We've had au pairs staying with us for a few years now and have been very lucky with them. Its been a good experience both for us and for our visitors who we hope will remain friends. Certainly it helps to enliven things at home and has lead to us meeting not just the au pairs but their families and friends as well.
We live in a historic house 450 years old on the edge of a village with our 3 children, 2 dogs, Wilma plus Henson (currently a puppy); 1 cat, Sidney. We also have a pet snake but he's kept safely in a glass vivarium and we don't take him out to play! The village has around 900 people and includes 2 shops, a church, a pub, a railway station and a private sports centre. It is just south of Birmingham, near Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon. London is under 2 hours away by train from the nearest mainline station 10 minutes away. Click on the link for short family profiles.
We've also got a house in New Quay in West Wales which we use a lot in the summer. We rent it out when we're not using it - you can see details on the website we use to advertise it www.morina.co.uk which also has pictures of New Quay on it.
The au pair has her own room with en suite bathroom. She also has the use of a car (currently a Ford Ka) both for work and for leisure time. There are good colleges in Leamington Spa near to the school which Sam and Matilda go to. This means that the au pair can drop the children at school and then drive on to college. Usually the au pairs have done 2 mornings per week at college but more is possible if wanted. Our previous au pairs have found that it is easy to make friends through the college. The au pair has 2 whole days off a week, so far the au pairs have chosen to have Saturday and Sunday free most weeks.
The area is a very popular tourist destination and some local links are included below.
 | Warwick Castle One of the finest castles in England, set on the River Avon. Sam and Matilda go to Warwick School, itself set up several hundred years ago, and overlooked by the castle. |
| Stratford-upon-Avon The birthplace of Shakespeare is around 15 minutes drive away. Our house was built when Shakespeare was writing his plays down the road. |
| Birmingham England's second city and a major cultural and arts centre. This site gives a whole range of information about the city. Alison and Nick both work at the University of Birmingham. |
| Information on local colleges |
We've included photos of some of the young women who've stayed with us.