Ramblings of an Au Pair

I am now getting my childcare qualification while working at a nursery so I can become a youth rep abroad meaning I can work with a well known travel company, working in nurseries abroad.

PLEASE STAY SAFE!!

Hello, I'm so sorry I'm replying to this so late I never saw it in my inbox! I do know that place, I was an au pair near there. I loved my time there and I definitely recommend if you want that city feel but not a huge ass city where you feel overwhelmed. Most weekends there's always something happening and there's plenty of other au pairs from all over the world, as well as expats if you're wanting friends who don't come and go all the time. Just ask your family how close they are to public transportation and how regular they are; I lived like 20 minutes away from Frankfurt, 5 minutes walking to the transport and the transportation came every 5 minutes. I truly think a family makes or breaks a country for you so if you have a shit family you're gonna most likely have a shit time, so make sure you get a good family! Feel free to message me anytime.

Hello, I didn't have an interview with the Embassy here in Germany so unfortunately I don't really have any advice except from the usual of trying to keep calm, practise your German and try not to stress over it too much which I know isn't that helpful. Hopefully some of my followers can help. Have you tried looking online to see what to except? Or asking in au pair groups on Facebook for advice?

Im off to Iceland in May!! I'm staying for 2 months with a family to go traveling with them. I was actually going to go too a family in Switzerland, stayed with them last weekend and everything but they just wasn't what that made out to be on au pair world. Iceland has always been a dream and I'm so excited!!

Hello, I honestly felt the same way and I think it's normal to have some part of you worry because it's a huge thing you are planning to do. You're moving to a new country on your own, with people you don't really know, most likely not knowing the language that well if at all, with no friends and having to start a life for yourself in a place that isn't yet home. If you wasn't worried then that wouldn't be normal. Ask your future host parents all the questions that's making you worry; get to know them, the kids and what your life would be like as much as possible. Ask what chores you will need to do (how many hours), what the kids are like, the hours you work, pay, transportation, their parenting styles, ask how they'd take it if you had a problem with them and vice versa, whether they have friends/family over often, etc. The more you know, the better. When telling friends/family they will probably ask you loads of questions about the new job, if you can't answer them then you know you need to ask the host family. Google the place you are moving too, see what's nearby, look on Facebook on au pair groups in that area, speak to previous au pairs if possible. Unfortunately, not everything works out so make sure you have a back up plan. Make sure you have enough money in your bank for at least a last minute flight home. If you ever speak to your host family about a problem make sure you have a back up plan as to where to go if the worst comes to the worst and they kick you out there and then. So many au pairs here have been kicked out on the spot and given 10 minutes to pack and leave. The first family got really aggressive when I spoke to them, like up in my face yelling over me. Luckily I haven't had that since *touch wood*. As long as you don't go in blind without a back up plan you'll be fine. Being an au pair is an amazing experience and it's a risk that's totally worth it. You could end up with a brilliant family but my advice is to always have a safety back up.

I'm glad it helped!! I think all families have their downsides, just like au pairs, it's just about finding a family with downsides you are willing to cope with. Downsides as in the little things, not if they are making you work so much or not paying you enough. I'm glad you understood what I meant.I have a love/hate relationship with Germany/Germans but it's what I call home and I would 100% recommend to even just give it a try. I hope you find the right family for you and if you have any other questions then I'm always happy to answer 😊

Hi! Firstly I would like to apologise for taking 4 days to reply to your message, I never got a notification to say I had a message otherwise I would have answered much sooner! Of course, like you said it depends very much on where you go in Germany and the family. My experience in Germany is not one that I expected. I'm guessing you want what my experience with the family rather then with the Germans and the country because that's a whole other story. So, I am my families first au pair so they are still very selfish when it comes to remembering I exist unless they need me. What I mean by that is they will go out, not tell me they won't be in for dinner, there will be no food in and no money left so I'm stuck hungry in an empty house. Or when the baby is crying they will bring him right outside my door while he screams to try and get him back to sleep. They bang around and are just generally inconsiderate. I thought in the beginning it was because they forgot I was here but 6 months later I've realised they are just selfish and inconsiderate. Aside from that we get on pretty well. I adore my host child and I can look after him how I want. The parents are very relaxed when it comes to me looking after the kid. I have my own rules and discipline and the parents, well have none with the kid. The kid has met most of my au pair friends and has hung out one weekend with us when I had him. We get on very well but I do work a lot of hours. I don't like the night buses here so I rarely go out at night which the parents find weird but the public transport here is usually reliable. Things are pretty cheap here so I've actually made a little bit of money whilst being here. Just make sure your family pays for extras like a traveling pass, language school, phone otherwise you won't. Sorry I feel like I've just rambled on. I've deleted and rewrote this three times because I wasn't sure at what angle to go from. Overall I'm happy here. Germany isn't what I expected but I'm just looking forward to the Xmas markets. Family is good except from their downside of being inconsiderate. There's lots of other au pairs here and everything I ever want is in close proximity. My advice would definitely be sure to know whether you want to live in or live out. I would never live in again because even when I'm off I always hear the kid, the parents, guests and whatever else they have going off. Ask the parents all the questions, no matter how stupid. If this hasn't helped I do apologise. If you have any other questions then please feel free to ask anytime 😊 Honestly I feel like I've made it sound worse then it is. I do love it here. I call it home. I'm settled and the thought of leaving saddens me but also staying makes me feel crazy hahaha. I'm thinking about staying another year so that sums it up. I call this crazy home and I wouldn't have it any other way.. (well, I would stop the noise and make sure there's food in but you get the idea 😂😂)

UK: 1. Food. The English food is my most missed when traveling and is my fave thing about the UK.2. The weather. I love the UK because you do kind of get all 4 seasons. Some more than others but we do actually have a summer. I know the stereotypical English weather is bad but actually I kinda love it. 3. There is everything you could want here. Whether it be being in a big city, being in the peaceful country side or by the sea. It is all possible. You could live in a big city but in an hour be by the sea. You could wake up one morning on a sunny day, drive or go by train for a pretty good price too and be by the sea in an hour eating fish and chips on the beach. I had to rewrite this list so much because I had to think about what my favourites are vs what I miss as they would be two different lists.Germany:Okay so I'm not going to lie I've been here 2 months now and I don't have any favourites. I kinda like that the ubahns/trams are most likely on time. But so far I've found that I hate the German men and that all Germans are just very rude. It's 2am now here so maybe I will change my mind after I sleep, if so I will update.

Why don't you like him? How much do you see him? If you barely see him and everything else is pretty good i would just avoid him and enjoy the rest of the things there if you can. But really I would just leave because at the end of the day you are living with them and you didn't become an au pair to have a bad time. I'm kinda biased because my first HD was an ass hole. He was abusive and aggressive and I wish I left sooner but now I have a pretty good HD and I'm so glad I changed families.

Hey, well it depends which part of Germany you stay. Different cities offer different things. Whether you live in the city or the suburban areas, where the nearest public transport links are, how often public transport is, etc. There's a lot of factors. What I've learnt about the German people are that they are very nosy, they think your business is their business but also they can be pretty nice too. Whenever I've been stuck with a pram and no lift/escalators then someone has always helped me. So far I don't like the German men. Money wise depends how often you go out or go shopping. If your main goal is to travel then time going out with friends or shopping will be limited. Also you don't get a whole lot of time to travel being an au pair. I mean you get your holiday days but apart from that you don't get enough time consecutively to go away.

Okay, so. Advice I would give to other au pairs/people considering au pairing would be ask all the questions, no matter how small. Ask them everything. Don't settle for the first family. Au pairing doesn't mean you will spend all your time traveling, you won't. You spend the majority of your time in one place. Even if a family have 100's of applications and you really like their profile then write to them too. Speak to the host dad. Speak to old au pairs and au pairs in the area. Look on Google maps at their house and where nearest things are located. Know what you want, if you want kids older then 5 don't settle for kinds under 5 as most of your time is with the kids. But also don't expect everything, put want you want in a list of priorities and what you don't mind going without. As soon as the host parents treats you badly then leave. Make sure you and the host family are on the same page, and have a set schedule. Know your rights in your host country. Say yes to all adventures with other au pairs. Go out of your comfort zone. Don't feel like you need to be out every weekend either, sometimes having a lazy day is needed. Don't be afraid to say no to the host parents. Give it a month or two to settle in. Have fun and don't be worried to switch families if needed. I know not all of these apply to everyone and I know I've probably missed some stuff but these are the things that popped into my head when you asked. If you have any other questions then please feel free to ask.