The Au Pair Bible

Hiiiiii!! YES! If you love the family or feel comfortable with the family then yes yes yes!! I always say the family is more important than the place because they really make or break your experience. Norwalk is a pretty cool spot, good night life and you're so close to Stamford which is a mini city. And above all, SOOOO close to NY. I always loved getting lost in the City on my days off. But I totally understand your dream for Colorado, tooootally. My boyfriend and I actually want to move out there in a few years. I would say wait but my only reservation is you can't really choose (I couldn't anyway) where I could go but I think you can if you have an extension year!? So it's always an option if you wish to extend, even for 6 months. Connecticut is a very interesting area and there are a LOT of Au pairs so hopefully you'll never feel too lonely! Aaaaand i'm always close :) xx

I haven’t written anything because I never even thought any would want to know about my own experience. Sometimes (all the time) I think people are annoyed at how much I post about myself but I will absolutely write an article and post it soon!!!

For now though I’ll give you a snippet - I was an Au pair in Florence Italy for two girls aged 2 & 4 when I was 21 out of college. I went back to the UK for a year and worked in immigration law but felt a part of my soul was missing and I craved that freedom again. So I Au paired in America for four kids 2, 4, 6 & 8 and I haven’t gone home yet - they just can’t get rid of me!! Haha, I no longer live with them but I live 20 minutes away. The parents are honestly my best friends and I still turn up at their door in tears when I’m sad or feeling lost. 

I hope you’re enjoying your experience! xx

Oh and TRUST ME, I was too!!! I’m not judging that in the slightest because I can FULLY relate. I’m actually laughing here at the moments where I was close to tears with frustration. I didn’t learn all this until after I finished au pairing and I was like waaaaaaaaaaaaiit a minute, I wish I knew it was temporary because I treated it like it was forever! Where are you Au pairing/from? Feel free to message me on instagram and we can swap our AP nightmares haha! If you ever want to talk though, I’m always here to listen!

Wow, thank you for asking such a great question!! I was inspired for so many reasons.

Firstly, Au pairing completely changed my life. I grew up in a place with very little opportunities and Au pairing opened doors I never thought possible. Today I live with my boyfriend and best friend, I’m pursing my Masters in NYC and as a person I am kinder and much more understanding of people. So I wanted to bring attention to Au pairing as a means of opening doors in your life and to embrace the opportunities it brings with it.

Secondly, I have met too many girls who can’t see past the negatives of Au pairing. Girls who pack their bags or spend their entire time complaining. I can’t pretend Au pairing isn’t difficult but it’s in these difficult moments that we learn how strong we are - I want to remind girls how strong they are and how many lessons we are learning along the way. There is no other experience like Au pairing, you are completely out of your comfort zone and that’s exactly where we need to be at least once in our lifetime if you want to grow and evolve as a person. 

Lastly, I want to change the perception of Au Pairing. So many people have put me down because they can’t see past childcare. They refuse to see what a remarkable way it is to travel and understand the world. I think it’s the greatest gift you can give yourself in your youth and I want more people to understand that. 

I hope you’re enjoying your AP experience :)