Driving Skills | Health | Education | English Language Skills | Sub Interviewers | Child Care| Au Pairs in General | Religion | Telephone | Diet | Miscellaneous

For basic information and a statistical overview of United Nations member countries and links to local newspapers, visit: http://cyberschoolbus.un.org/infonation/index.asp

To review the on-line version of the World Factbook with information about this country as compiled by the CIA, please visit: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

The following information is generalized and compiled from questions posed to the agents and interviewers in Bosnia. Although au pairs from Bosnia may or may not have had these experiences/beliefs, Au Pair in America wishes to share this general information with our families.

Driving Skills

1. How expensive/difficult is it to obtain a driver’s license?
   Driver’s license costs around €300.00, which is more than an average month’s salary.
   
2. What is the process in order to obtain a driver’s license e.g. driving lessons, practical and theoretical test?
   The applicant first takes a theoretical test, then two months of driving lessons provided by a professional instructor, and then the applicant goes through a practical government driving test.
   
3. Is the International Driving License available in your country and what is the cost?
   Yes, the International Driving License is available and costs around €15.00.
   
4. Do most young women obtain a driving license and if so at what age?
   Most young women do obtain a driving license before the age of 25.
   
5. How common is it for 18-26 year olds to own their own car or use the family car?
   Most young people of that age use their family cars.
   
6. Are most cars manual or automatic?
   Manual.

Health

1. What are the most common inoculations given?
   Tetanus, Diphtheria inoculation, Polio and BCG (Tuberculosis) inoculations.
   
2. Are most young women inoculated and tested for TB (Tuberculosis)?
   Yes, with BCG inoculation.
   
3. Does your country have a free health service?
   Yes.
   
4. Do most young women visit the dentist on a regular basis? Is this expensive?
   Most young women do visit the dentist on a regular basis. They have a free option to visit a state funded dentist.
   
5. In America “eating disorders” are regularly diagnosed in young women. What do you know about this problem in your country?
   It’s not very common in Bosnia at all.

Education

1. What percentage of young women in your country goes on to university? Most young woman in urban areas attends a university (around 30% of total female population).
   
2. If they do not go to university please explain the alternatives chosen when they leave school.
   They have an option to attend specialist courses by which they can earn a qualification or they start working as a sales person, waitress etc.
   
3. How important to the au pair are the educational opportunities of the Au Pair in America program?
   Very important, because studying allows them to practice and improve their English language skills.
   
4. When does the academic year in your country start and finish?
   The academic year begins in September and ends in July.

English Language Skills

1. Is English a compulsory subject in the schools in your country?
   Yes, at primary, high school and university level.
   
2. If so, please provide more details on the study of English in your schools e.g. from what age English is taught, how many years is English compulsory, are courses focused on written or oral skills?
   Children learn English between the ages of 7 and 14 year in primary school, and from 14 to 18 years of age in high school. Courses are focused on both written and oral skills.

Sub-Interviewers

1. Many of our agents also have sub-interviewers who interview applicants on their behalf. Please provide some information on how you recruit sub-interviewers and the type of people you recruit.
   The people who I recruit to be my sub-interviewers are professional individuals who work as professors, teachers or are employed in international organizations.
   
2. How proficient in English Language do you expect your interviewers to be?
   They should all be fluent in English.
   
3. Do you expect your interviewers to have either lived or visited the USA?
   No, it is not a requirement.

Childcare

1. Please describe the attitudes to and types of discipline for children that are common in your country?
   Discussion and communication is the main form of discipline.
   
2. Do families commonly discipline a child in a physical manner?
   No.
   
3. How do young women gain child care experience in your country if they do not follow a formal course?
   They usually help their family members, or take care of younger cousins or neighbours. They can also obtain practical experience while attending certain high schools (medical, pedagogical).
   
4. Do the parents share child care responsibilities in the family or does one parent generally assume these tasks?
   Parents usually share child care responsibilities.
   
5. In your country, is it common for both parents to work and be away from home during the day?
   Yes, it is.

Au Pairs in General

1. Is the idea of being an ‘au pair’ common in your country?
   The idea of a nanny is very common.
   
2. What motivates young people in your country to want to be an au pair?
   A chance to see the USA and experience a new culture, to improve their English language skills, to make new friends, to gain more child care experience and to be more independent.
   
3. Having spent a year in the USA as au pair, is their job potential improved upon returning to their home country?
   Yes, their job potential improves because of their English language skills and child care experience.
   
4. What is the current level of unemployment in your country?
   Official government information is that the level of unemployment is high (about 50%).
   
5. Do au pair applicants in your country have a problem finding the fees for the Au Pair in America program?
   In most cases no, as chances for a bank loan are pretty good.

Religion

1. What are the most common religions in your country?
   Islam, Orthodox, Catholicism, Judaism.
   
2. Do you believe that most young people in your country practice their religion regularly?
   Most young people practice religion only for special occasions or holidays.
   
3. How often would a young person choose to practice a religion that is different than her family’s religion?
   These situations are very rare. Bosnians are very tolerant people who are used to all religions. Bosnia is a multi-ethnic country.
   
4. Do the common religions in your country have any special practices or dietary restrictions?
   People that practice Islam do not eat pork.

Telephone

1. Do most families have a telephone in their home?
   Yes.
   
2. Would most parents/family speak English well enough to take a message from an American Host Family?
   Yes.
   
3. Do most young people have a computer or have access to e-mail?
   10% of the population has Internet access at home. But most young people use Internet cafés.

Diet

1. Do most young people in your country eat meat?
   Yes.
   
2. Is vegetarianism common?
   It is not common.
   
3. Are there any common dietary traditions?
   No, except religious.

Miscellaneous

1. Do young people in your country have the freedom of their family to socialize and date?
   Yes.
   
2. Do parents tend to put a curfew on young people?
   Children under the age of 18 usually have a curfew.
   
3. Are most young women accustomed to sharing in household chores?
   Yes, they are definitely used to doing household chores.
   
4. Is the population of your country racially or ethnically diverse?
   Yes it is ethnically diverse.
   If so, would this be represented in the young people you would recruit?
   Yes.
   
5. What would you consider the 3 main characteristics of your people?
   Open minded, open hearted, a bit underestimated.
   
6. Different cultures have different attitudes to nudity. In your country, please explain the attitudes to nudity both in and out of the home e.g. sunbathing in the nude?
   This is a very personal matter. Some people object and some do not, but generally not accepted.

Au Pair in America®, 2007