Au Pairs in General | Childcare | Driving Skills | English Language Skills | Education | Health | Diet | Religion | Telephone

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

Au Pairs in General

• The idea of being an ‘au pair’ is a new concept in China, but its popularity is gradually increasing.
• Motivating factors include furthering career development, improving English skills and broadening their horizons.
• Job potential is greatly improved upon returning to China.
• China has low unemployment; the unemployed are generally over age 40.
• Applicants do not have a problem finding the fees for the Au Pair in America program.
• Chinese people are easy-going, hard working and open-minded.
• Chinese are not accustomed to nudity. There is almost no sunbathing in the nude in China.
• Young people in China have the freedom of their family to socialize and date.
• It is not common for young people to have a curfew.  Most teenagers in China return home around 10:00PM.
• Applicants in China are accustomed to helping with the cooking and cleaning.
• Most young people from China want to learn about America and share their own culture and traditions with American families. Some might be a little quiet at first, but will surely get involved and become more outgoing once they get to know the family better. 

Childcare

• Common discipline techniques include telling the child that what they did was wrong, and leaving them alone to think over it and correct their behavior.
• Families do not discipline a child in a physical manner.
• Applicants obtain childcare experience through formal schooling and internships in kindergarten.
• Parents generally share the responsibilities; however; the mother may take on a little more responsibility than the father.
• It is very common in the big cities for both parents to work all day, but less so in rural areas.

Driving Skills

• It takes 2-3 months to obtain a drivers license, and only a small percentage of Chinese women obtain a license because it is very expensive.
• One must pass both theoretical and practical tests.
• The International Driving Permit is not available in China.
• Most cars have an automatic transmission.

English Language Skills

• English is a compulsory subject in the schools in China.
• English instruction begins at the primary school level.
• English is compulsory in all secondary schools.
• Chinese students’ reading skills are better than their written skills and their oral comprehension is better than their verbal ability. 

Education

• Applicants from the big cities are more likely to go to university than those from rural areas.
• If they do not go to university, most will enter the work force.
• The educational opportunities of the Au Pair in America program are highly valued.
• The academic year starts in early September and ends in early July.

Health

• Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, and rubella are the most common inoculations.
• Young women are not inoculated and tested for TB (Tuberculosis).
• China does not have a free health service.
• Most young women do not visit the dentist on a regular basis, as it is expensive. 
• There are almost no eating disorders amongst young Chinese women.

Diet

• Most young people in China eat meat.
• Vegetarianism is not common.
• The most common meals consist of meat, vegetables and rice / noodles.

Religion

• Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestant or Catholicism are the most common religions.
• Youth in China do not practice their religions regularly.
• A young person would seldom practice a religion that is different than her family’s.
• The common religions in China do not have any special practices or dietary restrictions.

Telephone & Internet

• Most families have access to telephone and the Internet in their home.
• Few people above the age of 45 can speak or understand English. Most people under the age of 25 can understand and will be able to take a message.

Au Pair in America®, 2007