I had the worst job experience in usa. First, as an au pair be prepare to get help from no one, your counselor is a joke, they most have a second job and they will always protect the family before you. I understand that the family paid like 10 thousand per year but we only have 195 $ per week for a 45H. Its clearly modern slavery and I accept it even before coming here. I just want to became bilingual cause it was important for my career. Second, host family are stubborn with clichés and peoples from others part of the world. They ask every details to their kids about how your work, how your are, what you said. My first family was fine. I had a good time for a year but I wish they would have talk to me more about exploring the area or tell me advice about how to do stuff. Even if the teenager start saying lies about me like ; I would change lights bulbs in the house or the microwave hour, I still like him cause they all have a good education and respect me. even when they speak an other languages in front of me. When I left in an other family I thought it can't be worse but it was, 2 pre-teenagers who just want to chill at home and the mom force us to play together. Honestly I don't think they need an au pair. Someone to watch them maybe, pick up and drop off for school. I try to talk to the mom but then she kick me out. And I finally arrived in Virginia in the worst family ever who treat you as an employee and not a part of the family like its suppose to be in the program. I remember after doing the mistake of accepting to go. The host mom answer me the morning to tell me the host dad will pick me up ... A little late ? When he pick me up, after a few minutes, he clearly mention his political side and the fact they were Cristian. I was in 2 family before with 2 different religions so I didn't care. I realize they were camera in the house after a few days. The worst was the fact that they have 5 kids, chickens,3 dogs and 3 cats. Imagine the smell of the house. No one clean my bedroom when I arrived the first night. The bathtub was yellow and obviously they never ask me if I want something from the store or if I can come eat with them on days off. I would starve because fridge was empty and they would take the car to buy fastfood for everyone except me in front of me. They would leave all their mess all sunday for me to clean on monday morning. They also track my phone. I remember at first they ask me to work more during summer cause no school and I will be paying more, except I realize They paid me like 213$ for 7AM to 8pm everyday of the week. I was exausted I couldn't even go to the bathroom without the kids following me. I couldn't let the kids watch tv and I was suppose to play with them all day while the bigger kids was upstairs watching tv. I stopped cause I explain the host mom, a babysitter is paid +10$ an hour, and she said that she can't afford it. Well look at the size of the house and the fancy cars. After that, she count every miles I would drive and take it off my pay. She would text me at 6am every morning giving me a list a chores to do in the house. I heard the kids talk about me a lot after dinner when I was in my bedroom and the hostmom was not defending me at all. They would critize my country, and even the fact that I lost my mom when I was young. Then a big tantrum happens when they lost one of their cat, The host mom told me to bring only the really young kid to school and he was asking me why everyone is crying and I told him, his parents would talk to him after school. So we try to leave for the car and his sister told me to put the dogs in their small bedroom (like a cage) but I say since you are all home and I be back in 30 min you can leave them outside. And the oldest one start yelling at me and cursing about the fact that I can't answer a 11 year old because I'm an employee. I try to stay calm and left for the car with the little kid but they called they dad cause obviously he was upstairs not recomforting his kids downstairs (logical). He then, came after me and tell to just go, and pick up my stuff and go. I told him I didn't understand. I left for my bedroom and packed my stuff and called my counselor to pick me up. I didn't know what to do. Nobody prepare you for being out in the street. When I was packing my stuff, kids came yelling at me, and cursing at me and almost fight me.A few days after, even when the counsellor saw that I was traumatized and I could move she told me that to leave and to don't even try to find an other family. I had 5 months left. I paid for my visa, so it was not fair, and I organized vacation for Christmas so I told her no and luckily for me I had friends in an other state who could let me stay over. I never receive apologies from the agency or host family. I don't know if this HF stay in this agency. I'm now sure that they mistreat lot of others au pairs sad, uncomfortable with their religion and political issue. Hopefully the agency paid my flight back.
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Au Pair in America is the nation’s first federally approved program for both U.S. families seeking au pairs to provide live-in child care, and international young people wanting to take part in a year long cultural exchange.
