Au pair in America (or other American work experience ops)?

[blueskiesrule]

My dd 18yrs is really interested in working/volunteering in America. She's considered camp America/bunac etc but seems quite focussed now on becoming an au pair - eg through agencies like cultural au pair. I just wondered if anyone had any similar experience at all? To be honest I'd feel happier about the camp America type thing as at least she'd be directly with others etc (and its not as long) whereas being with just one family seems quite vulnerable depending on how lucky you are with the family. Interested in any thoughts, thank you

Also wasn't sure where to post this....

Any decent au pair programme will have some way of taking you away from a home where you are not happy, and finding you an alternative.

With camp counseling otoh you are pretty much stuck with often quite spoiled and bratty pre-teens and young teens or even normal egocentric pre-teens and teens, as well as ticks, mosquitoes, etc.

As an au pair, you might be expected to have a driver's licence however.

Been an au pair myself years ago. I would go Camp America. Yes, you can get brats attending. But at least you are with other 18 year olds to be with .
Au pair you are stuck with one family , often in suburbs that are boring without transport.
And it is not that easy to just drive on the different side, etc. straight away .

I have no direct experience but I now live in the USA and see and know a lot of families with au pairs.

Presumably it would be linked to her studying in some way so she would experience life here??

Any family I know would expect and need their au pair to drive. Obviously they can learn at 15 here and be passed by 16. I guess that would vary by area.

I live in US now and wouldn't advise anyone to be an au pair here, OP. Because every US family I know of which has one/wants one seems to think that they are actual nannies and expects them to do min 45 hours a week for not much pay, and thinks they will be happy with that because they are getting room and board/America lifestyle. They expect housework, laundry, babysitting, driving, cooking, the lot - much more than I remember UK families expecting. If your DD does come here to be an au pair I hope she has a different experience.

I was an au pair in America (quite a long time ago) and I’d recommend it to any youngster. ‘Au pair in America’ as a company were very supportive and I know of au pairs who were moved to a different family if there was a clash. There was a ‘counsellor’ who held regular meetings/parties and the other au pairs became a close-knit group. I had an amazing year, travelling on my weekends off and it made me a hugely more confident person. Obviously things may be different now as this was early 90’s but I’d encourage my girls to go if they want.

My sister lives in America and is on her second au pair. She gets them thru a German agency. They are contracted to work 40 hours a week for one year. They must drive and as my niece has special needs hers are usually trained in physio therapy and the like. The au pair becomes part of the family, goes on holidays with my sister etc. With live ins it’s very hard to regulate when they are ‘on’ or ‘off’. As part of the family she participates in Christmas dinner etc and there’s work associated with that that I don’t think should be considered ‘work’, but life. So she may help clean up after dinner - is that her job or her being part of the family? The best ones are university graduates in their early 20s - it’s alot of responsibility and a long way from home for a teenager.
But it’s true the au pair may not gel with her host family. My sister has had several girls arrive in tears after a falling out with their host mums. Generally they are the younger girls not really mature enough, and some families are just not equipped emotionally to have a stranger in the house.
My cousin did camp America and has sent her (Dutch) children as campers there. She loved it. As summer holidays are three months in the US you get a lot of kids from different backgrounds at camp. It’s a great way to experience another country.

You are not necessarily going to have public transport anywhere near a summer camp and you are basically on duty 24 hours a day as kids can get up to mischief.

If your DD wanted to do au pairing, she might be able to specify a suburb or urban area that has good public transport.
Most au pairing gigs have an educational component where language or cultural immersion form a part of the programme. Sometimes families choose au pairs from a certain country because they have a link to that country themselves. Old neighbours of mine always had German au pairs as the mother was German and they wanted the au pairs to speak German to the bilingual children. The au pairs took English lessons in a community college and their programme involved socialising with others in their position plus cultural trips and excursions to the beach, etc.

Dd is flying back to Camp America tomorrow.
She did it last year, hard worked but loved it and made loads of friends. One from our town who turned out to be a relative of my old childminder (small world)
I think CA is better if you have a skill. Dd was taken on as a lifeguard and SN experience. She was at an integrated camp with an SN section.

YY - Skills are important.

First Aid certification is probably a must for either choice.

You dont need first aid cert for CA, thats what first week training is for.

As an au pair, you might be expected to have a driver's licence however.

No direct experience, but the people I know who've had au pairs took them out for driving practice and arranged for them to take their (American) driving test within a few weeks of arrival.

All the au pairs seem to know others in the area so I'm assuming the agency puts them in touch with each other.

By skill i meant ones that can also be taught. Dc i know who did CA have taught the following
Swimming(american qualification gained in first week)
Horseriding

Magic
Film making
Kaying/canoeing
Climbing