Au Pair
Extraordinaire
Information For Au
Pairs
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What duties can you expect as
an au pair? Each family will have different expectations of an au
pair. Below are common duties of an au pair, although other
requirements can be discussed with the family: * providing nurturance,
care and companionship for the children * fetching the children
from school * transporting the
children to extra murals, therapies, doctor’s appointments
etc. * supervising and
assisting with homework * liaising with teachers,
coaches and therapists on the parents’ behalf * arranging and
supervising play dates * purchasing necessities
for, and assisting with, projects and assignments * running errands for the
family * grocery shopping on the
family’s behalf * engaging in
intellectually stimulating play and activities with the
children * preparation of meals for
the children * babysitting and weekend
work by prior arrangement How much can I expect to be paid as an au
pair? An au pair’s salary
depends on their experience, age and relevant courses they have
completed. Generally speaking, you can expect to be paid between
R55.00 and R80.00+ per hour plus travelling expenses. As a tutor,
you can expect to be paid between R100.00 and R150.00 per hour.
Drivers earn approximately R100.00 per trip. What is the process to find a suitable au pair position
through Au Pair Extraordinaire? If you would like to be
placed with a family as an au pair through Au Pair Extraordinaire,
please look through our requirements below. * Maturity,
responsibility, and reliability * Over 20 years of
age * Minimum education of
Grade 12 * Ability to
nurture * South African Citizen
with valid ID * Valid driver’s licence
and own roadworthy motor vehicle with seatbelts in the
back * Previous childcare
experience as an AU PAIR of at least 1 consecutive year is
essential * Contactable references
in respect of previous work experience and character * First aid course /
childcare course an advantage * Clear criminal record (fingerprint
criminal checks are
done) * Good personal hygiene
and grooming * Passion for children,
patience and a good sense of humour! If you meet our
requirements, please email your CV to
enquiries@aupair-extraordinaire.co.za and we will contact you for an interview if we
think you meet our requirements. Please
complete our Au Pair
Questionnaire
outlining your criteria that the family should fulfil, and information
about yourself and your previous childcare experience. We will then
contact you to schedule an appointment for an interview. To the
interview, you will need to bring with you: * Your
CV * A
certified copy of your driver’s licence * A
certified copy of your ID * Certified
copies of certificates awarded to you on completion of relevant
childcare courses * Completed
Au Pair
Questionnaire and
signed Terms and
Conditions for Au Pairs (please read through this carefully) * R60 for
payment of a fingerprint criminal check that we outsource. You will
receive the results of this via email. * R125 for an outsourced
driving assessment (click here for
details) Once your
criminal check, driving ability and references have been
confirmed as favourable, AND PROVIDED WE FEEL YOU ARE A SUITABLE
CANDIDATE FOR OUR FAMILIES, we will be in touch with you to set up
convenient times for you to attend interviews with possible
families. Once you have been employed by a family, you will be
required to attend the Powerful Parent, Powerful
Child
workshop, presented by child expert and Educational Psychologist,
Ilze van Der Merwe-Alberts, where you will be empowered with the
skills necessary to ensure nurturance, understanding and
intellectual stimulation of every child. In this
workshop, the following skills are taught: * Encouragement of children to have more self
control * Facilitation of independence, self worth and
empowerment in children * Decreasing stress with children * Enhancing communication and improving
relationships * Understanding how children ‘work’ * Teaching children emotional intelligence * Empowerment of parents / au pairs to feel confident
to take care of children For more
information visit Powerful
Parent, Powerful Child The monetary value of this
workshop is R1,800.00, but you receive the benefit free of charge by
being placed as an au pair through Au Pair Extraordinaire. You will
also be entitled to attend one other workshop decided by the family
you are employed by. "What a fantastic
course! It has given me tools to deal with and empower the children
with whom I work." Dylan
We also arrange for the
presentation of First Aid and CPR courses held at Bella
Vida Centre, 268 Bryanston Drive, Bryanston. These each run for 3 hours. The
cost is R320 per person. 10 March 2012 09h00 - 12h00 -
Basic First Aid 17 March 2012 09h00 - 12h00 -
CPR _____________________________________________________________________________________ Guidelines when going for an interview with a
family There is no denying that going for a job
interview is nerve wrecking! The key to a successful interview for
an au pair position is to be prepared, be confident in your skills
with children, and relax. Have a look at the
guidelines we provide to parents when interviewing
candidates to get an idea of what to
expect in your interview. What Au Pair Extraordinaire Expects from all of
our Au Pairs 1. Once an interview has been arranged for you with a
family and you have committed to being at the interview, we expect you to fulfil this obligation. If you cannot and need to
reschedule, we require 18 hours notice. If an emergency prevents you from getting to your interview on time or
attending at all, you are responsible for contacting
the family and informing them of your emergency if it is outside of our
working hours. This is to be done with a PHONE CALL,
not SMS! Please note that we are not contactable before 9am on weekdays,
after 5pm on weekdays, or over the weekend. 2. You are expected to be at interviews with families on
time and dressed appropriately (e.g. revealing gym wear is not considered appropriate). 3. If a family has made an offer directly to you it is
your responsibility to inform us. 4. If you have accepted a position and are no longer
available, we expect you to let us know. ___________________________________________________________________________ What Au Pair Extraordinaire expects from our placed Au
Pairs 1. Au Pair Extraordinaire Au Pairs are to be professional,
punctual and reliable. 2. If it is your responsibility to make sure that all the
children’s homework is done and, if you run short of time or it
was not completed during your working hours, it is
your responsibility to inform the parents of this. 3. If you are a smoker, you are not to smoke near or
around the children or the family’s home. Please ensure that your car is not stuffy when the children are being
transported. 4. All Au Pair Extraordinaire Au pairs are to drive
responsibly, abide by traffic laws and adhere to speed limits. 5. Unless otherwise specified by the family, all children
under the age of 12 are to sit in the backseat of the car with
seatbelts properly fixed. 6. All children are to have their seatbelts fastened in
the car at all times. 7. When dropping children off at friends, parties or
events please ensure that you hand the child over to another adult
or make very sure that the child is safely handed
over. Do not expect the child to walk in on their own. 8. If you run into any emergencies while at work, you are
to inform the parents telephonically straight away. 9. READ your employment contract with your employer.
Before you start your first day of work, ensure that you are
comfortable with all aspects of your contract and the
expectations of the family (e.g. working hours, salary, compensation for travel, expectation to run errands etc, permitted
discipline with the children.) 10. Be punctual. When looking after children,
punctuality is essential. If you are late, it makes the child feels
insecure. Be punctual for interviews with families. Be
punctual to fetch the children. If you cannot be there on time,
communicate with the family so alternate arrangements
can be made. Doctor’s (or any other) appointments should be made outside of your agreed upon working hours. 11. Communicate with the family. If you are not
happy with something to do with your position, communicate with the
family so that a solution can be found before it
becomes a real problem. We encourage you to have a monthly meeting where you can give feedback to the family regarding their
children. It is also a good idea to have a communication book where you can inform the parents of daily
activities and important information. 12. Remember that once you are
employed by a family, YOU are the only one permitted to be with the
family’s children. No
boyfriends or friends are allowed to accompany you to work. Because you
are being paid to look after the children, social
calls on your cellphone are not allowed. 13. Remember that during your working hours you are
required to fulfil your role as an au pair. You need to understand that you will be busy during your working hours and that
no personal work, unless otherwise specified, is
permitted. You can expect to be asked to run errands for the family,
including grocery shopping and collecting dry
cleaning. 14. Do not let personal difficulties in your life
affect your interaction with the children. The family has employed you
because they need assistance with their
children. 15. Children require some creativity! Use your
initiative when doing homework, and never get into a power struggle
with a child. 16. It is important that you do not enforce your cultural
or religious beliefs upon the child without the parents
consent. 17. No use of alcohol or drugs is
permitted.
An
au pair is not just a babysitter. An au pair becomes an extremely
important part of a child’s life. You can be relied upon to care for
the children when the parents are not able to be with them, and
provide nurturance and stimulation. An au pair position is not for
someone looking to earn 'easy' money. It requires responsibility,
reliability, patience, dedication and a genuine interest in child
development.
Upcoming dates are as
follows:
BOOKING IS
ESSENTIAL. PLEASE CONTACT US TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE. Click here for our banking details. Use your surname
as a reference. Please note that we need a minimum of 4 participants
for the course to be presented and therefore reserve the right to
cancel a course if this quota is not met.
Also,
take note of the following:
- Arrive for your interview well
groomed and appropriately dressed. Because you are applying for a
position to look after children, there is no need for a suit, but
mini skirts and revealing tops are not a good idea
either.
- Be punctual. In fact, arrive early. If you need
directions to where you will be meeting the family, get these the
day before your interview.
-
Be prepared with some
information about the family you are going for an interview with
e.g. the ages, genders and number of children you will be expected
to care for as well as any special needs they might have for which
you will require special training.
- Speak clearly during
your interview.
- Be aware of your non-verbal body language,
and ensure that this is congruent with your verbal communication.
Don’t sit with your arms folded. Make eye contact.
- Be
friendly, warm, and compassionate during the interview, and use many
opportunities to demonstrate your understanding of and love for
children.
-
Decide on the minimum salary you would like to
earn so you can give the family an idea of what you would like to
earn, should they decide to offer you the position.
- Do you
need to be paid a salary if the family goes on holiday and you are
not required to work? What about public holidays? This must be
discussed in the interview.
- Your views on
discipline, moral and religious beliefs must be flexible enough to
accommodate the family you work for.