JOIN AUPAIR CONFERENCE 9.2008 AT HANOI& HO CHI MINH CITY
CONTACT: www.aupairvietnam.com
Aupair????
Au pair is an anglicization of the French term "au pair," which means "on par" or "equal to" and describes a young person living on an equal basis with a host family in a foreign country. The au pair helps the family with childcare, housework, or both while staying as a guest of the family and generally receiving a small allowance (or pocket money). An au pair will typically be a young woman, or sometimes a young man, who is accepted into the host family as an extended family member. Both the family and au pair are expected to respect cultural differences and display tolerance towards one another.
(Wikipediadictionary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aupair)
Arrangement
An au pair placement is an arrangement where an unmarried person between 17 and 30 years old lives for up to two years in a foreign country as a member of a local family, helping in the home for a set number of hours a day, often with at least two full days off per week. In return, they receive a reasonable allowance and a private room. In the United Kingdom, the current recommended amount for the weekly allowance is £60.
The Council of Europe recommends that every au pair be issued a standard contract with their family.
Treatment
An au pair shall be treated as an equal part of the family, not as a servant, and shall not be required to wear a uniform. There can be misunderstandings on both sides about what this means. The usual practice is that au pairs eat with the family most of the time, and join in some of the usual family activities such as outings and trips. However, host families normally expect to have some private time to themselves, particularly in the evenings. During this time, an au pair might retire to his or her room to watch TV or study, or go out with friends.
Being an au pair can be a great opportunity to experience a different country and culture. The "job" of the au pair will vary depending on how much the host family expects, although there are government set limits as to how much you are allowed to work. Jobs vary from taking/picking up kids from school, taking the kids to after school classes, cooking, cleaning, ironing, babysitting,etc. The au pair is given a monthy allowance and all living/insurance/food expenses are paid by the host family. Depending on the country, the monthy allowance will be around 350 Euros. Travel is easy in Europe, but the amount of traveling experiences one will have depends entirely on how much time-off your host family will give you. Again, there is a government set minimum that the host family must abide by.
Specific countries
Finland
An au pair’s responsibilities also include light housework, totalling six hours a day, five days a week. The au pair has her/his own room, is provided with food, and is paid a weekly allowance amounting to at least €252 per month (minimum set by Finnish law). Additionally, the host family will arrange a Finnish language course to help the au pair communicate better with the children and get more out of his or her stay in Finland. It is expected that an au pair is also flexible, and if extra hours are required that pay is set at 5 euros per hour. An au pair in Finland will also get a one week paid vacation every six months. Au pairs can stay with their host family for up to one year or choose a shorter stay.
United Kingdom
In the UK, an au pair must be a national of the European Union or of one of the following countries: Andorra, Faroe Islands, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greenland, San Marino, Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Croatia or Monaco. Although other European Economic Area nationals are not included in the au pair scheme, they are free to take au pair placements in the UK.
Nationals of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Republic of Croatia, Macedonia, and Turkey need a visa from their British Embassy or Consulate.
Au-pair permits are limited to candidates who are unmarried, have no dependants, do not plan to stay in the UK for more than two years as an au pair, and can support and accommodate themselves without help from public funds. They are also required to leave the UK after completing the au pair period. Au pairs may move to another family as long as the new arrangements continue to meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules.
The British Au Pairs Agencies Association (BAPAA) was created by 23 members of the International Au Pairs Agencies Association (IAPA). The main goal of BAPAA within the UK is liaising with the Home Office and other government officials to improve the process of visa applications for those countries where a visa is needed and setting standards for the industry within the United Kingdom
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
S. Korean Intelligence Says Kim Jong Il Suffered Stroke
From VOAnews
A South Korean lawmaker says the country's intelligence service has testified that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is recovering from a stroke. North Korean officials say Kim Jong Il is just fine, and reject a proliferation of media reports that have questioned his health. As VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul, no other nation depends so heavily on one single individual.
Kim Jong Il (Aug 2002 file photo)South Korean lawmaker Won Hye-young told reporters Wednesday the country's intelligence service believes Kim Jong Il has suffered a stroke - but that he should be able to recover.Won attended a closed parliament session at which he said intelligence officials testified Kim Jong Il cannot walk, but remains conscious. That account sharply contradicts North Korean assessments of his condition.The Japanese news agency Kyodo quotes North Korea's second highest-ranking leader, Kim Yong-nam, as saying "nothing is wrong" with Kim Jong Il. A senior North Korean diplomat rejects recent reports about his health as "worthless" and part of a "conspiracy plot."Sixty-six-year-old Kim Jong Il holds absolute power in North Korea's authoritarian government. He is believed to have some health issues, including diabetes. However, rumors of a more serious illness surfaced Tuesday, when he failed to appear at a military parade to mark the 60th anniversary of North Korea's founding. That followed weeks of absence from public view.Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong told a parliament hearing the government is on "high alert." A spokesman for the South Korean President Lee Myung-bak says he has been meeting withtop officials to discuss preparations for any possible emergency.Analysts say it is difficult to overstate Kim Jong Il's personal importance to North Korea's political cohesion. He is heir to a religion-like cult of personality the state built around his father, Kim Il Sung, the country's first president. He is also seen as the only individual who can rise above factions who might otherwise jostle with each other for power.Human rights advocates say Kim Jong Il is also the lynchpin of a system that relies on terror to ensure public order. His absence could make it more difficult to manage millions of impoverished North Koreans who have endured near-starvation conditions for nearly two decades.A North Korean collapse would create a security nightmare for the country's nearest neighbors, China and South Korea. Leaders there fear a tidal wave of refugees. South Korea could possibly find itself having to pay for hundreds of billions of dollars in emergency infrastructureand social welfare costs for the decayed North. Getting control of North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile arsenal would be a chief concern for Washington.Kim Jong Il was openly groomed by his father for several decades, but has not publicly designated any successor for himself. Kim Yong-hyeon - a North Korea specialist at Seoul's Donguk University - says it is unlikely a family member will take over in Pyongyang.He says the most likely successor to Kim Jong Il would come from topbrass of the military, the strongest of North Korea's organizations.Those details - like the health prognosis of the North Korean leader -remain, for now, a matter of speculation and guesswork.
A South Korean lawmaker says the country's intelligence service has testified that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is recovering from a stroke. North Korean officials say Kim Jong Il is just fine, and reject a proliferation of media reports that have questioned his health. As VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul, no other nation depends so heavily on one single individual.
Kim Jong Il (Aug 2002 file photo)South Korean lawmaker Won Hye-young told reporters Wednesday the country's intelligence service believes Kim Jong Il has suffered a stroke - but that he should be able to recover.Won attended a closed parliament session at which he said intelligence officials testified Kim Jong Il cannot walk, but remains conscious. That account sharply contradicts North Korean assessments of his condition.The Japanese news agency Kyodo quotes North Korea's second highest-ranking leader, Kim Yong-nam, as saying "nothing is wrong" with Kim Jong Il. A senior North Korean diplomat rejects recent reports about his health as "worthless" and part of a "conspiracy plot."Sixty-six-year-old Kim Jong Il holds absolute power in North Korea's authoritarian government. He is believed to have some health issues, including diabetes. However, rumors of a more serious illness surfaced Tuesday, when he failed to appear at a military parade to mark the 60th anniversary of North Korea's founding. That followed weeks of absence from public view.Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong told a parliament hearing the government is on "high alert." A spokesman for the South Korean President Lee Myung-bak says he has been meeting withtop officials to discuss preparations for any possible emergency.Analysts say it is difficult to overstate Kim Jong Il's personal importance to North Korea's political cohesion. He is heir to a religion-like cult of personality the state built around his father, Kim Il Sung, the country's first president. He is also seen as the only individual who can rise above factions who might otherwise jostle with each other for power.Human rights advocates say Kim Jong Il is also the lynchpin of a system that relies on terror to ensure public order. His absence could make it more difficult to manage millions of impoverished North Koreans who have endured near-starvation conditions for nearly two decades.A North Korean collapse would create a security nightmare for the country's nearest neighbors, China and South Korea. Leaders there fear a tidal wave of refugees. South Korea could possibly find itself having to pay for hundreds of billions of dollars in emergency infrastructureand social welfare costs for the decayed North. Getting control of North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile arsenal would be a chief concern for Washington.Kim Jong Il was openly groomed by his father for several decades, but has not publicly designated any successor for himself. Kim Yong-hyeon - a North Korea specialist at Seoul's Donguk University - says it is unlikely a family member will take over in Pyongyang.He says the most likely successor to Kim Jong Il would come from topbrass of the military, the strongest of North Korea's organizations.Those details - like the health prognosis of the North Korean leader -remain, for now, a matter of speculation and guesswork.
Studying Enghlish with VOAnews. Why not?
When I know about the Internet I started to search about VOA-voice of America that I used to listen on the radio.
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