Dear Au Pair Candidate,
Our family has arrived at that bittersweet time when we must prepare to bid Adieu to our current Au Pair while excitingly beginning the search for our new extended family member. We look forward to getting to know you. We are a family of eight, with five humans, one dog, a cat, and a lizard. The boy's names are Peter and Kacper, the dogs name is Toby, the cat is Mr. Miyagi, the lizard is Jimmy, and the parents are Anthony and Lacey and Anthonys Mom, Nita. We are looking for someone to come and live with us, care for the boys while we are at work by getting them off to school, watching them after school and helping them get to sports practice and activities. As a family we particularly enjoy outdoor activities such as walking, hiking, swimming, biking and running. We emphasize health and fitness in our house and make an effort to cook family meals and exercise. We make a big effort to keep the family’s diet free of processed foods. One of the biggest reasons we'd like to hire an Au Pair is so the boys have more freedom and outside play time than a day care would allow. I would characterize us as active and fairly laid back people. A nice aspect of where we live is that there is a little something for everyone. You are 30 minutes away from the United States Capital, but our home life is countryish. You will be five minutes from the bay and 2 hours from skiing and the beach.
We are looking for someone who can arrive toward the end of March/beginning of April to overlap with Natalia, our current au pair. When you first arrive we'll do our best to get you settled and make sure you are all set up with pay and driving. We have a more hands off approach which leaves a lot of flexibility for you but also means we won't be micromanaging your daily activities with the children or how you get things accomplished. Natalia will be able to answer most of your questions.
Here is a little bit about each of us individually
Anthony: profession is information technology.
Lacey: profession is information technology. I currently work from home and love it.
Peter: Is in 8th grade, plays water polo and he really enjoys it. He enjoys just about everything except for cleaning his room and going to bed. Some of his favorite activities are reading, meeting friends, movies, eating chocolate, skiing, karate, swimming, ice skating, music and many other things. Peter is a very active child and usually on the move, but he's a good kid and doesn't often get in trouble. When he has nothing to do you will find him reading.
Kacper: Is in 4nd grade and enjoying it. He is a strong willed and very intelligent child. Kacper understands much but needs to be reminded to use speech in place of emotion to communicate. Kacper loves sports, music, dancing, cooking, swimming, bike riding and reading. He has a smile to die for but he does get in trouble and requires more supervision. A fussy Kacper is usually an indication that he is either hungry, needs a nap or both. Kacper is not a morning person but his morning time civility has dramatically improved.
We live in a small town near the Maryland state capital of Annapolis. It is a bay side community with plenty of access to restaurants and shopping. The Au Pair community in the area is strong so I do not believe you will have any trouble meeting friends. There are also several options for college courses to fulfill your training requirements. We have family within five minutes of the house who will be able to provide help/assistance.
During the school year, September through June, the Au Pair duties focus on before and after school care. The boys do not go to school from June to September. During school breaks it will be your responsibility to schedule activities for the boys. The children go swimming, fishing, to local parks, museums, the library or meet at each other’s house.
For discipline we do a lot of reinforcement and try to be consistent. The boys do push-ups! We express to them when they have done things correctly or well, and if we find that they are doing something wrong then we tell them how it should be done. The most important thing for children is follow through and making sure that there is follow through when asked to do something. We are very strict about things like manners, courtesy, and eating habits.
As host parents we mostly just want you to enjoy your time here, help you learn the language, and offer a good experience to our children. Anthony and I have both lived abroad and routinely interact with colleagues from many countries who don't speak English fluently so we can help with the communication and help you find a way to fit in.
You are welcome to contact our previous Au Pairs as a reference.
I hope you will consider our family. Please contact me if you would like to set up a skype interview.
Best Regards,
Lacey and Anthony Brent

The Au Pair duties focus on before and after school care. This includes getting the boys ready for school, Peter is driven to school for a 0800 start and Kacper is walked to school at 0900. The boys do not go to school from June to September. During school breaks it will be your responsibility to schedule play dates, and activities with the boys. The children go swimming, fishing, to local parks, museums, the library or meet at each other’s house. You will be required to prepare the boys breakfast and lunch. Peter prepares his breakfast/lunch now but needs a level of supervision. In the past, our Au Pairs have frequently helped with the dinner by grocery shopping and chopping vegetables for the evening meal. Duties also include ensuring the boys keep their area neat. Our desire is that the boys accomplish as many of these tasks as they can on their own and that you are available to assist if needed. Please don’t do things for the boys they are capable of doing on their own. The boys should be accomplishing there chores/responsibilities as much as possible for their age and the Au Pair should guide them as needed. Otherwise, just keep your own stuff neat. There is no general housekeeping but please be generally tidy.
Peter is 14 and Kacper is 11 so for discipline we do a lot of reinforcement and try to be consistent. We express to them when they has done things correctly or well, and if we find that they are doing something wrong then we tell them the way it should be done. The most important thing for a child there age is follow through and making sure they do as asked. i.e.: they are responsible for doing their own laundry and should be performing chores before free time. Peter and Kacper are healthy, strong willed, children and are capable of the occasional temper tantrum to match there will. At these times, he is invited to do pushups until they are ready to rejoin civilization with a clearer head. Peter has mostly grown out of this but you can still see it every occasionally.
We are very strict about things like manners, courtesy, and eating habits. My number one concern is that our Au Pair does not do anything for the boys other than supervise. You should be a caregiver and a mentor but not a servant. Your role is to guide them into good and consistent habits of doing things for themselves. Mix in life skills and teaching during daytime activities. Question them constantly about the environment. Outside, of manners, courtesy and eating habits we allow the boys a lot of liberty in their daily activities and what you guys choose to do together.
The schedule will be a weekday morning to early evening schedule. You will be able to plan on evenings and weekends as your own time. Maybe one time per month do we ask for evening or weekend work, but not frequently. You will have your own phone. Currently, we only have two cars but will be gaining a third one shortly. Since Lacey works from home, the car situation is not a big problem for the au pairs work activities or socializing. You are also free to invite other Au Pair friends into our home to visit you as well in the evenings and weekends. For vacation time, our Au Pairs have just asked for the dates and Anthony and I have been able to work to accommodate them.