Are you REALLY ready to be an au pair?
Hey Au Pairs!
Let’s face it, becoming an au pair is not for everyone. It requires a love for children, an ability to be flexible, and courage to move your entire life abroad for a certain period of time! In this blog, we wanted to ask some questions which will help you evaluate whether you are ready to be an au pair or not.
Do you understand the difference between nannying and babysitting?
This is probably the most important question to ask yourself before you commit to becoming an au pair. Why? Because, you may think you have a lot of experience with kids - babysitting, camp counselor, maybe you worked in a children’s toy store…. BUT you don’t really know what it will like to be an au pair until you have become a nanny or a mother’s helper.
Watching kids 25+ hours a week means you are their second mom or dad in a way. You are in charge of disciplining them and making sure they are able to respect you. In addition, they should consider you as a member of the family. This balance is not always easy to find, but you if already have experience watching kids, it will be a lot easier for you to navigate. If you are looking for a host family who respects this balance, try our sponsor agency Au Pair Butrfly.
2. Are you okay with living in someone else’s home?
While some au pairs have their own live-out apartments, a majority of au pairs around the world live-in with their host families. In terms of language immersion, cultural exchange, living with your family is an awesome positive. However, it is no secret that it can definitely be different.
Are you able to live peacefully with someone else? Are you a good roommate? Can you compromise in the way you live, if only for a temporary period? Important to think about!
3. How well can you adapt to another culture?
Being an au pair means moving away from your home country into a totally different context, language, and culture. It goes without saying that you’ll come across a lot of culture shocks.
Things will be done in a different way than are used to, not to mention the language barrier. How well do you think you can handle that? Are you able to let go of your own culture in order to let another one in?
4. Do you actually like children?
Don’t lie to yourself. We say this because it will come back to bite you in the butt. As an au pair you will be spending a LOT of time with children. It is important that at the base, you actually like children.
Otherwise, you may just be miserable for 12 months. Au pairing is a great way to travel, but if you don’t like kids, you should probably look at other options for traveling abroad such as WorkAway or WWOOFing… but not au pairing.
5. Can you manage your free time?
This might be surprising, but as an au pair you actually have a lot of free time. A lot of our au pairs have a hobby or personal project that they are working on while they are au pairs.
For example, building a photography portfolio, applying for university, go to the gym, or even just learning a new language and taking classes. If you don’t have anything to do other than watch your kids, life can become very isolating. Building hobbies and community is very important.
6. Have you saved up some money on the side?
If you have a bit of a nest egg on the side, before becoming an au pair it can help you enjoy life abroad a little more. The au pair allowance affords you the ability to live a simple life in your new city.
However, if you want to travel, go to language classes, or do other fun activities during your stay, we highly recommend that you come into your au pair year with a bit of savings!
How much should you save? Create your personal budget based on your personality and what you like to do.
There are many different types of people who become au pairs, at many different periods of their life. For example, those who do it as a gap year between high school and college. Those who do it between university years, when they aren’t sure if they want to continue their studies…
You can even become an au pair toward the end your twenties after having a successful career. Maybe you need a career change or you just need a break and what to do something different!
So, are you REALLY ready to be an au pair?
Becoming an au pair is a very unique experience and we want to make sure you through about all the details before committing to moving abroad! The most important thing? Have a community of people to support you while you do it! Become an APOP Member and start your adventure by clicking here.
xoxo
Hanna + Edwina