Glacier | Before you hire an au pair: Neglecting privacy can make your au pair run away early?
You have spent 3 months screening au pairs and finally found a candidate who is a native English speaker, loves children and knows how to bring them up - you thought your child would be able to speak fluently from then on, but then after only 2 weeks, your au pair suddenly wants to end the contract early?
Don't worry, it's probably not that au pairs are unreliable, but that you've stepped on a privacy minefield! As Glacier, a company specializing in international education for young children, we deal with nearly 100 au pair conflicts every year, of which “privacy issues” account for as much as 30%. Today, we're going to dismantle these minefields and how Glacier can help you to avoid stepping on them, so that your au pair life can be smoother.
I. 3 most overlooked privacy minefields, are you hit?
Many parents think “it's all in the family,” but au pairs come from different cultures and have a much greater sense of privacy than you might think - and that's why they're so important to them.
Minefield 1: Breaking into a room without permission
“I just went in to help her straighten out her desk, and I didn't think she'd react so badly?”
Case Study: Last year, a mother in Shanghai went into her au pair's room to get her child's toys without permission, which led to the au pair refusing to interact with her child that day.
Court Leahy Solutions:
Immediately after the au pair match, we provide you with a template of the Family-Au Pair Privacy Policy, which clearly states: “You must knock on the door and ask permission before entering the other person's room”. Our dedicated counselors will also work 1-on-1 with the parents to help you understand the boundaries of “private space” in Western culture.
Minefield 2: Random access to personal belongings
“How did she get mad when the kid was curious and went through the au pair's journal?”
Gerlach reminds that in Western culture, personal belongings (especially diaries and cell phones) are absolutely private. Even if a child touches them unintentionally, the au pair may feel disrespected.
Court Leahy Solutions:
At the au pair screening stage, we give priority to candidates with “good communication skills”; after the match, the counselor will guide the parents and the children to do a “privacy education”: tell the children “not to touch the au pair's personal belongings! After the match, the counselor will guide the parents and the child to do a ”privacy education": tell the child "not to touch the au pair's personal belongings", and at the same time, let the au pair understand the child's curiosity, and both parties will reach a consensus.
Minefield 3: Excessive Surveillance (installing cameras without telling)
“I put the cameras in for the safety of the kids, it's not like it's personal!”
Case Study: A father in Beijing installed a camera in his living room and didn't tell his au pair about it. When the au pair found out about it, she felt like a prisoner being watched and asked for a termination of the au pair's contract.
Court Leahy Solutions:
We advise parents that if cameras are to be installed, it is important to communicate with the au pair in advance about “the location of the cameras (public areas only) + the purpose of the cameras (children's safety)”, and that the au pair gives her informed consent to the installation. Our consultants will also help you to create a Family Safety Agreement, which balances the “safety of the children” and the “privacy of the au pair”.
Second, the 3 major impacts of privacy issues: not only is the au pair running away, but it will also pit the child!
Don't think of privacy as a “small matter” - it directly affects your au pair's core goals: your child's English language progress + international cultural adaptation!
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Au pairs are depressed and children's English interactions are reduced
Au pairs whose privacy has been violated can become reticent, even refusing to play games or talk about daily routines with their children.
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Breaking trust and leading to early termination of the au pair's contract
According to the data from Gerlach, au pairs who terminate their contracts due to privacy issues stay for an average of only 1.5 months, and the parents' time and costs up front are all wasted.
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Sending wrong values to children
If parents do not respect the au pair's privacy, the child may mistakenly think that he or she is “free to invade other people's space”, which defeats the purpose of having an au pair to “cultivate international literacy”.
The 3-step solution: privacy is no longer a cause of conflict
As a professional au pair service platform, Gallagher not only helps you “find good au pairs”, but also helps you “keep good au pairs”...
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Before matching: communicate in advance and clarify boundaries
At the au pair interview stage, your counselor will take the initiative to ask both parties about their “privacy needs”: for example, does the au pair mind if there are cameras in public areas? Do the parents allow the au pair to lock the door? These needs are written into the Au Pair Service Agreement to avoid conflicts at the source.
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Post-occupancy: providing tools to regulate behavior
We will give parents the Family-Au Pair Communication Handbook included:
- Privacy Boundary Comparison Table (Cultural Differences between East and West);
- Templates for everyday communication phrases (e.g., “Can I come into your room to get something?”). ;
- A Child's Guide to Privacy Education (Teaching Children to Respect Other People's Space).
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Full support: Counselor mediation to stop losses in a timely manner
In the event of a privacy conflict, an exclusive Court Leahy consultant will intervene within 24 hours - as a neutral third party - to help both parties communicate rationally. For example:
- Help parents understand the cultural differences of au pairs;
- Helping the au pair to understand the parents“ ”unintentional mistakes";
- Work together to revise the Privacy Convention to the satisfaction of both parties.
In conclusion: Privacy is the “cornerstone” of the au pair relationship.”
The core of having an au pair is a “win-win” situation: the child practicing English and the au pair experiencing Chinese culture. Protecting your privacy is the first step in this process.
As a Glacier user, you are never alone - from screening to moving in, from communication to mediation, we are with you every step of the way to make your au pair life less stressful and more effective.
Act now and click to consult with a Kerlach consultant
Don't let privacy issues ruin your reciprocity program - choose Kolaihi to make your child's English progress smoother!