I've been learning Chinese for a little while now and I've met someone online who I've practiced with a lot these past few months. Anyway they've been talking about doing the Aupair system to travel to the US and after doing some cursory research on it, it seems really sketchy and exploitative.
Is anyone more familiar with it and can say that it definitely shouldn't be trusted?
Death to America
I was an au pair and had some friends who had au pairs growing up. You really are dependant on the host family and the country. I would suggest your friend speak with potential families, meet the kids via video chat (kids, especially little ones, are worse at hiding problems) and get references from former au pairs.
It's also good to define what "light cleaning" means ahead of time. For me, it was mopping and floor once per week and emptying the dishwasher/taking out the diaper trash), but for others it was deep cleaning the family car they weren't allowed to drive.
Yeah in theory I thought it actually sounds cool as hell. Kind of like "go be a big sibling for a while", I was just worried because it seems like a really vulnerable position. Thanks for your input. I'll pass on your suggestions.
Yeah, you can always pm me. The thing is I was an au pair in a country with strict rules about working hours and language courses. I was also older than average. I got really lucky with my family - I'm still in contact with them many years later. I "met" with a few families but chose the one where I ended up because they really made me feel welcome. I swam a lot and the little girl was so proud to show me her Barbie swim cap via Skype. Tell your friend to trust her gut.