4 Ways To Make Friends As An Au Pair

Hey Au Pairs!

One of the most difficult issues I faced while au pairing was making friends. As an au pair, you essentially have to start from scratch in order to meet new people, and yes it can be an intimidating and a tedious process. Having been an au pair four times myself I am quite experienced in the field of creating friendships and I want to share my tips with you!

Here are four tips towards making as an au pair:

1.APOP Forum

Thanks to the Au Pair Oh Paris community there’s the APOP forum that you can join in order to meet other au pairs! While au pairing in Paris I was able to meet several new au pairs through this forum, and these girls all grew to become such important figures during my au pair experience!

Remember you can also sign up for all the helpful APOP freebies, where you can add yourself to the growing list of au pairs all over the world and get to know others who are au pairing in your area as well! Also, consider becoming an APOP Member to receive exclusive invites to community events and subgroups where you’re sure to meet fellow au pairs!

2.BumbleBFF

As lovely as making friends organically in person may sound, let’s be real it can be hard to meet people when you’re new in town! So, why not turn to an app such as BumbleBFF in order to meet other people!

The great thing about an app such as BumbleBFF, is that you can set the distance proximity to meet people nearest to you! You can also create your own profile to showcase who you are as a person and meet like minded people! During my au pair stay in Paris I also used BumbleBFF to meet people and had some successful encounters through the app!

3.Language Exchanges

One of the best things about living abroad as an au pair is engaging in language exchange events! In my experience there’s almost always a language exchange event in every major city where you can meet both locals and foreigners alike!

The great thing about language exchanges is that it’s free and casual. Most language exchanges occur in a bar or cafe setting so you can grab a drink and talk freely to anyone and everyone! Whenever I move to a new city I love to look up the language exchange groups nearest me so I can meet new people. This is also a great way to practice your language skills as there will be locals you can speak to in the target language you’re learning and in return you can share your native language with them!

4.Talk to a Stranger

Usually, I wouldn’t recommend striking up a conversation with a stranger, but sometimes it can work! While au pairing in a tiny village in La Rioja, Spain (an experience you can read more about here) I gave my number to someone I heard speaking English.

Here's the backstory, I was in a beauty store when I noticed two women about my age speaking to each other in English. I was immediately intrigued as there was hardly anyone in this village that spoke my language! After contemplating introducing myself to them for a few minutes I gathered all the courage I had and presented myself to them! I explained to them that I was an au pair and feeling quite lonely as there weren’t many people my age who spoke my language around me. These girls graciously took my number and we eventually met up for drinks!

How have you approached meeting friends as an au pair? Let me know in the comments down below!