Travel Around the USA while Working as an Au Pair? Perfectly Possible!

[Artem Zahrebelnyi]

https://unsplash.com/photos/Zvn4jhFscIw

Have you been wanting to travel through the US and explore its many national parks, unique cities and cultures, but your budget does not allow for this adventure? Then you have most likely not considered a social work experience to make it possible. As a young care professional, you basically become part of a family abroad: You take care of their children and do some general chores, and the partnership benefits both you and your host family. One way to travel to the US this way is by going through an agency like Apex Social, a global organization that specializes in providing unique work and travel opportunities for care professionals. Keep reading to learn more about traveling and working with children in the United States – it is definitely worth the consideration.

 

How working as an Au Pair benefits you

First, you don’t ever have to worry about accommodations when traveling and working for a family with children. Your host family is required to offer you something in return for all the work you will be doing. This almost always includes your being able to sleep at their place. In most cases, you will be given their guest room or a dedicated room they set up for their Au Pair workers. You can of course also use other parts of their house like the kitchen, bathroom, living room, etc. So, working as an Au Pair takes care of all the stress that comes with picking the right hostel as you live with a real family; it also makes for a much more comfortable and cozier stay that a hostel.

Secondly, your host family will also cook for you and offer you enough food for the day. This lowers your costs even more, since you will only need money for extra things you would like, such as sweets or foods you want to include in your diet that they don’t have. And let me tell you, most host families are great cooks! You will most likely even participate in the process of cooking meals, so if you have been wanting to improve your cooking skills, this is the perfect chance for you.

Furthermore, and this is probably the best advantage of them all, you will get to know a new culture, mindset, family traditions, and many more social aspects! Working as an Au Pair really puts you into the perfect environment to not only theoretically learn about different cultures as an observer, but you will also improve and work on yourself in many ways. We can almost guarantee you that this experience will expand your horizon when it comes to educational methods, interpersonal relations, or maybe even religious questions. Many host families take their Au Pairs with them to social events, concerts, markets, etc. You will return as a wiser, more open, and most likely even more skilled person. Many host families even love to teach their Au Pairs new skills like gardening, painting, taking care of farm animals, etc.

https://unsplash.com/photos/cUv-IEE8Hdw

 

How working as an Au Pair benefits your host family

Your host family will obviously also enjoy some advantages from having an Au Pair in their home, and you should consider these very well before starting this adventure, because their benefits mean are obligations for you. For example, your host family will typically expect you to take care of their children while they are working, doing other housework, or simply resting. If you have never taken care of a child, don’t worry! Most families don’t require a lot of experience and they will be happy to teach you.

Depending on your individual host family, they will also ask you to do some other chores like gardening, loading the dishwasher every night, doing laundry, or even helping with some construction work. This is an amazing opportunity for you to improve your general skills and learn something new! And your host family really deserves the extra hand for giving you the opportunity to travel for a very low price.

As I mentioned above, the tasks you will have to do vary from family to family. So, inform yourself well beforehand and check if you and your host family would be a good match. Some might have specific requirements, e. g. that you to have a driver’s license to take their kids to school.

 

How do you find a host family?

If you already are a care professional, we definitely recommend that you check out Apex Social’s website that we mentioned in the introduction, since it is a great way to learn all you will need to know to make your dream a reality and use your skill set while traveling the US. The most common way to find a host family is through dedicated professional programs and agencies. Typically, both parties will complete a required profile and describe what they have to offer, hobbies, expectations for the experience, etc. The advantage of these platforms in comparison to, for example, Facebook groups, is that you also get real feedback and reviews from professionals who previously worked there. You can chat with the family, set up a time for a videocall and get to know each other a little bit, and then most of it is settled. It’s really just as easy as that! The only thing you will have to pay for is your ticket to get there. Upon arrival, you will most likely be picked up at the local bus station or at a meeting point. And so your adventure begins!

https://unsplash.com/photos/jJYlr6H1ClM

 

Conclusion

Working as an Au Pair has many benefits for both you and your host family. It is the perfect opportunity to travel at a low cost while learning new skills, getting to know a new culture and family traditions, and making friends for life. Be clear about what your skills are and what is okay for you to do for your host family, and ask your them for a videocall with you, so you can get to know them as well. All that said, we hope that you will have an unforgettable experience as an Au Pair!