What inspired you to work for Masons Au Pair?
I was an au pair with this agency first, so I saw how much effort they put into supporting and caring for au pairs. Whenever I needed help - visiting a doctor, fixing my phone, sending things abroad, or dealing with other problems - they were always ready to assist me. I really appreciated that, and it made me want to become someone who could also support foreigners coming to China for the Au Pair Program.
I had always wanted to work in an international environment and have a creative job where I could interact with people. That’s when I realized working for an au pair agency would be a great fit for me. We meet people from all over the world, hear about their cultures and experiences, and help them adjust to life in China. On the creative side, I have always enjoyed taking photos and filming videos, so working with social media and creating content felt like a perfect match for me.
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
Don’t bring too many things with you; you’ll probably buy everything again on Taobao for half the price anyway, haha.
On a more serious note, be ready to meet many different people. Some will be very extroverted and talkative, while others may be shy and quiet. Try to understand how to communicate with different personalities and find the best way to support each person.
Be open to a new culture, language, traditions, and lifestyle. Don’t compare everything with your home country. Try new food, learn some Chinese, join local activities, make more Chinese friends, and try to speak as much Chinese as you can. The more open-minded you are, the more you will enjoy the experience and learn from it!
Me during my 1-year Au Pair program!
Describe a typical day at work.
I start work at 10:00 a.m. Some au pairs finish their Mandarin classes at 11:00 a.m., while others finish around 1:00 p.m., so I usually ask them for feedback about their host families and how their day has been. If they need any help or advice, I try to help them solve the problem.
At around 1:30 p.m., we usually go for lunch with the au pairs at a small restaurant near the office. After lunch, I reply to emails, contact potential au pairs, film and edit videos for our social media, and upload new posts and reels.
After 3:00 p.m., I usually have interviews with potential au pairs. During breaks, we often play table games in the office, such as Uno or Rummikub. It helps us relax, take a short break, and switch our minds before moving on to the next task.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I enjoy meeting new au pairs who arrive in Chengdu, the city where we work, and showing them how life in China “works,” explaining how to use the subway, treating them to milk tea, and showing them things like aunties dancing in the streets in the evening. At the same time, I also love learning about the au pairs’ home countries, cultures, and traditions. It’s always fun to compare our languages, find similar words, and discover things our cultures have in common.
How do you use your education and international background in your current role?
I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics, where I studied English and Chinese, so I definitely use both languages every day.
After working at the au pair agency for a few years, I’ve also noticed some funny cultural differences. Most Germans are usually 10 minutes early for a class or meeting. Spanish people are often very talkative and friendly. Russians may seem a little cold at first, but once you build a connection with them, they can be very warm and caring. Italians are usually very relaxed and supportive, while Americans often like joking around and making people laugh. Of course, everyone is different, but it’s always interesting to notice these little cultural differences.
One of the things I love most about this job is that even though I stay in one country, it sometimes feels like I’m traveling around the world because I get to meet au pairs from so many different countries and learn about their cultures, traditions, and ways of thinking.
Our team during a trip to the bamboo forest
Why should someone choose your organization over competitors?
1) One of our biggest strengths is that our agency operates ONLY in Chengdu. This allows us to provide more personal, hands-on support throughout the whole au pair experience.
2) We meet every host family (where the au pair will stay) in person before deciding whether we want to work with them. Usually, 2–3 people from our agency join the visit. Our foreign colleagues spend time with the children to understand their English level, personality, interests, and possible challenges, while our Chinese colleague talks with the host parents to understand why they want an au pair, whether they can speak English, and what their expectations are.
3) Our office is located inside the language school where our au pairs attend Mandarin classes. Since they come to class 2–3 times per week, we can see them regularly, talk with them, and help if they have any questions or problems.
4) Every month, we organize cultural events and activities for all our au pairs. We have tried kung fu, visited the Panda Base together, cooked Chinese dishes with a professional chef, and joined many other cultural activities.
5) We provide full support throughout the whole process, from the initial application to the end of the au pair program. From visa assistance and video calls with the host family to a 2-day orientation after arrival and family visits during the program, we are always by your side.
6) After an au pair matches with a host family, we always have a video call with their parents. We introduce ourselves, explain which family their child will join, what our agency provides, and how the program works. We also create a WhatsApp group with the au pair and their parents, so we can keep everyone updated while their child is traveling to China and during the first few days after arrival.
7) Our first interview with an au pair may take around 1.5–2 hours. We believe it is important to explain the program and our agency in detail, while also taking the time to understand the applicant’s personality, motivation, strengths, weaknesses, English ability, and previous experience.
8) Our program is completely free for au pairs!
Lunch time with our Au Pairs!
What is your organization's mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
Our mission is to create a safe, meaningful, and well-supported cultural exchange experience for both au pairs and Chinese host families.
We want au pairs to experience real life in China, study Mandarin, learn about Chinese culture, build a close relationship with their host family, and become part of a friendly international community. We work toward this by personally screening host families, supporting au pairs through every step of the process, organizing cultural activities and events, and staying in close contact throughout the program.
Because we operate only in Chengdu, we can provide personal support, meet our au pairs regularly, help to resolve any issues that may appear, and build a strong local community.
What makes your organization special?
Some of the people working in our agency (including me) are former au pairs who spent a full year with Chinese host families through our agency. Because of this, they understand the program from both sides: as an au pair and as a program manager. Our team is also multicultural, with German, French, Italian, Chinese, and Russian colleagues.
We operate only in Chengdu, which helps us build a strong au pair community where people know each other and can make friends more easily. It also allows us to support au pairs closely throughout the whole program.
We prefer to focus on quality rather than quantity. Instead of sending applications to families all across China, we personally screen host families in one city and make sure they are reliable, suitable, and ready to welcome an au pair. This helps us create a stable program and a supportive community.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
We hope participants leave our program with more than just memories from China. We want them to make new friends, learn Mandarin, discover a new culture, and experience daily life with a local host family.
Living abroad can help au pairs become more independent, mature, adaptable, and confident when facing challenges. They can improve communication skills, learn how to deal with cultural differences, and better understand themselves.
We also hope the program opens new opportunities, such as studying or working in China, traveling around China and Asia, or feeling more confident about living abroad in the future. We’re always happy to hear when our au pairs find a job or apply to a university here!
Our Au Pair event at a Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
Living abroad helps people become more independent, confident, and open-minded. When you arrive in a new country, you need to learn how everything works: how to use public transport, get a SIM card, order things online, communicate with local people, and solve everyday problems. Once you manage these things by yourself, you realize that you can adapt almost anywhere! New situations become less stressful, and you learn to trust yourself more.
Experiencing another culture also teaches you to see life from a different perspective, understand different traditions and values, and become more respectful of people who live differently from you. Traveling abroad pushes you out of your comfort zone and shows you how many opportunities the world can offer.
What questions do participants often ask you, and how do you typically respond?
Many au pairs who don’t speak Chinese worry that they won’t be able to communicate properly with their host family. But in our experience, the language barrier quickly becomes less important when both sides are willing to communicate. You can always use translation apps, but gestures and body language help a lot, too.
We have seen many situations where the au pair couldn’t speak Chinese and the host family couldn’t speak English, but they still became good friends. The au pair may ask how to say something in Chinese, while the host parents ask how to say something in English. They start sharing stories about their cultures, traditions, food, and everyday life, and naturally the conversation begins.
So don’t worry if you can’t speak Mandarin before coming to China. Be open, curious, and willing to communicate. Being yourself is always the best choice.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Meaningful travel starts with understanding what you actually want from the experience: to relax, explore, learn, or maybe all three.
For me, the most important thing is to stay curious. Talk to local people, ask questions, learn the story behind the famous places you visit, and try to understand both the good and challenging sides of the new country. Think about whether there is something from this culture or lifestyle that you would like to bring into your own life.
I also think learning some basics of the local language is very important, because language gives you access to much more knowledge and helps you connect with people. Don’t be shy about making new friends. It’s always nice to have someone nearby to share your emotions with, experience new things together, and learn from each other!
