The Challenges of Being an Au Pair in China

An au pair can be your opportunity to experience China from a different perspective. You will get to live with a host family while you help them with their children and some household chores and learn the language and culture along the way. It sounds like a good deal, but there are still some challenges in being an au pair in China, especially when you end up with the wrong host family. To avoid them, consider finding a dependable and trustworthy au pair agency in China, and make sure that they have an excellent track record of helping individuals like you find an appropriate host family.

Other challenges involved in being an au pair in China can be avoided when you take action as soon as you can. Consider discussing and settling everything before your stay starts to minimise potential issues. Moreover, avoid having great expectations about the experience. Remember that you will be staying in a foreign country for quite some time, usually around three to 12 months, so culture shock might be an issue. In case you cannot manage, make sure that the agency you have signed up with has a round-the-clock support hotline that you can get in touch with for assistance. Monthly cultural activities arranged by the agency may help ease you into the local culture better, too.

Language barrier and getting lost are two other major challenges that being an au pair in China will provide. In that case, consider signing up with an au pair program that comes with Mandarin lessons, and make sure that it will provide you with a transportation card and a city map. The host family and the agent should provide you with insurance and a monthly allowance, too. If you want to avoid health issues, make sure that you fulfil your health check-up and that you have been cleared by your doctor to travel and stay in China for an extended period of time.