Au Pair Life in UK

We asked our au pairs why they chose UK as their au pair destination and why they think it is a great place to be an au pair.

Here are a couple of responses & photos we have received:

“I think UK is a great au pair destination becuase it’s a really cosmopolitan city, so you get to know people from all different countries and cultures, and I think it’s a great thing to learn new things about other countries and know how other people live, different than yourself. Also it’s a great opportunity to improve your English. Even if you haven’t the time to follow classes, just talking with your family and meeting up with new friends, it’s a big help. The UK is also a relative big country, so you have the possibility to go visit lots of cities and see how big the differences are between them.” Isabelle, Netherlands

“I think UK is a great au pair destination because of it’s great history and the oppertunity you get there, of learning a valuable language. Other than that I can say, that beeing an aupair is hard work and, that children can be tough to handle. But it is all worth it when their faces light up because they want to tell you something and when they tell their teachers in school, that they miss you. It feels good to make a difference in a childs weekday and life ” Stine, Denmark

“To say a few words about being an Au Pair in England would be IMPOSSIBLE, because there is so so much to say… I’m From Denmark and I’ve now been in Surrey for 9 months.. Luckily there was a few families that were getting new Au Pairs in April, I didn’t think there would be and I had heard that it could take months to find a host family.. I found the perfect family with 4 children… :O yes I know, that’s a lot but they are all over 7 so no problem there Well The family knew another Au Pair in town and we started writing before I even got here.. //Well all in all I’m so happy I chose England, I love the language (the accents), the surroundings, the people and the books are SO cheap I’ll need another suitcase to take them home… Trine, Denmark

“I think UK is a great au pair destination because you can enjoy of nature because you can walk in a wonderful country, for example, in Birmingham, where I am right now, there are nice places to walk like Lickey Hills. There are a lot of historical and cultural places you can visit like museums, art galleries, historical houses, etc. and amazing villages like Stratford-upon-avon, Coventry, Derby, Worcester, etc. and big cities like London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool. UK is the best country to learn a proper English and to know a different way to live, enlighs culture is so different of the res of Europe that I’m really enjoying to know it. Definitely there is not place like UK to be au pair.” Alejandra, Spain

Alejandra (right) from Spain

Nora from Germany with her Host Children

Carli (left) & Brenda(right) from Netherlands

CALLING ALL AU PAIRS AND HOST FAMILIES…

Would you like to share your experiences as an au pair or host family?

Is this your first time as an Au Pair in the UK?

Has being an Au Pair made you see British people in a different light?

A major independent UK production company is looking for Au Pairs and their host families for an exciting potential TV Series.

From adjusting to a new way of life to feeling part of the family, this affectionate look at life as an Au Pair will focus on the unique cultural exchange that takes place when a family welcomes an au pair into their home.

We are looking for great characters who can offer a real insight into life as an au pair in the UK. If you’re interested in getting involved or would like to hear more please contact us at office@smartaupairs.com.

Au Pair Australia

Our Australian au pair program is becoming ever more popular.  Please see some of our au pair’s in Australia talking about their experiences so far.  The Smart Au Pairs office in Sydney arranges a monthly surf camp for au pairs to meet up with each other and other travellers to learn a real ‘Aussie’ pastime! The girls are speaking directly from the surf camp in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

To find more information about the Australia programme we offer, please visit smartaupairs homepage or call 0800 917 8166.

Au Pairs – How to Find Friends?

One of the most frequent questions smartaupairs au pair agency receives from new au pairs is how to make friends. In most cases, it is easier than it may initially seem (especially to someone who is new to the country!).

Key advice for any au pair looking to find new friends is to be proactive - to approach other au pairs rather than to wait for others to make the first move.  We have gathered a few tips to get started.

Most host families are happy to put you in contact with their previous au pair – use this chance to ask for the contact details of the friends of the previous au pair. This will get you quickly in touch with the local “au pair network”. You can continue the tradition by preparing a list of your friends to the au pair that continues in the host family after you.

Language school is another important point of contact with local au pairs – majority of the European au pairs attend a course and it is highly likely that there are au pairs also in your local English course. If your English level is already high, you may wish to consider taking a course in another area of interest – such as cooking or arts. If you do not wish to attend any course or the chosen course is not due to start for a while you may find the next suggestions especially useful.

Au pairs can always contact us, smartaupairs, for local au pair listing. Alternatively, au pairs can register on some of the websites we recommend for au pairs. One of the main websites for au pairs to contact each other is www.aupair2aupair.com for which smartaupairs provides access to. Only au pairs who are registered with a BAPAA agency can register on this website.

Facebook however is open for every au pair – and aside of our own smartaupairs group there are tens of other groups dedicated to au pairs in different locations. You can search by using keywords such as smartaupairs; au pair in UK or au pair in Surrey. The smartaupairs agency group has already over 300 members and is growing!

Smartaupairs also organizes au pair meetings locally – Tuuli & Audrey from the agency met with seven of the Kent au pairs recently for a meal and drink in a restaurant in Maidstone. Other meetings are to follow and au pairs will be notified of these directly. Any suggestions on future events are more than welcome!

Below is a photo from our recent au pair meeting – together we covered 6 different nationalities including Dutch, Finnish, Austrian, Canadian, French and Polish au pairs, giving the evening a true multi-cultural feel.

Already a smartaupair? Follow the link to connect with us on Facebook (Remember to LIKE the page) – chat to us and other au pairs about the experience, and receive discounts and tips useful for your au pair stay!

Welcome to Britain

This area is designed to prepare you for the ‘Britain Experience’ as an au pair. Please feel free to send us articles or websites to add to this that can help other au pairs.

BBC news is the main news channel in Britain, look here for the latest topics.

Weather government site about a favourite British topic, the weather!

Weather info for children the weather written in simple English, can also be used to learn about the weather with the children in your host family.

Visit Britain – be a Brit Different has some British people talking about their daily life and their region.

The British Council answers the question: Has the UK become a nation of shopaholics? and many more educational articles about learning English and life in Britain.

ProjectBritain.com is part of the the extremely popular Woodlands Junior School’s British Life and Culture website. It is all written by school children and contains fascinating facts and information about England, Scotland and Wales (Britain), in a way that is easy to read and to understand for people of all ages and cultures.