One of the first step that you should do to get into this whole au pairing thing is to look for a host family. But, out of all the applicants out there and only a couple of host families, how are you going to stand out from the rest? Of course, it’s via writing your motivation letter/letter to the host family.
Just like in every formal/grown up thing you do these days,
a proper presentation of yourself is very important. Since the families can’t
really just talk to you when they want to, writing about yourself in a striking
and promising manner will make you memorable. Remember, most of these families
are looking for a perfect fit in their household so your values should fit in
more ways than one.
The dummy guide is this: for those who are still studying,
it’s the same when you wrote your motivation letter to get into the college or
program of your choice and for our working brethren, it’s equivalent to your cover
letter. You write it to get it and not just to be done with it.
One of the coolest guides that I encountered during my journey is from Aupair.com. These are the main topics that they will give you to outline your letter for your host:
- Who you are,
- Why you want to become an Au Pair,
- Why they should host you,
- Why you qualify for the position,
The good thing about this is –you can get as personal as you
want it to be. The answers to these are not as formal and, I wanna say, cold,
as to the questions that you should answer during the embassy interview.
Who you are
The basics are of course: (1) an interesting opening as to
who you are, (2) your educational background and (3) your current occupation
and/or interest that you are focusing on right now. The most important thing under
this topic is (4) the description of your family life and your interactions
with children.
For Filipino aspirants, the fourth subtopic is a rather easy one to write about. I don’t know how it is for other cultures, so I am gonna stick with the one I know best. Since most of us grew up and is continuously living with our extended family (living with aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, etc. for those who are not familiar), it is easy to say how well-versed we are with childcare and household works. In my own experience, I grew up with 1 younger brother, two younger cousins and a younger aunt (I know it’s weird). I basically ruled, I mean, watched over them since I was the oldest of the bunch. So it was rather easy for me to write how it was to baby sit and play with children, help them with their schoolwork and to clean after them.
Why you want to become an au pair
The definition of an au pair is a straightforward one; it is
to live with a family in a host country to do childcare and light housework in exchange
for food and board. But why would you want to go to this host country though?
The answer to that is the cultural exchange.
For someone like me who dreams about Europe since I was a
kid (thanks, Madame Tussaud and Marie Antoinette!) but who can’t really afford
to do something about it, this is a great opportunity to explore the continent.
You can probably do other things to get to Europe like do an Erasmus but imo,
this is the easiest way to do it.
Tell them that you are really interested to get to know
their country and culture the same way that you are also interested with
sharing them yours. Tell them all the things that make their country desirable
to you.
If you are done with the previous part, relate to them in a
more personal way how you would impact their household and their children's lives. You are after all gonna take care of their children and look after their household in a minor way.
Why they should host you
Why would someone choose you to live with them? What are your characteristics that are desirable to live and be around children? Are you dependable and responsible? Are you able to help around the house without them instructing you? In Filipino, "Marunong ka ba mag-kusa?"
The questions above can help you in this topic. Try to imagine being their family member and living with them between a year or two. Describe to them how you are going to be an asset and not a liability; that you are someone that will not cause some problems and/or give them headaches. Just like a real member of the family, are you someone that they can trust?
There was this one Facebook post that I've read while I was scrolling through all the au pair groups. She was looking for a rematch because her host family let her go due to reasons not specified. What was appalling in her post are the lines: "Must be allowed to sleepover to my friends' place any day of the week. I am not a party girl but I do enjoy hanging out with them." She might be a good person and responsible in her own ways but if I am a host family, I would probably skip her application. First of all, since she's going to be under my care, her not staying at my place at night would worry me. I don't know if her friends are good or bad people so that is an additional worry. What if something happens to her? I would have to deal with that; an added hassle to my already busy life. Lastly, present yourself in a way where they will not question your motivation on going to another country. Sure, it's okay to have fun, meet and interact with new people and do a whole lot of other things but you must know hot to set your boundaries as well. You have a duty to them too, a task that you should also do. If your host prefer that you to stay with them at night, then do so. Tell them in writing that you will not give worry them.
Why you qualify for the position
Persuasion is an art. Communicating in a way that encourages your future host family to give you a chance is a great asset. Aside from the qualities that you have, the reasons why they should host you and your personal background, being able to tie up everything in a neat little bow is an advantage for your application.
In this portion, it is very important to thank them for reading your letter. Add a convincing and persuasive sentence on why they should give you a chance to be their au pair. Unlike other parts of the letter, I am gonna give an example just for this one (I am trying to avoid copy+pasting for such an important letter):
Thank you for reading my letter. I appreciate the time that you've spent in my application. All I ask is for you to give me the opportunity to share my culture to your household and express my love to your children. My only promise to you is that you'll be secured with me living in your home and that your children will be properly taken care of.
This might sound cringy but I feel like any parent would welcome someone they can rely on in their home.
Anyway, just sharing. I hope this one helps.
Tschuss.
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