Being an Au Pair
A stranger living in your home, looking after your kids? It’s an unlikely concept really. But the French make the au pair system work, and it enables many families to care for their young children and maintain their careers.
So I decided to give up my comfortable life in Wales for some adventure; my infatuation with travel led me to a year abroad in a country that is well known for its baguettes, cheese and Nutella. Au pairing works like a bargain – trading in a few hours of childcare for a chance to live in another country. You can expect a relatively care-free life; no rent to pay, no groceries to buy and no utility bills to foot.
The term “au pair” comes from the French “au pars” meaning they pay you a small amount, 'at par', but you are supposed to be learning the language in return, and hopefully you are happy to have the experience of living with a French family – luckily I was.
You immediately become part of their lives and their circle, taking the children to and from school every day, and to their activities, taking them regularly to the park, making their dinner and all that jazz. Basically caring for them like a deputy parent. I was lucky enough to find an exceptionally nice family with two lovely (most of the time) boys of 3 and 6.
My host parents did two things. They showed me their appreciation for what I did and they also managed to fully integrate me into the family. That said, there were still moments of doubt; moments where I had to muster up some courage, remind myself to breathe deeply and repeat several times that this is not forever, because, well, the truth is, living with someone else’s family is not easy, however lovely the family may be.
Children can be a handful at the best of times, but when they are having an off day, they can almost drive you up the wall. Maintaining your sense of humour can prove challenging when your responsibilities can include shampooing hair, wiping bottoms, or cutting up fruit and cheese for a demanding 3 year old.
As an au pair, your life is full of surprises and variety. I managed to visit many cafes and museums in my time off, and even made it to France v Wales at the Stade de France. Some formal language classes are part of your deal, but I think I picked up more useful French from the boys, my best teachers.
What did I achieve in a year of being an Au Pair? If asked what did I improve and learn apart from the language, what could I point to? The first achievement would be moving away, to another country, without my family, totally alone, to a completely unknown town and host family. I became so much more independent and learnt a lot about myself. It was fascinating discovering French culture in a way you can only really do as part of a family. And driving a French car was another steep learning curve.
It also helped me to re-evaluate my career path. Ironically I drew back from studying French formally as a result, in favour of something more vocational. Whatever happens I will keep my love for France, and I hope to live and work there again one day.
Written by Lucy Woodward.
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