Dear au pair,

Welcome to our family of four: Françoise (39), Carsten (44), Léo (10) and Romy (8). Three languages are spoken in our home: Françoise is a fully bilingual Canadian (French and English), Carsten is German. Leo and Romy speak French, German and English (at their respective age levels).

Being a pretty active family that generally likes to spend time outdoors, doing activities, go bike-riding or on day-trips, we’ve found that there has been less time to do these things since our second child was born. We’re therefore looking for a helping hand with the kids and some housework so we can all enjoy more family time together. We have had au pairs with us since summer 2017 and this has worked really well and created a life-long bond between them and us.

We are an open-minded and laid-back family, living in a nice house in Bad Honnef near Bonn. Carsten works as a project manager for DHL. Françoise teaches her two native languages at High School. She is a passionate cook, it would be great if you’re open to different types of cuisine and also know your way around basic cooking, as we will ask you from time to time to make a meal. We're teaching our kids to be open to new foods, so if you are on the picky side we're sorry but we are not the right family for you.
Your room is spacious with a beautiful view on the Drachenfels castle.
Culturally we are somewhat of a mix between German and North American culture. So while you will get to know Germany and the German way of life very well (most of our friends are German), you will still be in a home where we can’t deny the North American influence. Having moved to Germany when she was a student, Françoise is a great guide to German culture from a Canadian perspective. As we both have lived abroad before and had amazing experiences, we would like to offer such an opportunity to a young person in return. You don’t need to speak German to be an au pair in our family, but if you are interested, you will certainly have the possibility to learn/practice/improve your language skills here, in German as well as in French or English. There are also at least half a dozen language schools here.

The area we live in is beautiful and considered one of the best places to live. Bad Honnef itself is a small town on the outskirts of Bonn, with a nice town center with shops, restaurants, bars, cafés etc. There is also the International University of Bad Honnef (IUBH) where it should be easy to meet young people from all over the world who live nearby. Within Bad Honnef almost everything can be reached by foot or bike, but you need to be able to drive to take the kids to some sports activities.

Just a five-minute walk away from our house the forest starts where there are plenty of hiking and mountain biking possibilities. A short walk in the other direction is a station of a Bonn subway line that will take you to the city within half an hour (20 minutes by car). Cologne is reachable by train within 45 minutes. Both cities have a lot to offer. Carsten grew up in Bad Honnef and knows all about the area.

Many activities can be done in and around Bad Honnef, reaching from hiking to cycling (mountain or along the Rhine river, we have a few bikes), tennis, rowing, ultimate frisbee, and many many more.
The Cologne/Bonn area is also very well connected within Europe. Cologne main station is a railway hub in Germany, with many quick connections to places like Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Berlin, Luxembourg, and even London. Within reach are also the airports of Cologne, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt-Hahn (Ryanair), giving you the possibility of short trips to exciting destinations in Europe.

Our daily life currently looks like this: The kids go to school until 1 or 3 pm. In the afternoons, they are at home. Depending on what time they get home, your tasks will include preparing a meal, playing with them, taking them to sports clubs or friends, teaching English, etc. Carsten works until between 5 and 6 pm, we all have dinner together, play a little or read to the kids and take them to bed. Time permitting we do various family activities on the weekends, which you are free to join, of course. Welcome to our family!