Dear Au Pair, Our family has the qualities that make a great au pair host family. We are a close and loving family. We are accepting of others, very flexible and enjoy new experiences. With Mark and I, our children come first. Fortunately, we have been blessed with three great kids.
Andrew is our oldest and will be eleven years old this December. He is a happy, warm, and affectionate boy who is very outgoing and social. He can be strong willed, but is always good natured. He is an avid reader and amazes most people with his intelligence. He has a wonderful imagination and loves to make up stories. Most of the time he is a good big brother as well. Andrew will be in sixth grade at The Fenn School next year. He will be attending school Monday through Friday 8:15 AM until 3:40 PM. There is a local carpool for the 30 minute drive.
Daniel is eight years old. He is just as smart as his brother but shows it in different ways. Daniel is much more active and physically able. He is good, at sports such as soccer and baseball. He is very social, has a great sense of humor and is well liked by his peers. He loves card games and his sister Lynn. Daniel will be in third grade next year at the Lexington Montessori School (about a 15 minute drive from our house). He will be attending school Monday through Friday 8:30 AM until 3-3:00 PM.
Lynn will be turning three years old in July. She is a very happy, active, and loving toddler. Lynn will be attending a preschool program at the Lexington Montessori School from 8:30 AM until 3:00 PM.
Mark and I are both physicians. Mark is a cardiologist. He divides his time between his office 15 minutes from home and hospital work in Boston. He works Monday through Friday usually 7 AM until 5 to 7 PM. Julia is a gastroenterologist, who works part time three days per week in Cambridge approximately 20 minutes from home. Julia works Wednesday through Friday usually 7 AM until 4 to 6 PM. We both have night call a few nights a month, but rarely need to go back to the hospital once we are home.
Our typical day starts with the children waking up around 6:30 AM. They then eat breakfast and get ready for school. They leave for school by 8 AM and stay until 3 PM. After school they have a variety of activities such as soccer, tennis or Tae Kwon Do depending on the time of year. They also spend time outside in our yard or with neighborhood children. The children also enjoy walking to the library or nearby playground. On days off from school, they enjoy trips to the Aquarium, Science or Children’s Museum in Boston. Also, while the kids are in school, our au pair can pursue her own interests as long as she is available for the infrequent problem such as an illness. During the summer, the children will be at day camp from 9 AM until 4 PM.
We live in a nice suburb close to Boston. Boston is a great city for young adults with over 250,000 college students. There are many activities close to Boston including beaches, mountains, and skiing. We live in a large Victorian home with plenty of room for an au pair to have privacy when desired. We also have a small gym the au pair can use as well. Our home is a short walk to the town center where there is train service to downtown Boston and beyond. We take several family vacations per year. Our au pair is welcome to come with us. One week is spent on Cape Cod and one week we spend in the Finger Lakes in New York State. We also take family ski trips to Vermont.
Having an au pair has been a very positive change for our family. Our children have grown to be pretty independent in the daily care routines. Therefore, we are seeking a youthful, energetic caretaker – one who can engage their interests, play sports, help with homework, and go on regular outings. A self-motivated, social, flexible, and warm person would fit wonderfully with our family. We would welcome our au pair as a new family member and hope her values and cultural back-ground will give all of us a better appreciation of the world as a whole.