Program Reviews

I spent three months as an aupair in Beijing and got the chance to become part of a lovely family. I loved spending time with my host kid and my host family always tried to show me as much of their culture as possible. They took me on trips within Beijing at least once per week and we also got to spent a few days at the ocean together etc. Even though being an aupair and teaching children English can be quite challenging from time to time and requires a lot of effort and energy as well as commitment for children, my host family always made sure that I got enough free time to discover the city and spend time with friends. So I got the chance to camp and hike with friends on the Great Wall...
Also the cultural classes offered by Lopair, like a Kung Fu class or a traditional tea ceremony, were very interesting and the Chinese classes by Mandarin House were an excellent opportunity to study Chinese.

All in all, this program is an amazing opportunity to get to know China and its culture, to become part of a lovely family and to learn Chinese. I am incredibly grateful for my host family and hope to visit them in Beijing again soon!

It was an amazing experience. But try to take things not personal because the culture is different and mostly the people don't mean it how they say it. Through the chinese class, I could learn some basic skills in Mandarin and I also got a lot of new friends there. Friends make China much better. You can visit a lot of new places. I have been to a lot of different parks as well as in a lot of temple. That are so pretty places. It is nice to see the Buddha figures. They are all unique. Moreover I enjoyed to go to watertown because you can escape from the busy life in the city. To go around I would recommend to download Shanghai metro app and to use google maps. Glogle maps was my best friend in China. The metro system is very easy so you could also manage it without an app. But why should you make your life harder than it has to be.

I really liked this cultural experience here in China! The first month was quite hard as a lot of things are different than where I come from. I would not recommend this program to somebody who has problems with communication issues or homesickness!
Especially the Language barrier was quite a big deal here for me.. of course I am not able to speak Chinese and I can‘t expect everyone in China to speak English but most of the people here do not Even understand a single word.. I was shocked at the beginning. I really liked my family, but as an au pair in China you should be prepared for difficult kids! Collect as much experience with children as possible! Having a good relationship with the child was the hardest challenge for me in China, and until the end ist stayed dificult.. I feel like Chinese kids are completely different from European ones!!

I enjoyed being an au pair to a lovely family in Beijing for three months. I am sure I will miss them and cannot believe how fast the three months went. The Mandarin classes were also really good! It is focused on communication but I am very satisfied with it. We also had cultural classes such as making fans and traditional calligraphy which were very interesting. I would probably do it again if I could and whole heartedly recommend it

I have done a lot of traveling and different types of programs, etc, but never anything quite like an Au Pair. It was definitely new, challenging, rewarding, and a great learning experience. For those who don't know anything about Chinese culture, you should learn some before you come, or at least be prepared to observe it as soon as you arrive and try to adopt some of it while leaving a part of your own culture behind. This is the best way for you to get along well with your host family. Open communication is a must. Also, I think that way you will be able to have a better experience whilst living in the country.
I really enjoyed my time overall, but I did end up feeling a little exhausted at times because there were a lot of high expectations for me and I didn't have any say in choosing my own schedule. The schedule was not flexible either, so I didn't get to participate in basically any social events or do anything I had hoped to do.
I was amazed that I was actually able to learn some Chinese throughout all of this, I thought it would be too hard for me. Be prepared though, I found most Chinese won't act excited if you try speaking to them.
Be open and have a positive attitude and you will have a great experience.

This was an amazing experience that gave me the opprutunity to learn so much about Chinese culture and the country. The people from the company were really lovely and always helped quickly whenever I had a problem- they also give you loads of advice before you go so you feel prepared. I loved the mandarin classes, they became really useful for going around on your own. The only drawback was that the social scene in shenzhen isn’t great.

I completed the Summer Educare programme; an experience which has left me with mixed feelings about the programme. It is an excellent opportunity to truly experience a different culture by being immersed into life in China with a Chinese host family. I was able to gain insight which wouldn't be possible when visiting for a short period of time as a tourist. Everyone's experience will be unique as host families have different interests and can introduce you to different cultural aspects. The mandarin classes are also fantastic as I went out to China with no previous knowledge of the language but came away after 8 weeks being able to communicate with basic mandarin.

I was supposed to be living with a lovely family in Shenzhen. Sadly, they pulled out of the programme last minute after much deliberation regarding other plans for their young son. With less than two weeks before starting the programme, Lopair helped me find new families quickly and really seemed to empathise with my situation. However, the family I ended up with in Beijing turned out to be an unfavourable match and I worry about their suitability for the programme at all. I want to give praise to all of the coordinators in Hangzhou who made me feel so welcome and took our small group (3 au pairs as we arrived earlier than other participants) around Hangzhou after orientation training. Unfortunately, Lopair's support seemed to dissipate.

There were numerous negative occasions with my host family but I will limit these to just a few examples:
- the family did not make me feel welcome or accommodated and I didn't feel like "a member of the family". Many mornings I had to go without breakfast because the parents or one of the three nannies would not set the table or cook for me. I was made to feel very awkward about asking for food and the nanny seemed to resent making me a fried egg (most of the time the only thing which my breakfast consisted of). There were no snacks provided for me (apart from the occasional bit of fruit) and I was not allowed out of the house so I couldn't buy any. One time the family went out for the whole afternoon until evening without telling me and I didn't get any dinner. I politely messaged them asking if they could bring me back some "leftovers" which they did a few hours later. As I sat down to eat, the three year old (who had already been out for a big meal) started to try and take the little bit of food I was bought back. He made a commotion and the family gave a large portion of my food to him! I was also hit on different occasions by the boy for no reason (punched in the nose and face as well as my legs) and the mother didn't even react to tell him off or at least check that I was alright.
- no privacy: the family got annoyed with me for shutting my bedroom door—especially locking it—but this was necessary to keep the three year old out of my room when getting changed or sleeping. I wasn't even allowed to lock the bathroom door sometimes (of which I did not have my own and had to share with the three year old and his nanny) which resulted in the boy catching me in the shower—something the family then blamed me for. Even in my free time I lacked privacy as I got criticised for shutting my bedroom door. This was a strain as I was prevented from recuperating and relaxing which had a damaging effect as the weeks went on.
- during week 7 the family had plans to travel to Tianjin and Jinan but this meant I was yo-yoed from one hot cramped car to the next with lots of travelling, no rest, and I was not always given any water. The trip made me very ill for my final week. As soon as we arrived back in Beijing (after a full day of travelling) my body couldn't take anymore and succumbed to the illness it was desperately suppressing under the constant changing of environments. I was up the whole night and the day after throwing up. I wasn't able to eat for over 4 days and it took a couple of days until I could start stomaching fluids again, meaning I was severely dehydrated (something especially uncomfortable in the heat). The family unfairly blamed me several times for being ill because I "ate too much" on the trip—something which was not even true. After the parents asked if my insurance covered going to hospital (to which I said I just needed rest and to try and get over the illness, unable to take anymore distress after the week of travelling) they lost interest. They did not try and look after me or even check up on me which made me feel incredibly isolated. Luckily, despite the difficult language barrier, the daughter's nanny (a different nanny to the one who usually cooks) started to look out for me and made me small portions of plain rice or noodles: a great relief after being neglected by the rest of the family.

To top this off, I had to plead with the mother for a lift to the airport at the end of my placement as I was still unwell. She refused to get one of their drivers (of which they had a few) to take me and insisted I use the subway. I then had to try and appeal to the father who eventually agreed to get a family friend to take me. Not the tearful sendoff I would've hoped for at the start of the programme.

A friend I made on the programme (who was also in Beijing) had messaged two different coordinators urging them to check on me because he was concerned about how unwell I was and the lack of support from the family. I wasn't aware of this until after completing the programme as I was shown the messages by said friend. Lopair did not bother to get in contact with me which was beyond disappointing, especially as I was experiencing such trauma. Even before this—during a misunderstanding with the family—I found my coordinator would favour the family above me despite assuring me in private beforehand that what I was feeling was completely justified and valid.

That is not to say I never enjoyed my time as an au pair because, despite the hurdles, I did have some memorable times with the children. In fact, I got on with the ten year old daughter very well. However, the family generally did not treat me very well. I completely lacked the freedom that I was entitled to, even on my one day off a week. The family were not flexible on their 9pm curfew (I even received texts demanding I start coming back at 7pm on my day off to ensure I was back way before 9pm). I was always with an au pair friend but they would try and justify their control over me by saying I was unsafe. I was rarely allowed out of the house and I had no front door key to aid any independence (I politely spoke to the parents several times and they refused to give me one).

I had an amazing time in China itself and it has undoubtedly helped me develop as a person and gain invaluable cultural insight. I visited some amazing sites like the Great Wall and my days off were by far the happiest of my time in China. Nonetheless, the positives of my experience are not down to Lopair and I can't imagine how my experience might have suffered further had it not been for the support of other au pairs when Lopair were more than inattentive. To give advice for anyone thinking of doing a programme with Lopair, make sure the family you are matched with are right for you. I believe that if circumstances had been different and I had a more accommodating family my experience would have been even better.

Pros: Nice Family with great accommodation, very attentive and helpful staff who coordinate the visit, efficiently run and I never felt as if I was without help or direction.

Cons: Insufficient guidance for teaching, too much time spent with host family which results in a very limited experiences of China, surrounded by too much English so rare of mandarin progress is not at all what I had expected, teaching philosophy in China different to that in most European countries that often work with the children feels unrewarding or even counter productive; its hard to get enthusiastic about your job when you belive you are being asked to do the wrong thing.

Overall: An enjoyable experience but not what I had expected. I wasn’t able to teach in the way I wanted to and that marred the experience. The most enjoyable aspects are invariably those spent away from the family and the program. I would recommend it to a friend but not without fair warning.

I thoroughly enjoyed participating in this program! I feel very grateful that I was given the opportunity to travel to China and learn Chinese all for free. My host family was welcoming, friendly and so kind. They went out of their way to make me feel at home and were constantly concerned that I might be homesick or not comfortable (but I never was!). I was very lucky because I enjoyed a lot of free time. I would only have to teach my host child, Vicky (12 years-old), for around 2 hours a day and the rest of the day we would often go out and explore Beijing together. (However, I would like to point out that I was really lucky, I know that some of my friends had to work 5+ hours a day). I also had one and a half days off a week where I could meet up with my friends. My favourite thing about the program was the Chinese lessons. I had an amazing teacher who made the lessons fun and relaxed, I also made great friends with the other au pairs in these classes. I would really recommend this program as I have learnt so much about Chinese culture, but also going to a new country on your own really pushes you out of your comfort zone, making you a more confident and able person! My advice to future au pairs would be to speak up if you have any problems. Don't feel embarrassed or like a burden if you feel homesick or uncomfortable. There is a team of Lo Pair staff who you can talk to and it's their job to support you! If you have any problems with the host family they may be able to advice you on what to do or explain why they be doing something, after all it could simply be a culture clash. Also, I would advice you to be open and communicative with your host family. For example, towards the end of the program my host child, Vicky, began to completely ignore me and didn't want to study with me. This was really shocking and I questioned if I had done something wrong. However, when I spoke to her parents about it they revealed that she was jealous of me and it was nothing to do with anything that I had done. If I hadn't have been open with them about how I felt I would never have known that!

I went in China with lopair, a partner of my french agency. My experience as an au pair was amazing, it makes me grow and develop my patience.
My family was really nice, kind with me and thanks to them I discover a lot of things about China (like food, a lot of food and culture).
When you get used to Chinese customs, it’s really easy. People are really nice and helpfull with you. I really love China 🇨🇳