It has been a long standing dream of mine to live in London for a year or two after I graduated from college. I have been looking at a lot of oppurtunities and one is to be an au pair for a family.
I was looking at it because it would give me freedom from having to find a place to live and I would have weekends off to do what I wanted.
If anyone has done this or heard anything about it please help me out!
2007-01-04 11:32:50 · 4 answers · asked by DanieEdge 2 in Travel ➔ United Kingdom ➔ London
It would be a good experience for you. Firstly - in England, an au pair takes care of kids/does some housework/cooking and makes a little money. A nanny is highly qualified, only takes care of children and can make an excellent salary.
Check into working visas etc and check references of families wanting to hire you - some would overwork you and you do not want to be a slave. Others are very gracious, do not overwork you and give you excellent accomodations and sometimes the use of a car.
You could also check out agencies to go through.
2007-01-04 13:19:57 · answer #1 · answered by carole 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I was an au pair for the summer (2 months) in france. I really loved it. Being an au pair was a great experience for me but ask yourself why london? If it's a dream of yours to visit london, then I guess why not, but for me I wanted to go somewhere, where I didn't speak the language. It was a blast, and my french improved greatly. The family I stayed with also spoke some english so there wasnt a huge language barrier. I'd really go for france if I were you. Great people there.
But if you feel you want to go to london, go for it, but really please make sure you know the family well first! Speak to them on the phone, you'll be suprised how much you'll get to know them, and if you'll get a good feeling about them just from their voice.
Remember also, au pair isn't vacation, it's work!
I doubt the children you'll be watching will want to see all the tourist sites.
2007-01-04 12:11:58 · answer #2 · answered by Kipper to the CUP! 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In London there is a difference between au pair and nanny. An au pair is a student usually, studying english and they have a lot of the horrid household chores to do as well as caring for the children. A nanny simply cares for the children and their needs. An au pair is poorly paid in comparison to a nanny. I nannied for a couple of years and it was terrific. Good Luck.
2007-01-04 12:53:51 · answer #3 · answered by Rachel B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am a Au Pair here in the States for two years and I really like it.
I also visited London and I could think about staying there for some time.
2007-01-04 11:47:27 · answer #4 · answered by jule_22 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋