Messages from Au Pair Japanese Connections on why you should consider a Japanese au pair.
We did it again! Au Pair Japanese Connection has received Customer Service Award from our US Au Pair partner agency, InterExchange Au Pair USA.
We are so honored to receive this award. We will continue working hard to recruit Japanese au pairs for host families in the world!
It is almost the end of the year! Time goes so fast.
Before we welcome the new year, I attended InterExchange Au Pair USA’s annual conference in November. This year, the conference was taking place in Washington D.C.
I received updates for au pair program, and met with InterExchange staff members, local coordinators and international cooperator like us from the world. I was a great meeting. Thank you, InterExchange!
My company, Au Pair Japanese Connection received Excellence in Cultural Exchange award.
I am thankful that InterExchange recognize our work. We will do our best to send more Japanese au pairs next year.
In one week, I am visiting Seville, Spain for first time! To be honest, I have never visited anywhere outside the United States, Canada, or Japan.
Definitely, it is outside my safety zone….
The reason why I am visiting Seville is to attend a global conference where I can meet with other travel or au pair agencies in the world. I am very excited to meet with people, at the same time bit nervous for going to a foreign country.
I asked my friends if people there speak in English, do I need to prepare for tips, how much cash I should bring etc.
It may be the same feeling that my Japanese au pairs experience when they first visit a foreign country where they have never been.
Anyhow, I am VERY excited to visit Seville.
I will not be alone because there are many agencies whom I already knew going to the conferee. They will teach me where to go and what to do.
My Seville report will be followed!
I am VERY excited to visit Nashville this week. There is an au pair conference organized by InterExchange Au Pair USA, our partner institution.
I will meet other international cooperators recruiting au pairs in many different countries, and of course I will meet InterExchange’s local coordinators and staff members. I would love to hear how my Japanese au pairs are doing. I will hear updates on au pair regulations and J-1 VISA issues.
I am confident that it will be productive three days.
It’s almost June and I am ready to go to Japan. Almost ready, I think.
Just received a box of give-away items from InterExchange. I am so happy.
I am so excited that I will see many Japanese future au pairs soon in Tokyo and Osaka.
Two more weeks before my departure. I will have to finish packing.
I am so excited to tell you that the Au Pair Japanese Connection (AJC) is now a member of International Au Pair Association, IAPA. The other day I received the certification. IAPA is the international association and many au pair agencies, travel companies, international cooperators for au pair programs are the members of the association.
I have been thinking about joining the association for few years, and this year, I decided to take an action. Becoming a member of IAPA will give us many opportunities to talk with companies like us but in different countries. This is great to learn from others.
I am so proud that Au Pair Japanese Connection is the first company recruiting Japanese au pairs that became the member of IAPA.
My Japan visit is almost ending. It was so fast. BUT before returning back to the U.S., I will have an au pair seminar in Tokyo on July 16th.
I have already conducted a seminar in Osaka, and had a great time with prospective Japanese au pairs. I do look forward to seeing future au pairs again in Tokyo. We are scheduled to conduct interviews with au pairs who has started their applications.
We are going to push further to increase Japanese au pairs to arrive in the U.S. in 2016.
We met many au pairs, but each person is unique. Their qualifications are unique as well. Of course we always have pre-school or kindergarten teachers, but also we have university students with education major, or professionals with experience with special needs children. Many of them have experienced study abroad before, or like to travel around the world.
I look forward to meeting with more prospective au pairs. Summer matching season is almost ending, but hope we can help assist matching more excellent host families before the year 2016 ends.
We will do our best!
It’s June, and I am going to Japan soon. Japan is my native county and I have my parents, brother and sister, almost everybody is there. So, during the summer as soon as my child finish school, we will head to Japan. My daughter will spend four weeks studying at a Japanese elementary school, spending ONLY Japanese time with her friends. That is one of the most important reasons why we will go to Japan each year. Just to have my child experience real Japan. I truly understand why you are thinking about having a Japanese au pair, because Japanese au pairs can bring and show REAL Japan.
While I am in Japan, I organize several events for prospective au pairs in Osaka and Tokyo. I will explain on how to be an au pair, as well as trying to clarify many of their questions. Some of them already working on the au pair application and have been collecting required documents. Upon conducting face-to-face interviews with them. their applications will be ready for review. So, more new applications are coming!
I am excited that I am going back to Japan and meeting with prospective au pairs.
I will keep you posted!
Welcome to our blog, finding a Japanese au pair! I decided to start this blog to write about Japanese au pairs, Japanese culture, and anything I thought I want to introduce to readers.
I think you already know what the au pair program in the USA is. If you don’t know, please go to the following web site to learn more about hosting an au pair. https://www.interexchange.org/become-a-host/au-pair-usa/
I have been assisting Japanese nationals to become au pairs in the U.S. since 2011 as an international cooperator, meaning we are responsible for informing the process of becoming an au pair in the U.S., interviewing the prospective candidates, helping their applications and VISA support for one of the au pair agencies in the US, InterExchange Au Pair USA. We have promoted the au pair program and recruited many Japanese nationals for InterExchange. I feel that the au pair program has been gaining popularity among Japanese people. Four years ago, not many Japanese people knew about Au Pair, but now, people asked me on how to become an au pair. That is a huge improvement.
I have been communicating with Japanese au pairs almost everyday,but, realized, I didn’t have a tool to appeal to host families about Japanese au pairs. That is the reason why I opened this blog. I will tell you about Japanese au pairs, Japanese people (sometimes my personal views) and Japanese culture etc.
Hope this blog will help you understand your Japanese au pair better, or start considering having a Japanese au pair.
Akiko Imairi Selmon, Au Pair Japanese Connection