Chinese families start welcoming foreign au pairs

 

CFP Photo

 

By Chu Meng

China this month joined the ranks of the International Au Pairs Association (IAPA), a group of 38 countries that facilitate homestays between citizens.

Through the association, foreign nationals between the ages of 18 and 26 can apply to work for three months to two years with Chinese families in 10 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Qingdao.

“English-speaking countries such as the US, UK and Australia used to be the first choice of our applicants. China was always overlooked. But the demand for Chinese families has risen in the last five years, especially after the Beijing Olympics,” Jack Hompes, president of the New York-based IAPA, told Beijing Today.

He said young adults’ interest in China is growing alongside the country’s economic rise. Many university graduates want to learn the Chinese way of doing business by first understanding the culture, Hompes said.

The association has accredited only three companies in China to process IAPA applications: Beijing Zheng Hong Au Pair Cultural Exchange Center, Shanghai E&P Education Service Company and Shenyang EANNA Education Training Center.

This summer, the Beijing firm alone received 100 applications. “We are now working on matching them with qualified families,” said Yang Zheng, the company president.

An au pair is defined as a “usually young foreign person who cares for children and does domestic work for a family in return for room and board and the opportunity to learn the family’s language.”

Yang said tasks can include cooking, cleaning and ironing, and largely depend on the host family. But she noted that au pair “should be treated by the family as an equal, have his or her own room and receive an allowance.”

Yang said the usual practice is that au pairs dine with the host family and join them in activities like outings and travels.

However, host families normally expect to have private time to themselves, particularly in the evenings. During this time, an au pair might retire to his or her room to watch television, study or go out with friends. As an employee, au pairs’ work hours are limited by the law of their host country.

Matthias Bach, a 20-year-old German, this month became one of Beijing’s first au pairs.
 During the next six months, Bach will spend most of his time taking care of the family boy, Bobo, and teaching him English and German.

“Chinese parents are very friendly to me. And their care for children is far beyond that of parents in Germany. Chinese parents tell kids what they should and should not do all the time, but I think it’s better if they give kids more room to grow and discover,” Bach said.

Bobo’s mother, Wang Xiaolu, decided to welcome an au pair into their home, to expose her son to Western culture and a foreign language at an early age. “Bach has taught us a lot,” she said. “He is much more independent and organized than most Chinese people his age. He has taught us not to overindulge our son by sharing with us his parents’ way of bringing him up. Also, Bobo now speaks English for hours and hours every day.”

Though brand new in China, au pair programs have been around for 50 years since they were first established in France.

How to apply

Beijing HHS International Cultural Exchange Center
Where: Room 508, Huantai Tower, 12A Zhongguancun Nan Jie, Haidian District
Tel: 8782 6866
Web: hhscenter.com

Shanghai E&P Education Service Company
Where: Room 208, UNIS Plaza, Tsinghua Dong Lu, Haidian District 
Tel: 8493 7968
Web: aupairchina.org