Every au-pair's nightmare: The Nanny cam

I am a member of many Au-Pair groups on Facebook. Numerous times, somebody comes to the group, completely freaking out, that they have found a camera in the house and that they are being recorded. All of the sudden twenty other au-pairs appears, asking what the camera looks like and, oh-my-god, what if I am being recorded as well without even knowing it?

Let's talk about the hidden cameras for a while. They are called "The Nanny cams", and they can be easily hidden in some objects in everyday household. A teddy bear? Yes. Clock? Yep. A book? You bet. They are there for the host parents, to make sure that everything is going great.

Host parents usually set them up when they think that something might be going on, for example when they notice bruises on their kid's body that nobody can explain or if they suspect that the nanny is stealing.

In most cases, you are just being paranoid. If you find something that could be a camera, it's probably not a camera. If you are not sure, try to ask your host parents about it. My friend came up with a good test for a hidden camera - one day, when you are alone in the house, walk around naked and do a little dance in every room. If the host parents still maintain the eye contact with you or they don't burst out laughing next time they see you, you are not being watched.

In the United Kingdom it's not legal to use the nanny cam without informing the nanny, so the family is obliged to inform you about any cameras around the house. I have no idea about other states, but google will tell you.

If my host families had cameras around the house, they would see me raiding the fridge in the middle of the night, eating a family pack of ice cream in less than ten minutes, dancing in my PJ's and singing along to my favourite songs. I believe that I am not the only one who's doing all this, right? RIGHT?! 

Did you ever suspect that the host parents are secretly filming you? What would they catch you doing? Do you think that the parents have the right to have a hidden camera in their house without telling the childminder? Tell us in the comments!

How to find other au-pairs in your area

I am getting a lot of messages from au-pairs if I know any other au-pairs in their area. The answer is simple, no I do not. Sorry. What I thought I might do is sharing some tips about how to find some friends around your new home. 

1. Facebook

When I started my great au-pair career back in 2008, it was really difficult to find someone around me. Not many people were on Facebook and the groups we have today simply didn't exist. It's been only in the last few years when the amount of people on Facebook grew so much and all the groups and pages were founded. 

Since I live in Ireland, I will write this about Ireland, but I promise you that this thing works everywhere. Try to search for a group that has your location in its name. For example I am in Kinsale. First thing I did when I arrived was that I logged onto Facebook and searched for "Aupairs Kinsale". And that was it. Seriously. That's all. Just put together the name of the place where you live and the word aupair. Now some time ago I lived in Ballyragget. It was a tiny village and there wasn't many au-pairs around. The closest bigger town was Kilkenny. What did I search on Facebook? "Kilkenny Aupair". 

The names of the groups vary, but this is what they usually look like, so try them all. Let's say that  you just arrived to a Smurftown to work as an au-pair. You don't know anyone. Go on facebook and look for one of these:

• Smurftown Aupair
• Smurftown Au-pair
• Smurftown Au-pairs
• Smurftown Au-pairs
• Aupair in Smurftown
• Au-pair in Smurftown

....I think that I don't need to go on. You are all clever and I believe in you! 

If you don't find any groups, why don't you start one yourself?

2. Local Newspaper

The papers in smaller towns sometimes offer a free small personal advertising. Check your local paper and see what it would cost you to have a small ad printed in it. Just say that a newcomer au-pair is looking for other au-pairs in this area. The odds are that somebody who knows other au-pairs will see it and let the au-pair know. 

3. Shopping centre bulletin board

You know what I am talking about. Take a piece of paper and write a personal ad where you say that you are a new au-pair and you are looking for other au-pairs in the area. 

Remember that your ad should stand out, so make it special. When I was making mine, I made it look like a flag of my country and I wrote my text on it. I had a few people reacting to it, saying what a good idea it was, because everybody recognizes their country's flag on a bulletin board and then want to stop and read it. In most cases, this advertising is for free, but they take it down after about two weeks, so be sure that you update yours!

How did you find your friends after starting with a new family? Make sure to leave a comment and tell us what worked for you!