Be part of cultural exchange programme and earn money

If you love children, enjoy travelling and don’t mind leaving home for a year, the au pair programme may be just right for you.

IT sounds like a pretty good deal. As an au pair, you get to see the world, learn another language, observe a different culture first-hand, earn a bit of money and then add the experience to your resume.

Yes Placement Sdn Bhd (Yes Placement) is the first company set up in Malaysia to send au pairs to the Netherlands and Belgium, in affliation with Yes Au Pair in Netherlands.

Unfortunately, the term “au pair” tends to conjure images of domestic helpers or “maids” to many here.

“Initially, my parents thought I was going to the Netherlands to work as a maid,” says Cherry Chan Phaik Lan, 25, who will embark on the programme soon.

“But I told them that we don’t work the whole day and we have time for our own studies.”

“It’s more like babysitting,” chirped in another au pair Helen Siew (not her real name), 23, who added that her parents were also initially hesitant about the idea but now see the sense behind it.

Chan, Siew and Natashia Lynn Ambrosa, 21, are among the first batch of 70 who will be going as au pairs by the end of this month with Yes Placement.

“The French word ‘au pair’ means ‘on equal foot’ and the person will be treated just as if they are part of the host’s family, like an elder sibling,” says Yes Placement Sdn Bhd marketing executive Nicole Bele.

Open to young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 who have some background in dealing with children or babysitting, the programme places an au pair with a Dutch or Belgium family for a year and require him, or her, to provide childcare for up to 30 hours a week.

Besides guaranteed food and lodging, an au pair will get pocket money of 300 to 340 (RM1,398 to RM1,585) a month and a two-week paid vacation.

“Usually the au pairs will use the weekends or their vacation to explore countries around Europe like France and Italy,” says Bele.

“Paris is only three hours away by express train, while Germany is half an hour away!”

In fact, Chan is already planning a trip to Barcelona, Spain, during her break.

This, Bele says, is on top of the fact that host families will take the au pair on family holidays and au pairs may go on trips to Paris and Disneyland organised by the company.

“It is a good option, especially for those who can’t find work because of the economic slowdown, to go to Europe and gain international work experience. A year on their own will also help them mature,” adds Bele.

Another advantage, she says, is au pairs can apply for a student visa after the programme and further their studies in a university there — which is what Siew has in mind.

“I plan to take up a hotel management course in future, and I know the Netherlands is known for hotel management studies,” Siew says.

Yes Placement director Mohan Subramaniam says that interested applicants will undergo screening and interviews, and successful candidates will be matched to a family according to both parties’ preferences.

Then the families will call the au pairs to get to know them in the weeks before they arrive in the host’s country.

Before embarking to the land of chocolates and clogs, however, au pairs have to undergo a month-long training at the Yes Placement centre to learn things from cycling, swimming and babysitting to the Dutch culture, language and cooking.

“The Dutch can be very direct in their manner of speaking, while here, we explain things in a roundabout fashion,” says Natasha, of her in-house training.

There will be opportunities for the au pair to travel and take in the sights of the Netherlands, too.

“As for childcare, Asians tend to shout at their kids if they are naughty but there, we have to explain why their actions are wrong and send them to a naughty corner,” adds Chan.

Siew did not know how to cycle but is learning well. However, she reckons that Dutch food, rather than cycling, would be the problem for her.

“I don’t like cheese and potatoes — yuck! But I will have to cook those for the kids I guess,” she says, with a laugh.

Both Natasha and Chan agree that the language takes some getting used to.

“Everything is ‘upside down’, it’s so hard to pronounce, especially the guttural sounds,” says Natasha. “I’m going to teach the children English so that it’s easier for me!”

Her host family has two young children and she hopes to become more independent through the programme.

“Both the families and the au pairs will gain,” explains Bele.

“Au pairs will learn Dutch from the children and the children will learn English from them, plus Malaysians don’t want to eat bread and potatoes all the time so they will also cook Malaysian food!”

The programme, which is also now extended to United States, costs RM4,500 which includes plane tickets, medical insurance, 24/7 support in Netherlands from Yes Au Pair, a free Dutch language course, in-house training and mediation services.

For more information, log on to
www.yesplacement.com.