The Au-Pair program is extremely popular among students
Today, every student, having obtained a visa, passed customs inspection and video surveillance under the strict cameras of the international airport Sheremetyevo-2, can go on an exchange program to Europe or the USA. Au-Pair is the name of the student youth exchange program that has been operating in European countries for about 60 years. Since 1969, the program has been officially regulated by a pan-European regulation, and since 1994 it has also been implemented with the support of the International Association of Au Pair Agencies in Copenhagen - IAPA.
This practice first appeared in the early 20th century in Germany, when middle-class families of modest means, lacking funds for a better education for their offspring, sent them to France to live with similar ordinary families. There, children learned French, speech culture, good manners, etiquette, and studied fashion trends in clothing and design, which was also an integral rule of good taste. After World War II, the program resumed with renewed vigor and became very popular among European countries.
Literally translated from French, the word "au pair" means "mutuality, reciprocity." The second meaning of this term is "senior." That is, a student from Russia or another country lives for a whole year with a family in the country whose language he or she came to study. He performs the household duties assigned to him, helps the hosts with housework, and at the same time learns and improves his knowledge of a foreign language. After all, who but the locals can convey all the richness of shades and dialects of their native language?
Au-Pair is extremely popular among students because, compared to other programs, it is relatively inexpensive, and it is also recognized as a form of student life and is considered equivalent to studying at a higher education institution. It opens doors to countries such as the USA, Denmark, Germany, Austria, France, and Sweden. Russia, unfortunately, is not yet open to students from other countries, as it is not a member of the International Association of Au-Pair Agencies. But Russian students can, under this program, visit countries that are members. In addition to learning a foreign language, according to the program rules, they have the right to legally work in the host country, as they obtain a temporary residence permit.