I have always wanted to travel since I was very little. As I am now older and graduating university the desire has only grew. I live in a small area in the north of Scotland where there is not much around or opportunities and feel the need to see more (serious case of itchy feet) I learnt about being an au pair through a friend of a friend and the role sounded perfect for me. I want to embrace another culture and see the world however, I do not want to loose skills. By becoming a au pair I will hopefully be able to embrace and learn about othe cultures and ways of life being being involved in a family while also spending time with children supporting them to grow.

I also want to do something completely out my comfort zone to allow me to grow, moving to another country with new people and experienes will allow me to do this.

I currently do not have any experience as an au pair however, I do have lots of experience with children of all ages.

I am the oldest of 4 siblings and also the oldest grandchild this has led me to have the caring motherly instincts. I have spent time babysitting my cousins since they were only a few months old.
Growing up my granny was a childminder and worked in a nursary so I grew up surrounded by children where spending time now with children has become second nature and something I love doing. I would help set up activities and do lots of outdoor learning.
I also taught ballet, tap and modern dance to children 2+ years to 17 years for a number of years. I absolutely loved doing this, helping the children to learn dance steps but alos learn to love dance. I enjoyed helping each one of them ace their dance and finding new ways for each of them to learn and improve.
I babysat for a family during school holidays. The child I looked after was a young girl who needed a lot of attention and had a lot of energy. We would get creatve with arts and crafts, go for walks, bake and watch movies. We always had fun and a laugh. I built up a really good relationship with this family to the point they trusted me to house and pet sit while they went away.
I currently work for a charity organisation called Action for Children in a residential home for looked after children. During these shifts I work 24 hours. The children and young people I work with here have eperienced significant trauma throughout their life which has resulted in them being in care. This job is incredibily tough but rewarding building strong relationships with the young people is key and a massive win when it has been created. This takes time to build trust and adapt to each individual child's needs. In this role we spend time with the children just like a "normal" family would with their own children. I have worked at Action For Children for 2 years now.

I also have learn't a lot about child development, needs and how to create positive experiences for children growing up through my social work degree.