BEING AN AU PAIR:
MY EXPERIENCE, TIPS AND ADVICE
Over the summer I spent two months with an italian family as an au pair, in the hope that it would improve my Italian. However, having no prior experience of such a venture, I was clueless as to what to expect. For all of you out there who are considering a similar journey, here are a few things I would recommend doing before you plummet into the unknown.
First, make sure you find a family that suits you: one that you feel will be easy to get along with, and one that makes you feel comfortable. This really is essential to your au pair experience because not surprisingly, you will be spending a lot of time with them throughout your stay.
I found my family through a great website called ‘Aupair World’. This allows you to create your own profile online, meaning that you can shape it to suit potential families, whilst also setting out what you wish to achieve. Remember, being an au pair is not just about helping other people, as selfish as this may sound, it is also about personal gain and development.
In light of this, make sure that you find a family who is keen to ensure you enjoy your time with them, as well as being concerned about their own needs. Being an au pair is also about experiencing new cultures, from an authentic, family perspective, whilst developing your own language skills.
Unfortunately, this is something that I failed to fully realise when embarking on my own adventure.
For example, typically, all host families are supposed to give their au pair the opportunity to attend a language school for a minimum of 20 hours a week, and thus should not work for more than 5 hours a day. This was not something that I had fully researched, and given the hours I was expected to work, this option was not available to me. So, in short, make sure you know the details - of what is expected of you and what is not - make sure you get the best deal for yourself, as well as for the family.
The family that I helped with had two twin boys aged ten years old. My job was to entertain them during the day while the parents were at work. I would spend most of my days taking them to the beach, as they
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