J

Hello! Our family consists of mom, 2 11-year-old boys and our aging cat who sleeps all day. When the boys are not in school, taking karate, in summer camp or a local pool, we enjoy spending time together and having fun. The boys also enjoy playing video games, biking, LEGO and reading. They both play the piano and one plays the clarinet and the other the violin. The boys are funny and silly and are very smart and curious. The au pair work is mostly in the morning getting the boys ready for school and then after they come home. During the school year, the schedule is pretty routine: breakfast, school, karate or other after-school activity, homework, instruments, dinner, reading, bedtime. The boys can eat, shower and dress by themselves (with some reminders, i.e. nagging….), but need laundry cleaned, help with homework and meals prepped if Mom isn’t home. The majority of the au pair work is during the week, so you would have weekends off. Dad was Norwegian and the boys are learning the language so they can speak to relatives when we visit them every year. We currently have a tutor who lives in Norway that we video with a few times a week. Part of the au pair's tasks will be to speak in Norsk with the boys in regular conversation so it becomes part of their lives rather than just taking classes. In New York, we live in a really cool house and have a huge yard. The boys and mom have separate rooms and bathrooms upstairs. Our current guest bedroom is downstairs waiting for you! Another full bathroom is downstairs next to the guest room. We live in Elmsford, NY which is just north of New York City. It’s about a 35-minute train ride from the city and a 10-minute drive to White Plains NY, a fun local city with lots to do, like shopping, restaurants, etc. We live on the grounds of a golf course, so there is very little traffic and it is very safe and quiet--it's like living in a private park. There are also many parks and hiking areas nearby. You need a driver’s license but we have a car for you to drive (Jeep Cherokee). You can also use the car on your days off to get around and explore. There will be a house cleaner that comes weekly to clean the house and bathrooms. She will clean the boys’ rooms but the au pair is responsible for making sure they clean any messes they make by reminding them to keep their rooms tidy. Ideally, we are looking for an au pair who is patient, kind and fun but who also understands that the days can get filled with activities but priorities, e.g. homework, need to be met. In our home, the au pair is an adult and will always be treated as such. They are viewed as a member of the family and a partner in caring for the boys.