with the right Au Pair.

We’ll provide further information on selecting and interviewing on your Au Pair, and we’ll also go through your profile information to ensure everything is correct and offer advice.

The telephone consultation will last around fifteen minutes, but you can get in touch with us at any time if there are any further problems or enquiries. There will always be a member of the A2Z team on hand to help you out, and if not then we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Good luck,

The A2Z Au Pairs Team

REGISTER NOW!