Working as an au pair means much more than childcare. It's an opportunity for young men and women to travel around the world and learn about another culture while staying with a host family. Both au pairs and families can benefit from this arrangement in a great deal.
This is the great way to learn and improve your language skills. Until you feel reasonably comfortable in the language, you will not only find it difficult to meet the local people, but you will not enjoy simple tasks like shopping or answering the telephone. It is surprising how quickly you will acquire a certain facility if you have a basic grounding and if you have to survive in the language. Au pairs consistently report that when forced to speak daily in a foreign language, they learn more in a month than during years of study at school.
In addition to the worthy goals of learning a language and experiencing a foreign culture, many people simply want to see the world and they can do it when they become the Au pair. You will meet a lot of new friends and have the possibility to travel, learn more about foreign cultures and discover a world through your own experience.
It can also be a very good way for young women to assert their independence from over-protective parents. Some au pairs learn to appreciate their own families more after intimate acquaintance with another family.
But you have to be ready that you can have some difficulties in the beginning. Since everything is going to be strange and new you for you, you will have to get used to a lot of things, like new food, new traditions, and new rules. Sometimes you can feel very lonely and homesick. But just imagine what a great experience you will get if go through this entire thing.
The most important thing is to have a positive attitude and open mind to anything you take part in and do not have too high expectations. It is a unique chance to get independent, learn a new language, experience a new country, get new friends, learn about a different culture and it will give you a valuable experience for the rest of your life!
So, let’s start – the window for opportunity is open!