Hey everyone! I’m Janna, and I recently got back from Sydney, Australia, where I’ve been an Au Pair for 11 months. Living in an Australian family and experiencing the relaxed Aussie lifestyle has really opened my eyes to what I want and how I want to live my life. This whole experience was incredible and I have collected so many new memories! But let me start from the beginning and tell you all about it. 

A bit about myself

I am 25 years old and originally from Hanover, Germany, but I’ve lived in different places since finishing school. After my graduation in 2017, I went to Sweden as an Au Pair and spent a wonderful year with my Swedish Host Family in the south of Sweden. After that, I started my studies in my hometown and when I finished I thought I’d use my time to finally travel to Australia. I have two very supportive parents and 5 siblings who I love a lot, so leaving them again was hard, but I was kind of used to it already and I really didn’t want to miss out on this experience, so I decided to go and started looking for a family. 

My Host Family and my routine

After several messages and video calls, the Host Family I liked most asked me to become their Au Pair and when I saw this message first thing in the morning, I freaked out with joy because I was so happy! The family consists of two parents, a 1 ½ year old girl, a dog and a cat (taking care of the pets wasn’t part of my daily tasks, only some weekends when my Host Family was gone, I obviously took care of that). Already from the family letter, I felt like I would get along really well with them, and then during the interview, this feeling was only confirmed. I felt like I could live and work with them without any problems. 

When I arrived in Sydney in August 2023, my host parents and my host kid picked me up from the airport. They made me feel welcome the second we met and that made it all so much easier. We then went for brekkie (breakfast in Australian slang) together and after that we drove to my new home for the upcoming months.

I was working 4 days a week (Monday - Wednesday and Friday). My typical day always started around 8.30 am, when I went upstairs to make myself some breakfast. My host parents (luckily) did the morning routine as my host kid usually woke up around 6 am. Then I had breakfast and my host parents usually left around 9 am, and then I was with my host kid until 5.30 pm. During the first 4 months, my host child didn’t go to daycare so I took care of her three days a week, one weekday she was with her grandma and the weekends were always (except some, but I’ll get to that later) off. When the weather was good (which it usually was) we mostly went to playgrounds, the beach or went on coastal walks. She had a nap during the day, which was always a little break for me. After her nap we kind of did the same things, sometimes we also stayed home and played in the garden until my host parents got back from work. From January on, my host kid went to daycare two days a week so on these days I only had to pick her up in the afternoon and had the rest of the day off. I usually started to prepare dinner so that it was ready when my host parents arrived and we could all eat together which was really nice!

I also had a little side job for a couple hours a week, which was a nice little bit of extra money per week.

The weekends were very relaxed for me. Sometimes I stayed at home and spent some time with my Host Family, but mostly I went on adventures with friends. We either went into the city or went on day trips. Sometimes (like I slightly mentioned earlier) I went away for the weekend with my Host Family, as my host parents have their own business together and occasionally they went to pop up events in different cities in Australia. I came along to - of course - take care of my host child when they were working but it wasn’t just work for me because I also got to explore different cities, which was pretty cool, and I definitely got to see a lot of the beautiful country.

The Australian Christmas experience

To experience an Aussie Christmas was something completely different as it was summer in Australia. Australians celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December. It was a bit confusing not celebrating on the 24th as we do in Germany, and especially the whole pre-Christmas season without the cold weather didn’t feel like Christmas time. On the 25th in the morning, I called my family at home because they were just opening the presents (with the time difference it was Christmas evening in Germany), then I went upstairs because we had Christmas brekkie at our place. My host mum's family came over, we had Bacon and Egg Rolls (typical Australian breakfast) and opened up presents. After that we went over to my host mom’s stepmom for a swim in the ocean and then lunch at her place. There we had a really nice big lunch and opened up presents again. In Australia they also have a Christmas tradition to pop open Christmas crackers (cardboard tubes wrapped in festive paper designs) before the meal. Inside of those crackers is a tissue paper crown and a small piece of paper with a written joke or riddle. The paper crown is then worn for the rest of the meal, which is pretty funny.

After lunch we had a little rest before we went to the grandparents’ place for dinner (it was a VERY busy Christmas Day!!). Here we did the same thing with the Christmas crackers before eating. At the end of the day I was super exhausted, but also so thankful to have been able to be part of the day, as my host parents' family did feel like family to me too, and I wasn’t even sad that I wasn’t with my own family that day. The whole day just kind of felt like a family party to me.

Finding Friends

I know that this is something everybody is afraid of before moving abroad - am I going to find friends? I was a bit worried too before flying to Australia, but it turned out I didn’t need to worry at all. Australia is a big and very popular travel destination for many young people, so there are not only many other Au Pairs, but also travelers, students and of course also locals. There are so many events going on, from Au Pair Meetups to Bar Crawls or organized day trips in groups (I, for example, went on a girls only wine tasting tour). On Instagram, Facebook and Whatsapp there are many different groups, there are also lots of running clubs that are meeting weekly and just endless opportunities to find friends. The only thing is that you really need to get out of your comfort zone and be proactive, otherwise it could be hard to make friends. Just remember that everyone is kind of in the same position - alone in a new country.

Traveling During my Time as an Au Pair

As I mentioned before, I traveled a bit with my Host Family, but I also went on some trips with friends to explore the country. I traveled to Melbourne with a friend, went on a camping tour to Uluru, which was a crazy experience, and at the end of my time in Australia, I went on a 2-week trip along the east coast with a friend. We went to: Cairns (plus snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef), Whitsunday Islands, Fraser Island, Noosa, Brisbane and Byron Bay. You can find even more tips for traveling in Australia here in this article.

Favorite Memories

1. All the small little moments I had with my host kid. I love and miss her so much, she definitely feels like a little sister to me and it was so hard for me to say goodbye. Of course, it wasn’t always easy with a toddler but we have experienced so much together and have created so many great memories that I will remember forever.
2. Spending my birthday by the beach and it was warm (it is in December, so it is always cold).
3. Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef was definitely a core memory for me, all the different colors and fish, it was amazing and I can only recommend it!
4. New Year’s Eve in Sydney, the fireworks with view of the Harbor Bridge and Opera House were amazing (although sitting and waiting there for 12 hours wasn’t that much fun!)

Final Thoughts on my Au Pair Adventure in Australia

I am so glad I took the step and moved to Australia for those 11 months. I have gained a second family and friends for life. I am still in touch with my Host Family, we text and sometimes call,  and I am also still in touch with my new friends which makes me super happy. I have so many new stories to tell, and memories that I will cherish forever!

Of course, it wasn’t always easy and I missed my family and friends at home. I missed out on birthday parties and family get-togethers etc., especially during holidays it was harder - and the time difference didn’t really help with that, but I don’t regret anything and I would always do it again!
I fell in love with the country, its culture and lifestyle and I can’t wait to go back to explore the country even more and, of course, to visit my Host Family!