Au Pair in America

Culture Quests

Au Pairs in General | Child Care Practices | Driving Skills | English Language Skills
Education | Health | Diet | Religion | Telephone and Internet

The following information is generalized and compiled from questions posed to the agents and interviewers in China. Although au pairs from this country 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.

Child Care Practices

• 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.

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