Wanderlust Cultural Homestay Tutoring (Au Pair in China) Program

Good opportunity to discover China and Chinese cilture. I had 6 wonderful months, gained new experiences, and had fun with my cool host family.I have learned Mandarin and for sure it will be useful in my life. I would like to mention that being China is really different feeling and doesn't match our thoughts before coming. Everyone should visit China even for one time and AuPair program giving us that opportunity. China is so safe and has kind people which we need to wnjoy our life. I like China and Chinese people, hope to be back again🫶🏻❤️❤️

The overall experience was a mixed bag, but mostly enjoyable. I would think this is related to needing a long time to get used to my host family's lifestyle which was worlds different from my own, both due to cultural differences and their social status. "It is important to know beforehand what your role in the household will be exactly so that you can mentally prepare accordingly!" is what I would say to myself if I were to go back in time before my trip! I think that would have made my stay much more pleasant.

Besides that fact, my family was very sweet and respectful towards me and tagged me along for almost anything, which let me see a lot about the city of Beijing! It is a most beautiful place, that one, it never lacks for anything to do or have fun with.

The food was also a plus! The family's Ayi had her ways with a wok and whipped up some of the most flavorful cuisine I have ever had, even if the spice destroyed my stomach on occasion. The house was always clean and tidy and the commune we were in was very pretty and had great views. I didn't go out on my own often due to a lack of free time ( which was very taxing ) but even if I stayed out late, it always felt safe to be out on the streets, even as a solo female traveler, though I wouldn't recommend straying from popular streets at night, just in case.

When it comes to my experience with the kids, I was in a family of five, with three kids under the age of 10. Here is where the subversion of expectations comes into play, for it was quite a twist to come across such young children who were so intelligent and academically smart and at the same time rude and wild. It was tricky to figure out how to approach them and guard them with their capricious nature and constant tantrums (which often involved me getting slapped, kicked, and bitten), and even at the end of my stay I still didn't fully understand how to manage with them, although they had been quite pacified by then. But when they were calm and in a happy mood they were, although very ecitable, regular children and we played and learned just fine (as stated, they were beyond their years when it came to schoolwork).

In summary, it was quite an experience. Time off was scarce but very welcome as I enjoyed being a tourist quite a lot. My experience as an Au Pair was rather harsh with the kids and that is why I wish I had known what kind of household I was going to, but that is very complicated to know with precision before you get there - It's quite the gamble.

But then again, it was not the end-all-be-all of my stay for me. I would recommend daring and curious people to check it out and become an au pair. This experience taught me about myself, about what it's like to be far from home, about my boundaries and my needs. The only thing I would see as a definitive requisite for anyone willing to try this out is patience!

I spent many months in China as an Au Pair under Wanderlust Exchange in a few cities.
I got contacted by them and signed up because I was interested in coming to China without having to study at a uni. And they were a lot more efficient and fast than the other agency I was planning to go with so I chose them. Personally, the recruitment, family matching and visa process was really smooth for me due to them laying out specific instructions. Though for the family interviews I wish I had had my current experience and knowledge, the choice of the hostfamily is really crucial for your experience.
So after two months I arrived in China and my coordinator/recruiter picked me up and brought me to the train station, managed the settling in into the family and reached out from time to time to ask about how things were going, plus relaying the feedback from my hostmum. I went on a two-day city tour and got my Chinese bank card.
The visa extension process in HongKong was also super smooth, I prepared all the paperwork with WE, got instructions etc. Due to flight delays I arrived at my hotel very late, I remember that one of my visa-coordinators stayed till 1am up to make sure I arrived and checked in safely in the hotel. The rest of the trip went smoothly, but make sure to have lots of savings for your time there.
I think sometimes some things can be inconsistent. Like Au Pairs in Shanghai benefit from in-person classes and also the extra group speaking sessions that SN school provides, I believe. But some of their culture activities are online. I've only ever had online classes but all my culture activities were in person and some of them were solo-classes too. I feel very grateful to have had a Hanfu-event, that was the coolest. Not all aupairs did that. I also did pottery, Chinese art activities, archery etc. Not all recruiters, coordinators act the same, are as dedicated etc, it depends on luck who you get, just like with the hostfamilies.
Also, for the first few months I didn't have culture activities, but when I and a few others in my city reminded them they arranged for us to catch up to all the activities, which we did.
Still, I wouldn't change anything about this year here, I've grown a lot and learned a lot. China has given me the opportunity to meet many great friends here, both Chinese and foreigners. The social circle of the Au Pairs is really supportive and it's easy to find friends that way. My stay with my hostfamilies was full of ups and downs, but overall I will look back gladly on both the nice parts and "bad" parts, both taught me a lot about myself and life. I'm so grateful for having met all my hostsiblings, for the time I spent with them, for the love they gave me :)) My 中国弟弟&妹妹 <3
I'm glad I signed up, though I'm also glad to start something else now. Au Pairing has its' highs and lows and it's difficult sometimes so you have to be prepared to face the challenges. Be sure to have lots of savings though in case some unexpected events or emergencies happen, be very careful regarding the hostfamily-matching, don't be scared to ask for a rematch if you feel it's not right or safe and build a supporting social circle.

Being an au pair in China was an incredibly rewarding experience. I had the chance to live with a local family, help a 14-year-old with her English, and fully immerse myself in Chinese culture. Although it wasn’t always easy, especially when adapting to new food and cultural differences, these challenges helped me grow both personally and linguistically. I improved my language skills, learned patience, and developed adaptability. I highly recommend this program for anyone seeking personal growth and a deep cultural exchange.

If you want to be an aupair in China, just avoid this agency for your security.

The experience to be an aupair was at first a nightmare... I was mistreated physically, and mentally by my first host family. When i informed the agency, they clearly said it was normal for them and they will not change anything. Let me pay everything by myself whereas i win only 2000rmb per month?

Hopefully some girls who was fired, succeeded to help me. I change my family but it was clearly not thanks to the agency.

They prefer defend horrible host family to get their money, and don't care about their aupair rights.

Whereas we are in a new country that we don't even know. We are very young some are only 18.

So many story about aupairs sleeping outside because the agency don't know how to settle a rematch, or just let them being kick out from their family.

Some aupairs just letting by themselves alone to go in an another city by train ? everything is in chinese, its really difficult for aupairs just arrived.

If you complain about something they will make a pressure on you and try to don't give you the stipend money, even if you finish your contract :)

.... So many stories i am not even able to tell everything just run away.

I've only been here for two months, but I can say that I've been too many places in two months, both with my host family and by myself. It was a dream for me to be in China since I was a child and this program was an incentive for me to come to China and discover China. Thank you very much and I suggest everyone who likes China to apply for this program because this is a good way to discover China.I also want to talk about the Chinese teacher, very kind, I can say that she was not just a teacher for me, but also a friend. It was also interesting for me that people were very kind on the street, when I was walking they made comments to me and said that I am very beautiful and also that my Chinese speaking is very good.I don't think this was a funny moment but at the same time we were laughing,but there were very interesting and beautiful moments when I was walking on the street, everyone told me that my nose and eyes were big and that I was very beautiful, and I was happy with every word. The program was very interesting on my free days and by myself I visited interesting places together with the host family, I discovered Beijing, which aroused great and beautiful interest in me and my love for China grew even more. Thanks to this program, I came to China, which was my dream. And I think I will try to come to China again with this program in the future

Wanderlust has been super helpful along the whole way of my program! They always reply to messages super fast! Definitely a great experience I think anyone would enjoy! I got to see so many amazing sights and try so many amazing foods. Definitely an experience I will never forget! I think one of my favorite parts of the program is getting to truly bond with the kids and have a family like relationship with them. I would recommend this program to anyone who has ever been curious as to what Chinese culture is all about.

My overall personal experience with the au pair program has been nothing short of amazing! The company did well in getting me in contact with families, choosing a family, figuring out how to get my visa, and setting up my stay with the necessary items and information needed to be successful. Any time I needed help, the company was right there to do so every step of the way. Thankfully, I was lucky to get a family I work extremely well with, so everything has been nothing short of fun! I would do this again in the future for sure.