When I was 18 years old, I had no idea what I was going to do after I graduated. I had spent my entire school year focusing on my exams. I did not go out, I was never really invited to parties, I just focused on studying, sleeping and eating. So when the question of "What do you want to do next ?" was asked by my relatives, my teachers or my friends, I had no real answer. I had spent most my life saying I wanted to be a teacher and I was too scared to say what I really wanted to do outloud : write scenarios, be an actress, write books. I kept thinking that I would have more time to think of it later, that I should only focus on my final exams. But soon enough, it was time to apply for University and I had no idea what to do.
I was and felt so young, my life had revolved around studying and losing my mental health for it. What I wanted was a break. I wanted to stop time for a second. And so I found a solution for that : be an au pair in another country.
At the time, my knowledge on what being an au pair was, was very little : when I was younger, I used to read those books "Au Pair" by Melissa De La Cruz. The story focuses on three girls who become au pairs in the Hamptons, find love, have fun and go to parties. Let me tell you that it is NOT the reality. I needed to know more about what being an au pair actually meant : I searched online for the best agency and for other girls experiences. I also had to decide WHERE I was going to be an au pair : USA, New-Zeland, Ireland... I had always had a fascination for the United-Kingdom, but it felt like the easy way. However, I realized quickly I did not have every qualities to apply to other countries : for the United-States, I needed a driving licence which of course I did not have and for New-Zeland, I had to be ready to leave from January until December which meant losing two years of school time instead of one.
In the end, I applied to be an au pair in the United-Kingdom, specifically near London. I did not really care about being in London, I just wanted to go to another country.
I started looking for agency because I was scared that I would end up in a bad family if I used aupairworld. The agency I picked was Apitu. If there is one advice I have for you : please go through an agency !!! I know that it costs money but trust me, it is for the best. Some of my friends (I either met in London when they were an au pair or friends from France who went to be au pairs) did not go through an agency and they ended up in the WORST families possible. Some of them left after less than two months. With an agency, the families are checked very carefully and they are really invested in their work. They organize events for au pairs, they ask how you are doing and they can help.
First of all, I went on their website to see what they offered. I also checked to go to a IRL meeting so I could ask some questions. My parents were there with me which really helped. After deciding that I really wanted to be an au pair, I had to fill up a file with my experiences taking care of children, recommandations from people around me, what I liked and disliked. It took me around a month to fill it. After this, I had to send the file to Apitu so that they could tell me my pourcentages of getting a family. Mine was 80%. At this stages, you only have to pay some fees. Once you decided to go through with this, you will have to pay more.
Apitu send me a first family to check out.
Pros : I had my own place near the family, I was very close to London and they were British which meant a total immergion.
Cons : I had to take care of a baby (which I had never done) and 2 other kids, plus they were very religious (something I was not).
I will never forget the second family I received : V. and M. It was a single mother and her five years old daughter. I feel in love instantly. I knew I wanted to work for them.
Pros : There was only one child to take care of, I had all my weekends, Tuesday and Thursday nights off and most of the school vacation,
Cons : I was not in London and V. was coming home "late".
I could feel it in my guts : this family was the one for me. I immediatly told Apitu that I wanted to virtually meet them. A Skype meeting was arranged both in French and English. Not long after, I was signing the contract with the family and prepared to go to the UK.
It was the best experience of my life. It was a very freeing experience. I was exploring London and the UK (Brighton, Nottingham, Birmingham, Liverpool...) every weekend and holidays. I was able to meet my favourite British stars. I went to the Prince Charles Cinema and to the theatre. I could buy so many books because they were so cheap (I bought at least 20 books this year, and I was not the best reader compared to now). Waterstones was one of my favourite place. Moreover, I wanted to take some classes to perfect my English and was able to take the GCSE English with natives and got a C (60) at the exam (which is not bad for a French girl!).
The first two weeks were the hardest because I needed to accommodate. The little girl I was taking care of was testing me. I was missing my parents and my friends. But I had a good family and they helped me the best they could. An advice, if after two or three months you are still feeling out of place, don't feel bad about wanting to go home. At least you have tried and that's what matters.
Now, you are not sure you want to be an au pair?
- You enjoy taking care of children
- You want to improve your English and learn about a new culture
- You want opportunities to travel more
- You are ok with not seeing your parents for a few months
If those apply to you, then you are perfect to be an au pair, take a chance !
Your level of English should not be stopping you. Living in an English country is the perfect opportunity to learn to speak English. I had a French friend there who was barely speaking English but this was perfect for her as she was immerse into the language everyday.
Unfortunately, you cannot go as Au Pair in the UK because of Brexit and the new visa system. So you might have to go somewhere else, but agency often offer many destinations such as the USA, Ireland, Australia, New-Zeland ect... They also offer other countries to learn or perfectionnate a new language such as Italy, Germany or Spain. It is the perfect opportunity for language learning.
(If you would like a translation of this article in French, please feel free to comment below or fill up the form at the bottom of the About Me page/ Si vous voulez que je traduise cet article en français au sujet de devenir Au Pair, n'hésitez pas à commenter sous cet article ou remplir le formulaire en bas de la page About Me).
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