Some extra toiletries, flowers in a vase or a little box of chocolates and a card wishing them well goes a long way to ensuring that they feel comfortable and safe with you and your family.
It is also important to give your au pair or nanny as much information as possible about your family, your household and what is expected of him or her. Don’t forget that an au pair will need extra support and help as English may not be their first language and this might be their first time away from their home country.
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If you have an au pair, include them in as many family activities as possible; remember that they are here to experience the UK and to speak English as much as possible.
The au pair or nanny welcome letter
You should provide your new live-in carer with a welcome letter and a household manual.
Your letter should include a brief description of how you will all spend the first few days, and to encourage them to come to you with any questions or concerns. We have included a welcome letter for a summer au pair, but which can be adapted to any live-in carer:
Dear Jane,
Welcome to our family and to the UK. We are delighted that you have come to spend the summer with us and we look forward to many exciting and fun times together. The children are very pleased that you are here and we hope that we will all get on well.
The most important thing to remember is – please talk to us if you have any questions, concerns, or complaints. If there is anything you do not understand, just ask us.
Like any new situation, the first few weeks will probably be the most challenging. Once we settle into a routine and you become familiar with our family and our home, it will get easier. If you are having difficulty with anything, including being homesick, let us know and we will do all we can to help.
We hope that you find your room comfortable – you will be on the same floor as the children, and you will have your own wardrobe and bathroom.
We have written quite a lot of information for you about the following aspects of life in our home, which is included with this letter:
- children’s’ routine
- our house rules
- meal plans and suggestions
- local places to visit
- friends and family who live nearby
- information on the language school and local information that could be useful to you
- emergency contact information
After you’ve had a chance to read through this, we can sit down and go through it together to make sure you understand everything. You will also be learning a lot with me “on the job”, and as we have previously had nannies, we have a system set up for communications, routine etc that works well.
If you respect our rules and our communication systems, and we keep a positive relationship at all times, we are sure that we will all have a really great summer together.
Thanks,
Mr and Mrs Smith
Read Next: The Au Pair or Live-in Nanny Manual
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