HHS Center

I'd like to share my experience with HHS in 2012, which was an overall negative. First, the good parts. Living in Beijing was amazing - the food, the culture, everything - and I ended up staying on long after finishing with HHS. Part of my great experience was my host family, which my coordinator Maggie found for me. They were generous and welcoming hosts and made my first 3 months in China a lot easier. On the whole I had an amazing experience in China.

However, I was not impressed with HHS as a company, partly because of my own interests but mainly because of things I witnessed. In my case, I had been promised a 10-day all-expenses-paid vacation to a destination in China of my choice during my stay. However, with the end of my 3 months approaching, I was told that the company was out of money and could not afford to send me somewhere. The only option if I wanted to travel was for me to go to a lesser-known city, Lanzhou, and give a presentation to students at a college there. In return, the company extended my visa. I was disappointed, but, lacking other options, had no choice but to accept this substitute.

For others, the company's failure to uphold its agreements presented more serious problems.

To add on to my negative impressions of the company, when I posted about these experiences in a Wechat (Chinese messaging app) job group in 2015, I was amazed to receive a legal letter from HHS, essentially telling me to shut up about my experiences.

In sum, I strongly encourage anyone who is interested in China to go as an au pair - there's no better way to experience China. But when it comes to choosing an organization to go with, be sure to conduct thorough research.

My name is Steve McAllister. Now I'm 24 and 6 month I had spent in Beijing with HHS Center and my second family there. In UK i graduated from university with a master degree in international relations in 2013. I spent a couple of months in my country trying to find myself, but then decided to go to China and study as much as possible from inside about this colorful country. My foreign experience is not rich, just within Europe, but I still wanted to take this adventure - to a totally different country which is unique and exciting!
After searching online for days for different possibilities that can put me into China easily and safely, I got HHS Center finally and luckily. They replied to me immidiately and patiently. They are not an agency but the right company focusing on introducing foreign aupairs to Chinese families. So, i don't need to pay any service fees, and all the families they provide are affluent, well-connected ones interested in broadening their children's horizons through international exchange. With their help, all procedures went smoothly. And i didn't expect i could come to China so fast after 6 weeks. I was so looking forward to my host family with whom we met via skype interview.
Not until did i arrive at the airport that i felt it would be a great challenge. The local care coordinator (we call them Lcc) and the host mom greeted me at the airport and sent me directly back to my new home in Beijing. I cannot remember the following days, because i had been in half-sleeping status for almost a week. And i got lost couple of times on the way to HHS Center and back home... Beijing is so spreadout! Anyway, everytime i can get almost 24/7 support from HHS.
Though with some difficulties at the very beginning, still i felt i became a real member of this Chinese family. My host-kid now calls me an older brother and i can really be proud because of this. We play and study, and play the piano together. He is 4 and a tutoring is going while we play together. He likes me read him books and stories. There is 1000 and 1 way to play with a child. Everything depends just from imagination. My responsibilites are to play with him, take care when we play outside with or without host parents, and accompany him on the back sit of the car while one of his parents drives the car. Of course, the way of tuoring depends from the age of the child: if it is a baby it should be one way, if it is a teenager the way also should be another. Everything depends from kids' personality.
Thanks to HHS center, i've already experienced a lot. Now i have a second family in China, where i can alway go back anytime and we send wishes to each other like a family. And i made lots of new friends with the staff in HHS center and other participants from all over the world. I'm going to hang out with some of them when they are back to UK, definitely!

Joining HHS progam is nothing short of a journey. I came to the program to study Chinese langauage and get to know more about the Chinese culture. When I learned that this program offers free weekly Chinese classes, i was over the moon! However, the actual experience with Chinese classes wasn't as expected. Granted, the Chinese teachers were all great but at the same time, because the classes were open to all participants, there were always those who attended classes just for fun. The teachers were often distracted by them and it rendered a less desirable experience during the class in return...the good thing for me personally though was that I had learned some Chinese before so after four months being in the low level classes, I was able to move to a higher level class and it was much better!

Overall, this was definitely not a bad experience for me. I learned the language I wanted to learn and the family was great too. Ohhh, don't forget the new friends I met in the program! They are absolutely awesome!

First of all - It is extremely hard to rate whether or not I would suggest this program to a friend/peer as there are many aspects are subjective/based on the family/au pair's attitude. My family is amazing. Bottom line. I adore them and all that they have done for me. It is, however, at times somewhat easy to feel disconnected or trapped in this situation. For me, it's almost as if I am being held back by my own guilt for wanting to go out more than is reasonable, or not being satisfied personally with the work that I am doing. This is an example of one of those situations which is completely subjective to my own situation. Would I recommend this program to a recent university grad who is in their early/mid twenties and is looking to gain work/worldly experience? No. I would however recommend this program to someone between 17 - 20; someone who is thinking of taking a gap year and is also seeking to gain some cultural/social experience abroad. This program revolves mainly around taking care of host children, obviously, which can be challenging and mentally tiring at times. While we get doted on and live rent/amenity free, the pay is next to nothing. One could easily find experiences similar/more fulfilling abroad which would not only pay more, but also look much better on a resume. Unfortunately, when I go out with my fellow Au-pairs, the majority of the conversation revolves around complaining about our current situation - which is sad. This program needs to be more transparent on both ends of the spectrum (family AND Au pair), when selecting families and applicants. This is not a 6 month vacation in China. Families will not be receiving world-class English tutor's who will turn your children into westernized model citizens. Period. For this program to be successful, a middle ground needs to be established. It should include a desirable amount of freedom/compensation for the Au pair, and also ensure that the families are receiving an Au pair with a certain degree of willingness to nurture and teach their children (Not just any person who is white and does not have a current drug problem). I am glad I did this - I have met many amazing people, and the workers at HHS are amazing, but if it weren't for my desire to learn Chinese, I think that three months would have sufficed. Everyone is different, and maybe this program will be perfect/life-changing for you. Do your research. Talk with people who have done this before. Good luck

Being an Au Pair in Beijing is a empowering and awakening experience for me. Being independent in such a large city and having full reign of my life is a new but necessary experience for all young adults. It takes you out of your co;fort zones, throws challenges at you that you have to take up on you own. All around the agency is very helpfull and will try their hardest to assist you with any problem, from minor food poisoning to finding a bed to sleep in for the night. Even though you are gaining independence, you are always offered assistance. It is a great feeling.

I am an Au Pair/Intern here in Beijing. My typical week is the ideal kind. On days were I have class, I am free the whole day to indulge in social mingling and to explore the city etc... On the other days, I have a 9am to 5pm job with a my host parent's law firm as an assistant translator. The additional pay helps a lot (in addition to monthly pocket money) because Beijing is an expensive city in the end if you are exploring it the way you should.

Highlights would be the multiple weekly excursions with my family, food, sight seeing, museums, learning about the culture that you are immersed in. Also the Beijing nightlife is a blast if you know where to party! Dissapointments would include the lack of free time for me in the evening and the traveling hours. Beijing being a large an populated city, getting around is hard and long. I have an hour and a half of subway to get to the center of city for my classes and else. It is an inconvenience. If you have the money to spend on cabs, than good, if not, well you better practice being patient.

An all around enlightening experience!