5 steps for a perfect au pair stay

You know you want to go abroad and have a great adventure, but you're not there yet. What can you do today, starting right now, to be in the best position when you arrive in a foreign country?

Jarryd, a former au pair who shares advice with au pairs through his BroPair YouTube channel, website and Instagram account, identifies 5 key points that will help you to make the most of your au pair stay from the very first day. Here they are:

1. Clarify your expectations

Get clear in your mind now, before you go, what your top priorities are for your time abroad. Are you travelling to learn a language, to figure out your future, to have a break, to develop some new skills? It could be all of these things or something else entirely, but if you get it clear in your mind before you go you'll be in the best position to realise your goals.

2. Do some research

The more you know about where you're headed, the better you can enjoy what it has to offer. Read up about where you'll be living and what makes that place special. There's tons of information about nearly every destination in the world. Use your favourite sources to fill your brain in advance.

3. Join some social groups

The internet lets you start to make contacts in a new place even before you get there. Check out relevant social groups of au pairs and people with other interests that you share in the destination that you're headed to.

4. Learn the language

If you're not already fluent in the language of your host country, start learning now even before you go. Everything you know before you arrive will make your first days in the new environment easier.

5. Talk to your host family's previous au pair

If it is possible to make contact with your host family's previous au pair, there's no better way to get insights or a reference into what to expect in the family that you will be joining. Your predecessor in the au pair position can help you to find a positive role with your new family quickly and avoid potential mistakes.

Get started now and watch the video

Start working on these five steps today and you can get a jump on your time abroad so that your au pair stay is better than your best hopes and dreams. Jarryd explains all of this and more in his new video: