Extending: new family or same family?

Deciding to extend is already a big decision you had to make. The next important question you have to ask yourself is, do you want to extend with a new family or with the same family?

Both of these are very good options and deciding can be really tough. Down below are some reasons why you might pick one or the other.

Extending with a new family

Even though you might have loved your time with your first host family and loved the place you lived in, you might feel the need to experience something new.

Part of being an au pair is having the opportunity to see and explore a bunch of different places. You’ve now been in one place for a year and have probably seen most if not all there is to see. If you love exploring and seeing new places, finding a new host family in a completely different part of the country might be really exciting for you.

You might want to work with a different age group of kids after your first year. I’ve heard a lot of au pairs say that they want to have older host kids in their second year, because that can sometimes mean less work time.

With a new place and a new family also come new friends.

Extending with the same family

If you have found a great host family, that you love and had a great experience with. If you love the place you’re living in and don’t feel the need to experience new parts of the country. Those are already some good reasons why you might stay with the same family.

Going through the whole matching process again, to find a new family can be scary. What if I can’t find a family I like? What if this family seems great but actually isn’t? What if this family isn’t as great as my last family and I regret my choice? If you’re happy where you are and don’t want to risk the possibility of being unhappy, stay with the same family.

When you spend most of your day with your kids, their bound to take up a spot in your heart, even if they can sometimes drive you crazy. After building a great relationship with them, it is totally understandable that you don’t just want to leave them behind.

During your time here you’ve probably made a bunch of friends too, whether they are from within the au pair community or not. Leaving them behind can be really hard too, so why not stay and spend more time with them.

Hopefully, this has been at least a little helpful in making your decision. If not, don’t worry, you can talk about it with friends and family. In the end, you just need to remember that you’re the only one who can make this decision. Even though that might seem impossible right now, you’ll find the answer.