Susie Is Home

• Au pairs get a weekly stipend of $139, with weekends off
  
• Employers finance their studies, up to about $500
  
• They're entitled to own room and bathroom with phone, Net access
  
• Au pairs are expected to work no more than 45 hours a week

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"Would you like to go to the United States?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied, without a thought.

Outlook

bout 1,500 km away, near Boston, Massachusetts, 21-year-old Susan Thomas looks after the Lewis family's two daughters, Erika, 11, and Mary Kate, 9. Susan is also from Kochi, and a diary of her day reads pretty much the same—though supper is often followed by a family session huddled around the model globe, discussing India, its culture and climate.

Make no mistake, neither Susan nor Seema are glorified 'ayahs'. They are expected to put in no more than 45 hours of work a week, and weekends are typically spent with other au pairs in the area. "There's so much to do here," gushes Seema. "Eating out, hanging out, biking, going to the beach, skating, movies, shopping at the mall, going clubbing, or even sightseeing in nearby Chicago." In her free time, Susan has already toured 10 American states, often joining the family on the annual break to Maine.

As au pairs, Seema and Susan are entitled to their own bedroom and bathroom, Internet and telephone access, use of the family car if the family lives on city outskirts, and anything else they might need to feel at home, includin shopping for food ingredients at the nearest Indian store. Their employers are also required to pay them $139 a week as stipend, and finance six credits of study worth about $500. While Susan is pursuing courses in HRD and international business at a nearby community college, Seema has already completed six credits in hr management, and is now even taking piano lessons. "If you account for boarding, food, medical insurance, car insurance and all the other expenses, it costs about $22,000 a year to keep an au pair," estimates Felman.

Host families are rigorously screened by APIA—three references must be furnished, one each from the husband's and wife's employers, besides police clearance and a family interview where a counsellor visits to observe how the family interacts and to vet the living arrangements for the au pair. "I remember our first visit from a counsellor," says Felman. "She asked to see the au pair's bedroom. She wanted to know if the bath was attached, how effective the heating and cooling was, she wanted to know what nights my husband and I went out, what time the kids slept...everything."

APIA is equally tough on screening potential au pairs. Having a passport and driving licence is a must—Seema learnt driving on her aunt's car in Kochi while she waited to be matched. Applicants must hold at least a high-school diploma and demonstrate 200 hours of proven child care—Seema taught at Sunday school in Kochi for three years, and both Seema and Susan had worked part-time at local kindergartens. Applicants are also expected to pay a fee of about Rs 32,000, which covers part of the airfare and medical costs as well as application processing expenses. But the experience suggests that it was worth all the effort. "I didn't know what a hamburger was," Seema laughs. "At first, I was worried about everything. The Michigan winter was too cold to step out in, I was worried about whether the kids would like me. I wondered how I would drive the long distances here. I wasn't used to wearing jeans much, or skirts. "

But adapting to a new country was easier because the girls had a local 'counsellor' to help them settle in, and to put them in touch with other au pairs in their area. While she was still in India, Seema sought advice by e-mail from her counsellor, Tootsie Panayatou, on everything from the sort of clothes to carry to the kind of courses available at schools in the area. Panayatou handles a "cluster" of 22 girls in the Michigan area, including Seema—and they meet at least once a month to share experiences.

These days, Seema has the confidence to drive the children anywhere. She has learnt that getting American children to obey you isn't about authority, but strategy. Her English skills have improved dramatically. And she has friends—other au pairs—from Brazil, Germany, Thailand, Colombia and Canada. "There is no challenge that Seema has not taken on or overcome," says Panayatou even as she adds, "please send us more girls."