Never too old to learn - an agency for senior au-pairs

By Marielies Stegbauer Aug 18, 2011, 4:06 GMT

London - Lots of 19-year-old school-leavers go abroad to spend time with a host family, look after their children and get to know a foreign country. Kristin Emmerinck from Priem am Chiemsee in southern Germany was also taken with the same idea and decided to set up an agency offering au pair positions to over-50-year-olds.

Her firm is called Madame Grand Mere and is aimed at bringing together German families who live abroad with grandparents who want to travel.

'Mature adults who have raised their own children, or who are retired, can broaden their cultural interests with the help of a young family,' says Emmerinck. Her plan is to send her first au pair grandparent abroad by the end of the year.

Emmerinck and her own family spent 30 years living outside Germany and she has worked for a French family as a senior au pair.

'The months I spent in France were my best adventure ever,' says Emmerinck. Only time will tell if her business concept catches on but she already has interested applicants including Bettina, 54, and Juergen, 64.

Bettina has decided to spend a sabbatical year abroad. After getting divorced she wants to distance herself from parts of her private life and put her career as a teacher behind her. She came across Madame Grand Mere online.

'I was really curious about the idea of getting to know family life from the inside again,' says the mother of three adult children.

Juergen is the only male to have applied so far. Emmerinck would also like to provide positions for grandfathers. Juergen is a civil servant and is due to retire in April next year. He's divorced, is father to two grown children and would like to work with children. 'I'd also like to see more of the world,' he says.

Juergen had no chance to go abroad after completing his school leaving exams in East Germany. Bettina, on the other hand, has experience working as an au pair in Brighton, England. Her kids went abroad after they finished school and her daughter encouraged her to apply.

'I thought that if they can do it, I can too,' says the 54-year-old.

She received different reactions from her friends but none rejected the idea. 'I believe the impulse to go out and begin something new sits deep within everyone. But many people are too scared to take the step. For decades I was one of them.'

Juergen and Bettina are also looking forward to refreshing their foreign language skills.

'I would love to begin speaking English again,' says Bettina. Her dream country to work in is Canada. Juergen learned French in school. 'But I'm not against getting to know other countries,' he says.

Juergen thinks that meeting another family will make it easier for him to realise his dream of travelling more. It goes without saying that he would take on his host family's rules.

Bettina thinks fitting in with a new family will be a challenge that is not guaranteed to succeed, but she believes that she has things to offer that a 19-year-old doesn't.

Juergen says his experience in dealing with young people is his trump card, 'along with a certain level of tolerance that only an elderly person has.'