• Comfort level in living in the city/country
• Willingness to accept living under the "rules" set by the Host Parents (i.e. use of car, expected time the Aupair must be home each evening, overnight house guests)
• The Aupair's relationship as a member of the family
• Interests and hobbies
• Smoking/drinking

The Host Family will have a copy of the applicant's application and they will spend some time asking questions regarding his/her childcare experiences. They may seek clarification of some aspect of the application which is unclear or confusing. The Host Family will want to try and get a sense of the applicant's love and interest in children. How he/she responds (i.e. with excitement or with disappointment) upon hearing the ages of the Host Family's children can be revealing to the Host Family.

Additional areas of discussion should include:

·        The applicant's ability to adapt to a new culture

·        Any health concerns

·        The applicant's sense of his/her future (i.e. where he/she sees themselves after the year abroad)

·        The applicant's expectations of his/her year in America

·        The applicant's driving history

At the conclusion of the first telephone interview, which most families find, to be aut 20-30 minutes long, the Host Family will ask the candidate how he/she feels about what the family ha to offer. They may ask:

• Does he/she believe that he/she can handle the number and ages of the children?
• Does the arrival date coincide with the departure date desired by the applicant?
• When can the applicant be contacted again to speak at greater length about the placement?

It is important that the applicant gives thoughtful consideration to the possibility of matching with the family with whom they have spoken and if they are interested they need to be prepared to ask any unanswered questions should the family decide to contact them a second time. The applicant should contact the Co-operator as soon as they have spoken with a Host Family The Co-operator should ask the applicant if he/she is interested in the Host Family and if he/she would like to see a copy of the Host Family's application. At the same time the Local Coordinator in the United States will be in contact with the family and he/she will ask the family if they are interested in the applicant and if they plan to call him/her a second time. If the family is interested, a copy of their Host Family application will be faxed to the Co-operator who in turn will give it to the applicant so that she may have more complete information about the family on hand when they telephone a second time. The second telephone call generally occurs within 48 hours of the first call.