Experience of Scottish Au Pairs in Europe – testimonials and photographs

Experience of Eleanor – a third year French and German student at St Andrews University who went to France as a summer au pair

I was looking after two girls aged 7 and 9 in a village outside Paris. The parents were lovely and I was made to feel at home and never had to work longer than my 30 hours. The girls were not easy but in between the daily battles (on everything from bed-making to clothing to wearing flip-flops to school) I liked them very much, and it was certainly never boring! My French came on enormously (and my cooking skills improved, as I had to feed the children, which I very much enjoyed: they were also subjected to Scottish baking, and millionaires' shortbread was a definite success). Sun, 34 degrees, origami birds, water fights, a serious initiation in the art of playing 'chat perché', and a new job as the resident horse, ever available for rides, made up a thoroughly enjoyable and interesting summer. Most importantly, I have learned that you can indeed say 'Whatever ye say, yersel' in French: the answer to everything (in particular 'T'es nulle!',  T'es pas gentille!' and 'T'es méchante!') is 'N'importe quoi!'

Thank you very much for all your help. I had a lovely time and would recommend it to anyone who does not mind being away from home and possibly having to cope with far from angelic children: mine were really fine and I generally enjoyed working with them, but some of the other au pairs in my village had awful kids. It is definitely worthwhile trying to something with your time off: I was lucky enough to have my weekends free and went to church. The congregation was very kind and welcoming, and lovely as my family was, it was good to get involved in something outside work.

Thanks again and best wishes,
Eleanor

And a mother’s view point from Anne, whose daughter Megan is currently spending a year in Germany prior to starting a teaching degree in 2007.

Sending your child to work as an aupair is a daunting prospect - will she be safe? Will she cope? Will the family make her welcome? We felt less than confident in the agencies we were in touch with. Mégan seemed no more than a number, hastily computer-matched with families far outside the area we had specified. So it was a tremendous relief when Ruth from Aupair Ecosse contacted us personally. Communication with her was effortless and efficient; she understood our worries and really seemed to care that Mégan found the right match. Before signing the contract Mégan was in regular phone and email contact with her family and already felt she knew them a little. Crucially, she understood what would be expected of her and what she could expect in return. The family she's aupairing for have been more than kind. Au-pairing can be hard work and caring for three children is a big responsibility; Mégan tells us her coping skills have grown, along with her sense of humour. Four months on she's speaking German confidently and navigating the Frankfurt underground like a native. Most importantly, she's happy and up for the challenge of aupairing in France next year - again through Aupair Ecosse. We recommend Ruth Campbell's service highly.

Experience of European Au Pairs in Scotland – personal experience and photos of our social events

Some words about their experience of Scotland from three German 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!

And Julia came to Anstruther, on the East coast for the summer:

thank you for your email. i really had some nice last days on my last day on sunday they woke me up and had arranged breakfast and on my plate there were lots of presents.. i got very nice jewelry from everybody together, and lots of selfmade things from the children which was so great and even a special mixed cd which so nice as well....it was so nice, and i had made them a special booklet withe different pictures from everybody and i always wrote a special comment underneath every picture and i really hope they liked it.... but now i´m back in germany and i´m so sad because i really would have liked to stay there and i´m already missing . i´ll start my own special life now in two weeks ´cause then i´ll move to my new room in the studenthouse i hope you are fine and you don´t have a too stressful time. thanks for everything! julia

 

The band and dancers – the three boys were students
who were working at Dunlane Hydro for the summer

Photographs from the Teannaich monthly ceilidh in Edinburgh

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.

© 2005 - 2009 Au Pair Ecosse