Apex Social is the first vocational study abroad program specifically for social professionals. During a one- to two-year stay abroad, trained professionals gain work experience in the USA or Australia, enhancing their personal as well as professional development. Founder Susan Asay created the non-profit organization to connect families in need of reliable childcare with young professionals who want to gain international experience to advance their careers.
Participants live with host families, work with the host families’ children, and take care of them in their everyday life. Families are selected beforehand in line with participants’ individual experiences and interests. 70% of the host families have children with specific requirements such as autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities or developmental delays. This gives program participants the opportunity to put their educational, nursing, and therapeutic professional experiences to practical use. In these cases, the families benefit from the well-trained social professionals and they gain professional experience working with the children.
Applicants must have completed vocational training or a degree in a social, educational, medical, or therapeutic profession. Applicants to the Apex Social program include trained occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech therapists, health and paediatric nurses, special educators, or social workers. The participation age is between 20 and 26 for the USA program, and between 27 and 30 for Australia. Applicants must also provide 400 hours of documented experience in childcare and must and have a good command of English as a prerequisite for communication on site. Of course, enjoyment of working with children and a high level of motivation to apply the training in helping children form the basis for program participation.
The tasks within the families are very diverse and vary depending on the participants’ training. The goal is to work with the family to achieve developmental milestones to improve the patient’s quality of life. For example, au pairs in the Apex Social program are often responsible for therapeutic applications, physical exercises, and personal hygiene for the children. They help children cope in school and social situations, engage in age-appropriate activities and excursions with them, and help improve mobility and coping with everyday tasks. Additionally, in many cases, there is close collaboration with the child’s teachers and therapists. This allows the children to
receive excellent care and support in their everyday lives, in addition to out-of-home treatments and therapies.
Applicants to the Apex Social program are offered personal and professional support throughout the application process. Dedicated matching experts work with applicants to help find a host family that fits their requirements and vision. All host families and available placements have been carefully screened and personally selected beforehand. An application and screening process ensures that applicants learn about the host family’s background, needs, and motivation for hosting a professional au pair.
Program participants receive weekly pay and free room and board with their host family. In addition, training courses are offered, as well as all-round support from Apex Social staff in the USA and Australia. Thanks to an educational grant, USA program participants attend courses at local colleges and universities to further their education. As part of the program, participants are also encouraged to volunteer for 20 hours during their stay in the USA or Australia, for example in kindergartens and preschools, hospitals, animal shelters, or soup kitchens.
In addition to the daily work, it is ensured that the au pairs have enough free time on weekends and after work to pursue their interests in the country, meet friends, and explore the host country.
The Apex Social program offers social professionals the opportunity to gain valuable work experience while exploring new places, discovering new cultures, and meeting new people. The demand from employers for Apex Social graduates is particularly high in Germany and Austria, and participation in the program is also highly valued by international employers. Therefore, the Apex Social program is a special opportunity, particularly for young professionals, to benefit from international work experience in their future career. Many former participants of the program report that the stay abroad helped them to find a job in their desired career field after their return.
A vocational program abroad gives professionals the opportunity to see their work from a new perspective. They experience what therapy looks like in the everyday life of a family and can work there in a directly integrated way. They can apply their knowledge and experience directly to host families who need help in their areas of expertise.
In addition to professional development, a stay abroad is perfect to promote personal development and strengthen independence and openness to other people and foreign cultures. In addition, language skills are greatly improved through the daily use of the language in the host family and local environment, and job-specific vocabulary is also learned through interaction with experts, teachers, and therapists.
Those interested in the Apex Social program can go online to find out about all the required qualifications and prerequisites and will find a wide selection of job openings and detailed information about the application process.