Depending on where you are working, the fall and winter can be brutal, especially if you hail from a warm weather climate. Coming from Georgia, the cooler German climate was a welcome change to me while I worked as an au pair. However, days do tend to drag during cold months, and keeping children occupied [...]
OK, so you may not get very far trick-or-treating overseas with the children you’re taking care of. But – as an au pair – you have the opportunity to introduce ‘your’ kids to holiday traditions and celebrations they aren’t familiar with. The children (and very likely their parents, too!) will enjoy learning about how you [...]
Taking care of other people’s children can be a lot of fun. Au pairs – especially those who adore little ones – have it made. The bulk of their work is essentially long-term babysitting, which includes feeding, dressing, playing with, and tidying up after children. It’s a fairly stress free job and is ideal for [...]
While having friends who are au pairs is important, it is also important to have social contacts who are not doing the exact same thing you are. There are a few reasons for this. For one, spending time with the same type of people can get old. Would you really only want to hang out [...]
Continue reading about connecting with “non” Au Pairs – also a must
Early on in my au pair experience, I planned on meeting other au pairs as soon as possible. I was looking forward to meeting similar girls to spend free time with. I assumed that there were at least a few – if not more than a few – other American au pairs in the area [...]
Continue reading about connecting with other au pairs – a potential lifesaver
Chances are the trip to your new home will be long – with flight time, a layover or two, and the usual delays, your journey could end up lasting over 24 hours. While it’s tough to completely avoid the exhaustion of travel, there are some ways you can make the trip more bearable. Above all, [...]
Once all of your travel plans have been made and you are ready to go, the fun is about to start – but first, you have to make it to your destination. In today’s world of constant heightened security, airport travel is not as simple as it used to be. In most places, it’s more [...]
Trying to figure out what to take with you for a journey that will last around a year can be daunting. A traveler’s constant challenge is to take enough, but not more than necessary. Before you start packing, keep in mind that most of what you need is probably available at your destination. There is [...]
While the one of the most important (if not the most important) ways to prepare is by learning some of the language, there are a few other things to consider as you get ready to leave for your destination. If you don’t know much about the place you’re going, you’ll want to read up on [...]
Continue reading about preparing to leave – other things to think about
If you’ve already found a family and made your travel arrangements, its time to get serious about making the move overseas. If you’re an experienced traveler, you’ll know what to prepare for and what to expect. Traveling isn’t exactly rocket science. But – if you’re new to the country hopping scene, there are a few [...]
Continue reading about preparing to leave – language learning
