The Ultimate Host Family Guide to Interviewing Your Future Au Pair

For many families, the decision to host an au pair marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter — one where personalized childcare and cultural exchange come together under one roof. But before finding their ideal match, families go through what is known as the "matching phase," which can sometimes feel daunting. How do you distill a person's character, work ethic, and personality into a few video calls?

In this blog, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to help make your interview processes as smooth as possible. We recommend reviewing the list and selecting themes and questions to ask that fit your family's lifestyle and needs the best. If you're new to the program, it helps to understand the au pair meaning before diving into these questions.

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How to Prepare for Interviewing an Au Pair?

To properly prepare for an interview with an au pair candidate, you’ll need to go through considerations like time zones, environment, and what outcome you hope to achieve. A successful interview begins before the video call starts. Proper preparation ensures you make the right first impression while gathering the specific information your family needs.

• Review Candidate Profiles Thoroughly: Before scheduling, dive deep into the candidate's background, childcare hours, and experience.
• Coordinate via Global Messaging Apps: Most international au pairs use WhatsApp for communication. If you are interviewing candidates from China, WeChat is the preferred platform.
• Schedule with Time Zones in Mind: Send both an email and a message to suggest 2–3 times that work for you, accounting for the candidate's local time.
• Set the Environment: Choose a quiet space for the call. While a brief "hello" with the children is great for gauging chemistry, ensure you have dedicated time for an adult-to-adult discussion about expectations and rules.
• Speak Clearly: Be mindful of English language levels; speak slowly and use simple, direct language to ensure clear communication.

Essential Interview Questions

Once you have the logistics of your interview planned, you’ll want to sit down as a family and prepare a list of questions that you’ll ask during the interview. We recommend families pick between 5 to 10 questions to have ready. The type of questions you should ask will vary for each family, and will often depend on the type of childcare experience you are searching for.

What Questions Should I ask About Childcare Experience & Safety?

Use these 14 questions about childcare experience and safety when trying to evaluate how much experience the candidate has with childcare.

• Tell us about the specific ages of children you’ve cared for. What was a typical day like?
• Can you describe your overall childcare experience and responsibilities?
• How do you handle a child who is having a tantrum or refusing to listen?
• Have you ever dealt with a challenging behavior or emotional situation with a child?
• If a child bumped their head and got a large bruise while we were at work, what would your first three steps be?
• Have you ever cared for a child who was sick or injured? What signs did you notice, and how did you handle the situation?
• Are you trained in first aid or CPR? When was your most recent training, and have you ever had to use it?
• What safety rules do you think are most important when caring for children at home?
• How do you manage supervision when caring for multiple children at once, especially if they are different ages?
• What would you do if a child refused to follow an instruction related to safety? (For example: refusing to buckle a seatbelt or wear a helmet.)
• How do you balance keeping children safe while still letting them explore and learn independently?
• How do you communicate with parents about incidents, concerns, or safety issues during the day?
• Can you tell us about a time you had to stay calm under pressure while caring for children?
• Is there anything about childcare or safety that makes you nervous or that you’re still learning about?

What Questions Should I Ask About Driving & Logistics?

Depending on the type of care your family needs, you may need to ask the au pair candidate for more info on their abilities to drive.

• How often do you drive, and in what conditions (rain, snow, city traffic)?
• Are you comfortable using a GPS and navigating a new neighborhood?
• Can you share the requirements of obtaining a license in your country?
• How long did it take you to get your license?
• When does your current license expire? Do you need to renew it soon?
• Have you ever driven children? If so, please share your experience.
• Have you been in a car accident or received a traffic violation?
• What are the speed limits on the roads you drive on?
• What are your expectations for driving & transportation in the US?

What Questions Should I Ask About Culture and Lifestyle?

Every successful au pair interview needs to go over culture and lifestyle to make sure that the host family and au pair can be a compatible match.

• Share any religious practices in your home & ask about theirs.
• Share your family’s typical diet & meal schedule, ask about theirs.
• What chores are you responsible for in your home?
• Do you exercise regularly & how do you stay healthy?
• Will you spend some of your free time & holidays with our family?
• What would a typical day of free time look like for you?
• What types of cultural experiences are you hoping to have while in the United States?
• This is a good time to share household expectations and share a handbook.

What Questions Should I Ask About Personality, Motivation & Expectations?

Ask these questions to understand more about why this candidate wants to become an au pair, and what they hope to gain from this cultural exchange experience?

• Why do you want to become an au pair?
• What about the United States interests you most?
• What types of experiences are you hoping to have as an au pair?
• What do you hope to achieve after the au pair program?
• In what ways could a host family help support your personal development goals?
• How would you handle being homesick?
• Have you ever traveled by yourself before? Where is the farthest you’ve ever been away from home?

How does AuPairCare Help During the Interview process?

AuPairCare has dedicated Matching Account Managers who are available throughout your interview process to ensure that your family is comfortable and confident in finding the right match.

What happens after I interview an au pair candidate?

Once you have interviewed multiple au pair candidates, you can now start the process to see which au pair is the best fit for your family. It is important that you take the proper amount of time to reflect and communicate as a family on selecting the right candidate.

Many families choose to schedule a follow-up call or continue conversations via email or messaging apps to clarify any remaining questions and build confidence on both sides. Once your family has decided that they wish to move forward with their desired candidate, both the family and the au pair can verbally agree to move forward, families can officially request the match through their AuPairCare portal, where the au pair will review and accept the offer before the match is finalized. Taking these steps thoughtfully helps set clear expectations and lays the foundation for a successful, supportive match from day one.

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Next Steps: Ready to Match?

The right au pair is waiting to meet your family. Once you’ve completed your interviews, trust your intuition—it’s usually right!

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Frequently Asked Questions

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