Au Pair Driving: Going From Good to Great!

In my role as Area Director, I have counselled families and au pairs on all facets of their match.  Childcare styles, personality differences, education options and planning, these are just a sampling of the more popular issues and concerns I have found myself giving advice on over the years.  This is not to say that everyone has problems in their match - far from it! But of those that hit roadblocks, there are certain things that commonly come up.  Working with au pairs and host families of AuPairCare , I have helped many works through issues like these and go on to enjoy a successful match.
Driving also falls into this category.  Over the years, I have a few times run into a shaky driver – an au pair who at the start is capable, but not confident, and certainly a bit overwhelmed by the size of our American cars!  In speaking with the host families involved, I encouraged them to give their au pair time – AuPairCare shares with host families that it can take 1-2 months for an au pair’s driving to get up to speed.
In February, my family welcomed Mia.  She has been wonderful from the start….except in the driving department.  We spent a week or two going for drives that unfortunately did not instil confidence in us.  We had a long weekend trip planned, so we took a bit of a break, and when we returned, we started practicing again in earnest.  We also began using a GPS and maps, so that she could learn the area, and not just rely on our directions to get around.  This time, we could see she was relaxed and really making progress.  PHEW!  Over the next couple of weeks, we saw big improvement and at 6 weeks, we are very confident in her skills. Now she can drive smoothly and with confidence on freeways.
Driving can take time – many girls arrive in your home and are driving confidently in your town by Monday.  Others, like Mia, need a little time to acclimate to all the changes before they can drive confidently.  Mia has been so great with the kids that we knew we would do whatever it took – lessons, time, anything – to keep her.  Now that she is a confident driver, we are so glad that we were patient and helped her get to the point where driving in the US has become second nature.

Summary: Driving is an important aspect when it comes to AU Pair. Know tips from AuPairCare on how to handle this issue.