Leona (28 / Ms. ), American, Teacher living in USA looking for Au Pair job in France, Ireland, Spain, Norway & Sweden for 6-24 Months

Hello! My name is Leona and I am so happy to meet you! I love spending time in nature, sports, traveling, working with children, and spending quality time with my friends and family. I'm 28 years old and I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota where I was born and raised. I have many cousins and aunts and uncles, but my immediate family consists of me, my mom and my dad. While I’m technically an only child, I always viewed my childhood cat and two-month younger cousin as my siblings. As a kid, my sense of curiosity and imagination blossomed. I loved reading books, playing pretend with my assortment of dolls, and putting on performances with my karaoke machine. As I got older, I developed a love for “team” activities and took up choir and volleyball. I graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in Psychology in 2018 and then accepted the first job that I was offered, as I was unsure of what career would be the best fit for me. Little did I know the immense impact that job would have on my life.

This job was working in a day treatment with young children (ages 2-6) who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Prior to this I had not spent much time with kids other than a few odd babysitting jobs, but I immediately fell in love with it and realized how passionate I was about working with children. I stayed at that first job for four years, and then moved to my current position which is a preschool special education teacher’s assistant (AKA paraprofessional). The joy I get from spending time with children, forming connections with them, and seeing all of their growth is a feeling that is unmatched. Being around children has taught me so much about myself and changed my outlook on life. I have grown in my confidence and practiced patience and empathy. I would love the opportunity to use my childcare skills and passion for working with children in a new environment as an Au Pair, allowing me to challenge myself and continue to grow.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized not only how passionate I am about working with children, but also how passionate I am about traveling. From a young age I have had the privilege of traveling far and frequently. My mom is a teacher, so growing up I spent many summers over state lines and overseas: from road-tripping in the US, to attending grade school in Indonesia, to birdwatching in Guatemala. My extended family lives in Germany so a lot of these summers involved visiting them in their quaint town outside of Berlin, with excursions to other parts of Europe including Barcelona, the Baltic states, and Prague. I also spent a semester during university studying abroad in Brighton, England and it was one of the best times of my life. Traveling has not only given me memories that I will forever cherish but it has also forever changed who I am. I would not be the person I am today if it wasn’t for the places I’ve been. The experience of being exposed to different cultures, perspectives, and ways of life is truly an invaluable one. It has made me reflect on my own choices and helped me figure out the person I want to be and the life I want to have. One of my biggest times of growth was over the six months I spent in England. Although I had done a good amount of traveling before that, this was most that I stepped out of my comfort zone and committed to immersing myself in another culture independently. I emerged from that experience with a new sense of self and appreciation for life, and swore to myself that I would live abroad again and try to immerse myself even more deeply.

I can imagine no better way to do this than by becoming an Au Pair. Getting the chance to combine my passions of traveling and working with children would be a dream come true. Working as an Au Pair is a new level of immersion that would allow me to also continue learning new skills that I can apply to any future endeavors. Every aspect of being an Au Pair interests me. Of course I’m looking forward to all the ways I would spend quality time with the kids, like playing at the park or eating meals together, but even everyday tasks like going to the grocery store or taking kids to school would be rewarding, especially in new surroundings. I would feel so fortunate to be able to explore a new place while also getting the opportunity to form lasting relationships and memories with a host family. The kind of host family I’m looking to find is one who is friendly, caring, down-to-earth, playful, and patient. I do best in environments where there is open communication and clear expectations but also where grace and flexibility is given. Since I will be living in a new environment, I also hope that my host family can serve as a sort of anchor for me while I develop my own lifestyle and routines abroad. My hope is that our relationship will be mutually beneficial and that we can be supportive in whatever needs may arise.

It has been a dream of mine to become an Au Pair since I was in university, but then the pandemic hit and I found a job that I loved, so I put it on hold. While I still love my job, I never stopped thinking about becoming an Au Pair and I want to give myself a chance to pursue this dream before my life gets more settled. Words can’t describe how much it has meant to me to be a part of so many children’s lives and the amount of happiness it has brought me, and I would be honored to have the chance to be a part of your family’s story, just as you will have the chance to be part of mine.