LoPair Culture Exchange

I’ve spent just a few months in Shanghai as an au pair. It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions with some of the most exciting and fun new experiences whilst simultaneously being one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. If you’re looking for an easy holiday, this programme probably isn’t for you (30 hours isn’t all that far off a full time job and you will likely be asked to be flexible sometimes - but if you make this work for you, you can compensate working extra by having more time off to travel!) But if you come with a positive mindset and good communication skills to navigate life working with a host family, it can be the experience of a lifetime. Aside from Shanghai, I’ve been lucky enough to travel to Beijing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and even to Huangshan. Also, I think Lopair has an edge over other similar opportunities/programmes in the sense that you can be in frequent contact with helpful programme coordinators if need be, have clear expectations of the working hours from the outset, plus Chinese classes are included (make sure you check with Lopair exactly how many a week you have if this is important to you as this can vary). Finally I would recommend a short ish programme length since you can always extend it, but leaving early is more complicated. Overall I am so so happy that I chose this programme and and recommend to anyone looking for an adventure/learning experience! Thank you Lopair 💖

There aren’t enough words to describe what an incredible experience I lived in my stay in China. The six months I spent in Shanghai passed by in a blink of an eye, my days where filled with so many new things to do, to learn that I couldn’t feel the time quickly flowing. Being an Au pair in china hasn’t been just a life experience, but a whole mesmerising, thrilling adventure. Thanks to my host family I had the chance to travel a lot all around the country, and during these travels I found myself more and more in awe of this enthralling land that is China with its traditions, customs and language. I’ve dive into Chinese tea culture in Shanghai, lost myself in Guilin peaceful landscapes, ate insects in one of Dali’s ancient markets, jumped back in time to the Tang dynasty in Xian, transformed into a beautiful ancient China princess in Hangzhou ( I completely fell in love with the Hanfu 😁), I tried Chinese traditional hotpot, barbecue sticks and walk my feet off in the thriving Chinese capital. Not only did I have the chance to discover and bath in Chinese culture but also to make a lot of friends from all over the world that added to my experience the possibility to exchange opinions and learn from each other. All of this of course wouldn’t have been possible if not for the Lopair program that organised my six months here in China and helped me throughout the whole journey, being always ready to solve problems and set up awesome activities that became awesome memories.
I thank everyone that supported me and helped me during this journey and all the awesome people I've met, and for all the newcomers I strongly recommend you to jump right into this new adventure 😉💕

I stayed for six months in Shanghai with a lovely host family who were super kindhearted and always willing to teach me more about Chinese culture and way of life. My host family had one 12-year-old boy whom I helped with English homework and sometimes played badminton and golf with. I attended Mandarin Chinese classes every week, which helped me to improve my language skills greatly. I also had the opportunity to experience traditional holidays such as the Chinese New Year, as well as travel around China a little bit.

Lopair agency was very helpful and friendly with me. I really enjoyed the cultural activities they organized, such as a Chinese traditional tea ceremony and museum visits. I was lucky enough not to encounter many problems during my stay, but for the difficulties I did have, Lopair did their best to solve them quickly.

Overall, I had a really positive experience with the program and China, and I am already planning to return soon. I would recommend the program to anyone who wishes to gain a closer look at Chinese culture and everyday life. Living with a local family is an excellent opportunity to get to know the country. I am very grateful for the great experience. A big thank you to Lopair for a well-organized and memorable program!

It might sound cliche but it really was the best ever experience of my life. I can't wait to come back to China again soon.

Thank you to Lopair I had the opportunity to live the experience that I was not able to have in University due to the pandemic situation. All the staff was extremely helpful through the process and helped me in times of difficulty.

I highly recommend this experience to someone who wants to have a powerful insight into Chinese culture and the daily lives of Chinese people. Depending on the city and the family the experience can vary a lot from person to person so it's important to ask the right questions at the beginning to the staff who is always very kind and ready to answer your concerns.

I am so grateful to the agency for making this experience possible!

During the summer of the year 2023 I took part of this program and spent 3 months in Beijing China with an amazing family who took me in their house and treated as their own. I really enjoyed my time there and had great adventures and experiences. I had to take care of the younger brother who was 11 years old, and luckily we clicked with each other. I recommend this experience to everyone who wants to do an aupair and to whom wants to discover Chinese traditions and culture. Only suggestion I can give is to study before Chinese because starting from scratch would be very difficult, for me it still was even though I studied Chinese at university for 3 years. Overall a very good experience!