Russian Au Pairs
Russian Au Pairs
Russian Au Pairs are a great option for any family considering au pair child care.
For years, Russian au pairs have been known as hard working and friendly care givers. Many host families prefer au pairs from Russia because they experience minimal cultural shock due to substantial westernization in Russia.
Host parents also enjoy Russia au pairs because many have good driving skills and have exposed to similar driving rules in their home country.
Motivation to be an Au Pair: Russian au pairs want to come to the United States to improve their English as this will increase their career opportunities back home. The majority of our au pairs pursue college degrees prior to their arrival and therefore the education component of the au pair program is very important to au pairs from Russia.
Driving & English Skills: It is common for au pairs from Russia to drive prior to their arrival in the U.S. Families may own their a car for the au pair to practice on. While the number of Russians who own cars is increasing, public transportation is widely used in urban areas.
Russian au pairs from major cities may prefer to use public transportation instead of driving.
They also have great linguistic abilities and it is quite common for Russians to speak multiple languages! Turkish, German, French, Danish, Finnish and even Arabic are among the varied languages Russians learn to communicate in.
Characteristics: The majority of Russians live in urban areas, so most Russian au pairs are very comfortable in large cities. In the past, initiative and working independently was discouraged in place of conformity in Russia - and because of this history, Russian au pairs work best when given specific instructions.
Friendships are very important in Russia and helping friends and intense loyalty is expected.
Culture: The main meal in Russia is eaten at midday (our lunch) and not at the end of the day (our dinner). Culturally, Russians serve more food than they are able to eat. Having a bounty of foodstuffs on the table is equated with prosperity in the home, so parents should keep this in mind when their Russian au pairs make large lunches for the children!
Expectations: Of course, as with most au pairs today, the Russian au pair will be interested in getting a cell phone when she arrives in the U.S.
Childcare Experience: goAUPAIR's Russian au pairs have experience with a wide variety of age groups. Over 80% of Russian au pairs have experience with infants and with children over the age of 10, but all of our au pairs in the U.S. have experience with children 2-10 years old. Russian au pairs have such a high level of expertise with children in this age group as a result of their prior experience working as teachers.
For more information about our Russian au pairs, contact one of our Placement Coordinators (1-888-AUPAIR1) or visit our website, www.goaupair.com/
submitted to AuPairClearingHouse July 2010
