Some
tips how to stay safe when you’re a family:
- Never send any money (ever!!!). If the deal is that you
pay for the au-pair’s ticket or visa fees, you can reimburse
her when she arrives.
- Ask for references (including phone numbers) and do call
them. One phone call may prove very informative and may save
many future problems.
- Verify the given address and phone number for
authenticity, e.g. with the local phone directory or
otherwise.
- If you have even the smallest suspicion that there is
something wrong, don’t push yourself into something that’s
uncomfortable and simply look for another au-pair.
- Take safety precautions. Think how to best protect
yourself against possible scam.
- If you really don’t feel safe, maybe you would feel better
using an established au-pair service agency who verify the
trustworthiness of its applicants, instead of searching for
an au-pair without a mediator.
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Some
tips how to stay safe as an au-pair
- Never send any money (ever!!!) If the family requires some
money from you in advance (especially larger sums) for
whatever purposes, drop them and search for another family.
- Verify the family’s address and telephone number e.g. with
local telephone directory or Land Registry etc..
- If you have even the smallest suspicion that there is
something wrong, don’t push yourself into something that’s
uncomfortable and simply look for another family.
- Involve your family or friends and plan all your steps
together.- Arrange the first meeting at some neutral and
well-populated place – this would normally be an airport or
bus station. Ideally have the whole family meet you there,
you can make a picture of yourself and them with your mobile
and send the picture right away to your relatives or friends
at home. If they raise your suspicions, don’t feel bad to
cancel the whole thing and just go back.
- Take safety precautions. Think how to best protect
yourself against possible scam.
- Consider using an au-pair agency which locally verifies
the trustworthiness of applicant families.
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