Lillie (24 / female ), American, Teacher living in USA looking for Au Pair & Tutor job in Sweden, Switzerland & Slovenia for 10-12 months

My name is Lillie, I am a 24-year-old American, and I am excited to get to know your family. I have one older brother of my own, and come from a house that was often busy with pets.

For the past year I was in Europe. First, for the school year, in Prague, Czechia, teaching English to adults. Then, over the summer, I travelled around Austria living with a different host family every two weeks as I taught their and other town children English as a camp tutor. It was a joy to get to know these children at camp and at home, and to see how easily we could understand one another despite language barriers. (The children in the families I lived with were 3-11 years old, and spoke halting English at most.)

During camp and at my host families all summer, I took care of children, ages 3 to 14. I taught groups of 10-14 children, age 8-14. I balanced more serious bookwork with a variety of games to keep the students’ attention and reinforce the idea that English is enjoyable. Each camp was only two weeks long, so I had to assess the students’ abilities and securely create a fun but structured environment on the first day. After that, I closely monitored each student’s progress, and adjusted the assignments to account for their varying levels. As necessary, I gave out additional work or help so that all students were challenged but not overwhelmed, and completed their work at the same time. At home, I helped the children play and cook, and practice their parts for the camp final show. It was a joy to get to know each of them. I love children because they are straightforward: it is easy to tell when they are happy or upset and, as long as you've established yourself as a safe person, they just express it and you can deal honestly. Children have such energy and enthusiasm, and it is a true joy to guide them.

Before that, I went to college, and graduated with a BFA in Writing with minors in Ceramics and Psychology. Since I was little, I've loved reading and creating stories of my own. Inherent in this is understanding what motivates people, how they think and react, and how they learn. Hence, my interest in psychology. Ceramics as a minor sort of happened: I like doing things with my hands, and it was a welcome break from all the intensive intellectual work I was doing. A sort of active meditation. I enjoy pursuing various forms of art (more sculpting or building than painting or drawing) although I'm not terribly good at it. I also enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, swimming, skiing, volleyball, sailing, and quidditch. (Yes, the sport from Harry Potter. It's great fun.)

During quarantine in Prague last spring, I began learning Italian. I am excited to spend time in Italian-speaking Switzerland because Italy itself was hit very hard by Covid-19, as an American I would be unable to attain a visa as an au pair, and they don't have the alps! I have not visited Switzerland, but I have taken a train through the alps and they were magnificent. I wished very much to stop there.