Au Pair in France
Michèle Janice, Swiss
My name is Michèle, I'm 18 years old and I come from Switzerland, or rather the German-speaking part of Switzerland. I finished high ❱❱
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My name is Michèle, I'm 18 years old and I come from Switzerland, or rather the German-speaking part of Switzerland. I finished high school this summer (July 2022) and will now study Biomedical Sciences. Since the course will be bilingual (German-French), I wanted to use the time between high school and university to improve my French and came up with the idea of doing this as an au pair. Finding a host family wasn't that easy at first, especially since I didn't want to travel to the host country for several months like most au pairs, but only for one month. With a premium account for a month, I was able to communicate with different families and finally the right host family contacted me. We then wrote again and again and also had a video call. I quickly realized that I had found the ideal host family: it was also their first au pair experience and they knew and accepted that I was still very young and inexperienced, and therefore supported me with the planning.
In August 2022 the time had finally come: I traveled to Brittany (France) for a month. At first I was very nervous: “What if I don’t understand anything? Will the children listen to me? Will I get along well with the host family?" But as soon as I arrived, I felt at ease and my fears disappeared. Everything also went well when looking after the children; Even if they weren't always 100% well-behaved, they were most of the time.
From the very first moment, the host family was very keen to show me Brittany and its traditions: the very first weekend after I arrived, we went to a campsite in the outermost part of Brittany (Finistère), where we saw a lighthouse and even went horseback riding went to the sea. Later we visited the Carnac stone rows, which was very impressive. I was also able to try typical Breton food; the host mother even baked Breton cakes herself.
Throughout my entire au pair stay, I always had time to do things alone. I often went for walks, jogged or visited Vannes, the nearest town. I also went on a bike tour, a trip to the beach and a boat tour on the Golfe du Morbihan. I really enjoyed the fact that I also had time for myself. Despite the freedom I had, I was very integrated into the host family and wasn't bored for a second. So they let me take part in family life if I wanted, and I was even allowed to attend family celebrations. I was never bored there either and really enjoyed my time there, although of course I didn't understand everything during discussions.
Finally, in September, the time came to say goodbye. This was of course difficult, although I was also looking forward to seeing my family and friends. The first evening after I returned to Switzerland was a bit strange, after all, I had just been away for a month and everything was different, even though it was somehow the same as before. But after a few days everything was as before. In conclusion, I can say that my first au pair experience was great, my host family was extremely nice, courteous and helpful and I learned a lot. I really enjoyed my time in Brittany and will always remember it fondly!
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