Recently I interviewed with a potential host family in Australia. I looked up some questions I could ask and came up with a lot more. I haven't been able to find a really detailed list online, so I decided to make on. Off course you don't have to ask all the questions at once, and some might not apply to your situation, but this should put you in the right direction to find the perfect host family for you.
About the children:
1. How many children do you have?
2. What are their names?
3. How old are they?
4. When are the children's birthdays?
5. What school do the children go to, and what grades are they in?
6. How do the children do in school?
7. What kind of grades do they get?
8. What are their favorite subjects?
9. Are there any subjects they have trouble with?
10. Do any of the children have learning disabilities?
11. Do the children have my best friends, if yes, do they see them often?
12. What kind of hobbies and interests do the children have?
13. Do they play any sports?
14. What are the children's favorite outdoor activities?
15. What are their favorite indoor activities?
16. Do the children have any favorite toys?
17. Are they allowed to watch tv, if so how many hours?
18. How do the children feel about having an Au pair?
19. What is your philosophy/view on raising children?
20. What is most challenging about your children?
21. How do you reward good behavior?
22. How do you discipline the children and how do you want me to discipline them?
23. What are the children's routines?
24. Do they have any medical problems and/or medications?
About the parents:
25. What are your names?
26. How old are you?
27. When is your birthday?
28. Where are you from?
29. How did you meet?
30. What kind of work do you do? And do you work full time/part time/from home?
31. Do you speak any other languages besides English?
32. What sports do you like? What are your hobbies?
33. Are you religious?
34. What music do you like?
35. How do you feel about tattoos/piercings?
About the family:
36. What are the families favorite indoor activities?
37. What are the families favorite outdoor activities?
38. Do you have dinner with the family?
39. What kind of foods do you eat?
40. At what time do you usually have dinner?
41. Do you have a special diet?
42. What is the families favorite food?
43. Do you have any pets?
44. What do you do on weekends?
45. What about holidays?
46. Do you like to travel?
47. Do you take the Au pair on day trips, to restaurants, vacations?
The job and living conditions:
48. Why do you want an Au pair versus day care or a nanny?
49. Did your you have an Au pair in the past, if so how was your experience?
50. What country was your current/previous Au pair from?
51. How does your current/previous Au pair fit into your family?
52. What is one problem you had with the current/previous Au pair? How did you handle it and how can we prevent it?
53. Why did it turn out so well with your current/previous Au pair? What was it about the relationship that worked?
54. How does your family address conflict?
55. Could I contact the current/previous Au pair and ask about her experience?
56. How does the current/previous Au pair fit into your family?
57. What would be the perfect au pair for you?
58. How do you see me in your family?
59. Do you have any rules for me (for example a curfew)?
60. What will my schedule be?
61. How many hours per week will I work?
62. What does your work week look like?
63. Do I work on holidays?
64. How many vacation days will I have?
65. When will I be able to take my vacation?
66. Am I expected to work overtime, if so how often and do I get paid extra for those hours?
67. How much do you pay me? And how often?
68. How far in advance can you tell me to babysit?
69. If the family is away on vacation, will I still get paid for the days you were away?
70. What child related chores do I have to do?
71. What household chores am i expected to do besides looking after the children?
72. Do I have to drive the children?
73. Do I have access to the car in my free time, if so how often a week and is there a curfew on the car?
74. Do I pay for gas?
75. Would you like me to prepare meals from my country?
76. Are there any recipes I can learn to cook before I arrive?
77. Will I live in or out of your house?
78. If I live in, will I have my own room?
79. What facilities does my room have (furniture,tv etc)?
80. Can I decorate my room?
81. Will I have my own bathroom?
82. Could I see some pictures of my room and/or the house?
83. Do I have access to the Internet and/or computer in the house?
84. Will I be able to talk/Skype with my family during work hours if the children are sleeping?
85. Do I need to provide my own phone?
86. Do I pay for my own flight?
87. Will I pay for my insurance?
88. Are there any other Au pairs in the area?
89. Can my friends visit the house? What about them sleeping over?
90. Would you be fine with me spending my free time away from the house?
City:
91. What is the closest big city to you? What is the neighborhood like, are there parks and playgrounds around?
92. Do you live in a safe area?
93. Is there good public transportation in the area?
94. What is there to do in my free time?
95. What cultural events does the city have?
96. Are there any shopping centers nearby?
97. What is the weather like where you live, and what kind of clothes should I bring?
Classes:
98. Is there a college/university/school close by where I can take classes?
99. When will I be able to take classes?
100. Can I use the car to my classes, if not will you pay for transportation to get there?
I hope these questions helped you. What I did is ask some of the questions on Skype but also send them the list of questions by email, so I will also have everything on paper. I don't think I will remember exactly what is said on Skype, so its good to have something to look back at.
If there are anymore questions you can come up with let me know. Or if you used the questions let me know how it went and leave it below in the comments.
It is very helpful! I only think that it would be a little bit difficult for a family to respond all of these questions. haha But i loved it!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenI think you should ask as many questions as possible, after all you are going to live with these people you never met before, so you better find out as much as possible about them before you get there. I also had some responses from host families on Facebook and they actually really liked the list. On the other hand host parents should ask you the same kind of things. Not just if you like kids or not, they should get to know you.
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