Luisina, an Argentinian Au Pair in Germany

Luisina, a 22-year-old medical student from Argentina, agreed to answer our questions about her Au Pair stay in Germany! Thank you, Luisina! We wish you all the best for your future!
 

Why did you want to become an Au Pair? 

I wanted to be an Au Pair to get to know a new country and the life of people who live in it, to be able to give my services and learn. 
 

Have you already lived abroad before becoming an Au Pair? 

I have not lived in another country before but I do travel. 
 

What were your fears and your doubts before leaving? 

The fears I had were if the Host Family was going to accept me and how I was going to adapt. 
 

When did your stay begin?  

I started working in January. 
 

How long have you looked for a Host Family before finding the perfect one? 

I have been looking for a family for a month until I was chosen. 
 

Have you worked for a single parent? 

I worked for a separated couple. 
 

How is your relationship with the Host Kids? Did they accept your presence right away?

I took care of a child and his sister, who is already a teenager, our relationship was very pleasant and we were able to get along well together. It became a friendship between us.
 

How was your relationship with the Host Family? Did you get along well with both the parents?

The family ended up adapting and loving me as part of the family, they made me feel like one more daughter and they treated me very well. I had a good relationship with both but spoke more with the mother, she was more familiar with all the things in the house.
 

What was a typical day of your Au Pair’s life like?

A typical day was getting up early, preparing breakfast for the children, then in the morning checking that the child's homework was done and waking up the child, asking him to get ready to take him to school and taking him to school. When I came back home, I tidied the house and prepared lunch. Then, I looked after the child until lunch. In the afternoon we did some games to entertain and then we did the homework.
 

Two times a week I would take him to the park or to skate and also visit a friend. When it got dark, the parents and the people in charge of the dinner arrived, and then we shared some chat.
 

At night I took the boy to bathe, and he put on his pyjamas. When he returned I would sing a song to him and make him sleep. I also made sure if the kitchen was clean and the house too. That was a normal day for An Aupair.
 

Did you travel a lot during your stay? What’s the favourite place you visited? 

I really liked getting to know Germany, its culture and language, the favourite place I choose is Stuttgart, a beautiful town near the mountains where the roads are high, the people are friendly and the climate is cool. With lots of nature as well.
 

What advice do you want to give to the future Au Pairs? 

The advice I would give to future Au Pairs is not to miss the opportunity to meet, interact with people, to be able to exchange culture and help the families who need it. It is also an incredible experience to get to know another country but also living with people different from our culture. And learn from it. Be brave and be willing!
 

What do you wish somebody would have told you before leaving for the Au Pair stay? 

I wish they would have told me to prepare with the language so that I could have more fluent conversations. 
 

What is the most memorable moment you lived as an Au Pair? 

There was a very special moment with the family that we shared. We all went by bicycle to a forest that was high on the mountains and we met there for coffee but the important thing was that we all took our arms and sang a Christmas song, everyone remembered the happy moments and I felt like a united family.
 

We always say that being an Au Pair can be useful for the future job search. Do you agree? Why/why not? Which kind of competences have you learned that you think would be suitable for the current job market? 

Being an Aupair is a great job because it gives you time to learn how to be a mother and it also gives you the possibility to do what you like, you can choose which family and what you can use. 
 

I have learned to fend for myself, to take responsibility for a child and a house, to deal with problems and solve them… to be strong!
 

Would you consider living in the Host country in the future? 

I would love to live in Germany or a country in Europe because they are countries with a good quality of life.
 

Would you do it again? 

Of course, I would work as an Au Pair again and I'm already applying. I’m very grateful for the charity of the family, for accepting me and letting me offering my humility and love to their children, for understanding me and also being concerned about my comfort. They were part of my family and I will not forget what I lived with them.
 

Do you have some more question for Luisina? Getting a first-hand experience is always the best way to approach something new like the Au Pair program. Feel free to leave us a comment below! 
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