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Au Pairing in Scotland

Scotland is a small country with the majority of the population living in the central belt - Glasgow, Stirling, Edinburgh - but with lively cities elsewhere, such as Aberdeen in the north east and Inverness in the north. We have our own parliament and our government has made money available for provision of free English classes in some, but not all, areas of the country. Advanced English classes in Glasgow have become very busy recently so we have organised our own private class for the past two years.

Our au pairs consistently say that they find us friendly and easy going as a nation and they love our varied landscapes, which more than make up for the unpredictable weather. As the saying goes - 'if you don't like the weather, just wait ten minutes'.
Public transport here can be expensive, but the distances aren't huge so it is possible for most au pairs to attend social events in Edinburgh or Glasgow where they can meet other girls and boys who are placed with families in different parts of the country.

We provide au pairs with a list of email contacts and we have a Facebook page to facilitate contact between au pairs. We try to meet all au pairs shortly after their arrival here and are always available if the au pair wants to discuss any issues they may have with the family.

A social event for some of our au pairs

Our Edinburgh and Glasgow ceilidhs are very popular - this is an evening of dancing to Scottish traditional music which takes place weekly in Glasgow and monthly in Edinburgh. The events are organised for students and vistors to the cities, not just for au pairs and they are always well attended. For more information see www.teannaich.com and www.sloanesglasgow.com.

Some words about their experience of Scotland from three au pairs:
First Inga, who came to Edinburgh for 3 months:

It' s no problem for me to write a few sentences about my expierences in Scotland, I feel at home here and I think that it is a nice idea to promote this part of great britain for the german girls!

Edinburgh, Sitz der schottischen Parlaments, ist unbedingt ein Aufenthalt wert. Die Stadt siegte 2005 bei einer Umfrage im Vergleich zu allen anderen Staedten in Grossbritannien, was das Angebot an Ausgehmoeglichkeiten, Kultur usw angeht. Im August findet das bekannte Fringe- Festival statt und ziehlt bis zu einer halben Million Besucher an. Fuer Aupairs ist der schottische Akzent bestimmt etwas gewoehnungsbeduerftig, allerdings aht man auf der anderen Seite auch Gelegenheit, die ganz spezielle Seite und Gastfreundschaft der Schotten kennenzulernen! Das Angebot an Sprachschulen in Edinburgh ist riesig, es gibt ein gut ausgebautes Busnetz und auch ausserhalb der Stadt unheimlich viel zu entdecken, zu erkunden und kennenzulernen!

Flora from Paris spent 10 months with a famiy in Crieff:

I was looking after two children aged 10(girl) and 13(boy) years old in Crieff, small town. The whole family was very friendly, i was a real part of them. The kids were nicer than i imagined before i came there. During the term, i stayed with them and played (trampoline, monopoly etc) or went out(cinema, shopping...). They learnt me some “urban words”. It was so funny, it remembered my little brother and I when we were young.
I cooked french recipes,( i think they liked) and baked cakes or muffin with the youngest child. Thus, i helped her with her french homeworks.
I spent an awesome time in Scotland and i can't forget it, no never! it was a wonderful experience and i recommend it to anyone.
I'd like to thank you my host mother for EVERYTHING, she was so lovely and kind with me.
It's so hard to leave them and come back at home. I already miss them all.
Best wishes
Flora

Experience of Eva who arrived in Scotland in 2005 (before my agency was established)

When I came to Edinburgh in August 2005 to become an au pair my English wasn’t exactly good and I didn’t really have an idea what to do. My first experience, unfortunately wasn’t either usual or pleasant; for half a year I lived in difficult conditions – the house was constantly freezing and I was hungry, as the family was trying to save money on heating and food. When the personal relationships became difficult as well, I decided to leave (although I do must admit that I wasn’t a good au pair in that time either). When I left their house, I had to reconsider what I actually wanted to gain from my experience abroad, what I have to offer and what I have to give up. I realised that being an au pair is not a holiday in a different country, and that developing a good relationship with my host-family (which can take some time and effort) is an essential part of my job.

I was lucky to find a new family from Stirling very quickly through Ruth.
As a typical townie, I had thought I couldn’t live in middle of nowhere
but soon I started to enjoy my new life-style of a country girl and this was thanks to my host family.
I think that being an au pair is about flexibility and patience.

Very unlikely you will have a set time of working hours. If your family needs you, it is polite to help them out – as well as they may sometimes give you more time off when you need it. I would be sometimes engaged in ‘non au pair’ work in my spare time – such as helping to run my host family’s business. In return they helped me with my English and actually encouraged me to apply for an undergraduate course here at Stirling University. I am very thankful for that, we became so close friends and although I don’t live with them any more, I still visit ‘my kids’ often. We even spent last Christmas together!

Maybe my experience was not the usual one but I can ensure you that even you’ll find yourself in interesting situations which were not described in au pair brochures. These situations will help you to grow into adulthood.