Firstly, if you don't know what an Au pair is, I will tell you. An Au pair is a glorified live-in babysitter that gets paid "pocket money" but no real wage. However, you do get to live and eat for free. Having said that, you are probably wondering why someone would want to do this. I think the top reason is travel. Generally people don't work as Au pairs in there own country. Other reasons may be that, depending on your country of choice, there are next to no prerequisites and therefore anyone can do it, easily. The time that you work with a family for depends where you come from, where you are going and what the family needs. My stay was 3 months because it was best for the family and because I could do it without a special visa.
Moving along, my personal experience was not necessarily a great one. It certainly had its ups and downs. To start, a major down was that I was just the most recent of a long line of Au pairs to have worked with this family. Meaning, I was compared to how other people had worked with these kids. That being said, the family wasn't crazy about the way I chose to do things. I think the previous Au pair's were fairly easy going when it came to getting work done and would just roll over.. I'm not that way. Good quality or bad?
I personally think it depends on the situation. With these boys, the harder I pushed the less they would do and the uglier it got, but with little to no pushing they do nothing and would try to walk all over me. For them the middle ground is telling them they have to do some, but that I'll do most of it for them...... I think not. Why even bother then?
I can't fairly act like this was all a bad experience. I only "worked" for 4 hours each day and had the weekends off. From 3-5pm I worked with little Aris (6 years old) and from 5-7 I was with Alex (8 yrs.) These short work periods gave me time during the week to go out for walks, shopping, exploring or relax in my room and catch up with home.
Having weekends off was a wonderful thing. In my 7 years that I have been working I've never gotten weekends off, a major down to the service industry. I definitely took advantage when I could. I spent plenty of time in the centre of Athens seeing all I could and I even made a friend while I was away. She was also working as an Au pair and far from home.
By far the best part about choosing to be an Au pair in Greece was the islands. I didn't see as many as I would have liked, but the ones I did see where breathtaking and unforgettable. I spent time on 3 islands close to Athens and they were everything a postcard picture would lead you to believe they are.
The "home" life was a bit awkward I must admit. Coming across the world to live in a home with people I had only talked to via email and 1 Skype date was difficult. The rules, customs and everyday workings were nothing like my Canadian home. I couldn't have imagined how hard it would be to adjust to the little things. Being Greek, the family spoke it to each other and only used English when addressing me (mostly.) At home, in most situations I would find it rude to be surrounded by people who know how to speak good English but don't. I had to let that go pretty quick and accept that it's all backwards and I was the outsider speaking the wrong language. Some other small things that made me crazy for a good long while were the fact that they had no clothes dryer, everything was hung. The shower is all wrong in my eyes. The food was all different. And rather significantly, it's never quiet with 2 boys. Ever. Though the noise was easier to shut out because I had no idea what they were saying, however screaming is still screaming.
I have to say though, the food turned out to be FANTASTIC! I was shocked. If you know me well, or at all, you know I hate trying new food and usually won't. Trying new foods when living abroad is kind of unavoidable and so I did try. Gyros in Pita with tzatziki, tomato and chips was a sure favorite, along with Greek frozen yoghurt. YUM!! Oh, and lets not forget spanakopita.. *drool*
In general, I would definitely recommend being Au pair to anyone who is considering it, but make sure you know exactly what you are getting yourself into. Some strong ups to going are travel, learning about a new culture and possibly a new language (most countries require that an Au pair is given enough time off every week to take a language class and go to church.) It is generally a good life experience and you are almost guaranteed to come home with memories, lessons learned and hopefully new friends. Some down points are that you may not be well suited to the family you work with, new cultures can be shocking in good ways and bad, you are far from home and for an extended period of time and you aren't paid. Because there is more than one way to get a job as an Au pair and therefore plenty of families to potentially work with, don't feel like you should take the first one that offers you a job. I used a website to find a family on my own, but plenty of agencies will do the work for you. I have heard positive and negatives form both choices. If and when possible talk to the host family as often as you can and get every bit of information you can to make the transition smooth. Ask questions!
I guess that's pretty much all..
xoxo
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