Au Pair: To Be or Not To Be?
A Great Experience
When I finished university I decided to go to USA to become an Au Pair. I’ve always wanted to go abroad and I thought that would be the best moment for it. By that time, I barely spoke English and I knew I had to learn it to be able to advance in my career.
This way, when I arrived in USA, communication was the first issue. No one spoke my native language, so I was forced to speak English and, when I realized, soon I was understanding and being able to communicate very well. So, if you are willing to learn a new language, the exposure to a new environment with the target language will make the process much faster and this is definitely one of the advantages of being an Au Pair in another country.
Besides the language, there is also a new culture to experience and learn from it. You will get fascinated, and sometimes surprised, when you find out that some things (before so common and simple for you) can be done or/and understood in a totally different way in another country.
Another advantage of being an Au Pair (and one of the most exciting ones) is the opportunity to visit new places, try new food and meet new people. You will be immersed in a new environment with different architecture and tastes and you will see how easy it is to make new friends when you are abroad.
Finally, you will have a host family abroad, ready to support and help you in everything you need. The kids will become your little brothers and sisters and, together with their parents, they will help you to adapt in the new environment as well as give you the security that you are not alone in the new country.
Therefore, back to my experience, while I was an Au Pair, I made a new big family abroad (which includes my host family and my new friends), visited many places all around the country and became fluent in English. Also, it is because of my experience as Au Pair, that today I’m here in China, being able to develop my professional career and getting to know a new and completely different culture.
But how did the Au Pair experience help me to come to China? First, of course, it was because I could now speak English and second, because that opportunity gave me an international experience and opened my mind even more about cultural differences, which was considered an advantage, by the recruiter, for the position available at that moment.
In resume, being an Au Pair is a great opportunity to learn a new language and a new culture, meet new people, get to know new places and add an international experience to your CV. It’s a journey of learning, discovery and growth that will open opportunities, your mind and change the way you see the world
