Wednesday, 5 June 2013
Tarrytown
We go to our host families on Thursday afternoon so on Wednesday evening after orientation we decided to walk into Tarrytown and see what was there. The answer is not much! A few shops and not a lot else. My favourite shop was a 7/11 where I experienced my first officially American Slurpee.
Orientation and New York City Tour
Official day one of orientation. One word? Long! I appreciate that there is a lot of stuff to take in and perhaps it was because I was so excited to go and explore my new surroundings that the day seemed to really quite drag.
However, at the end of day one it was time for the New York City tour. Although it felt a little rushed I absolutely loved it and made some really good friends.
Tuesday, 4 June 2013
Safe Landing
So once I arrived in Newark I had to go thorough immigration. I had been told by APIA that it can take 2+hours to get through, but realistically it took me less than 30 minutes. All they needed was my visa/passport and a document I had received in my placement pack, I walked through to baggage collection and then made my way towards the exit hoping I would meet someone on the other side.
There was a woman, called Jackie, holding up a bright pick 'Au Pair In America' sign in front of a clipboard. She sat me next to a girl, her name was Frida and she was from Sweden and had arrived a little sooner than I had. We were then moved to another terminal to await the arrival of some more girls from Germany. There were about 6 in total, who all arrived speaking German together making Frida and I a little cut off. I was so thankful there was another none German speaking girl there!!
When everyone had arrived we were put on a mini-bus to take us to the hotel where we would be staying in Tarrytown. It was warm and the hotel was gorgeous, I couldn't believe we were in AMERICA! We left our bags in the hotel lobby and went for a brief talk on our stay here. We had to show that our passports had been stamped, were were told how to apply for a social security number, we got our Au Pair t-shirts and our hotel rooms. Although my room was not ready yet Frida's was and so the pair of us went to go and see what the rooms we were staying in looked like. The rooms were set out for 3 Au Pairs who will be living near one another for the year. We entered Frida's room and found two girls sat in her room already, one who was living in Washington DC with Frida and a girl she had recently met and shared a language with (Afrikaans) who would be living in Boston.
Me and Frida wandered the grounds for a little while and kept checking to see if my room was ready yet. I was eager to meet people I would be living with. I got my room and it was still empty, we ate tea and then at about 8pm US time, 3am my time I went to bed.
There was a woman, called Jackie, holding up a bright pick 'Au Pair In America' sign in front of a clipboard. She sat me next to a girl, her name was Frida and she was from Sweden and had arrived a little sooner than I had. We were then moved to another terminal to await the arrival of some more girls from Germany. There were about 6 in total, who all arrived speaking German together making Frida and I a little cut off. I was so thankful there was another none German speaking girl there!!
When everyone had arrived we were put on a mini-bus to take us to the hotel where we would be staying in Tarrytown. It was warm and the hotel was gorgeous, I couldn't believe we were in AMERICA! We left our bags in the hotel lobby and went for a brief talk on our stay here. We had to show that our passports had been stamped, were were told how to apply for a social security number, we got our Au Pair t-shirts and our hotel rooms. Although my room was not ready yet Frida's was and so the pair of us went to go and see what the rooms we were staying in looked like. The rooms were set out for 3 Au Pairs who will be living near one another for the year. We entered Frida's room and found two girls sat in her room already, one who was living in Washington DC with Frida and a girl she had recently met and shared a language with (Afrikaans) who would be living in Boston.
Me and Frida wandered the grounds for a little while and kept checking to see if my room was ready yet. I was eager to meet people I would be living with. I got my room and it was still empty, we ate tea and then at about 8pm US time, 3am my time I went to bed.
Off I go!
So on the morning of Monday 3rd June I woke up at 4:30 am after only about 2 hours sleep. I felt really calm, I had to double check I had everything, got ready, loaded up the car and headed out to the airport. I checked in successfully and said a brief goodbye to my parents. With the ability to Skype so easily (and lets be honest I'm not very good at goodbyes) it doesn't feel like I'm completely leaving everyone at home.
Security was a doddle to get through and I hoped to get breakfast once I was in the departure lounge. I still had several hours until my 9:25 flight so browsed through the shops and looked for some suitable food and a place I could get a couple of magazines so I popped into WHSmiths.
I still had about an hour until I would be able to find out which gate I was boarding from so I sat down with a view of both the runway and an information point so I could watch for my gate. I had only sat down for about a minute when a man who had behind us at the check in desk came and sat next to me. Now please don't get me wrong, I love when people talk to me, I am a chatterbox, but this guy was a little strange and kept staring at me whilst I ate until I replied him. It took me and age to finish my food. Anyway, long story short, I felt obliged to follow him to the gate and stay stood near him until we had boarded.
For some reason I had been upgraded into Economy plus (Thank you Au Pair In America!) and I was able to board a little earlier and had a tonne of extra legroom.
GOOD BYE ENGLAND
AND HELLO AMERICA
Security was a doddle to get through and I hoped to get breakfast once I was in the departure lounge. I still had several hours until my 9:25 flight so browsed through the shops and looked for some suitable food and a place I could get a couple of magazines so I popped into WHSmiths.
I still had about an hour until I would be able to find out which gate I was boarding from so I sat down with a view of both the runway and an information point so I could watch for my gate. I had only sat down for about a minute when a man who had behind us at the check in desk came and sat next to me. Now please don't get me wrong, I love when people talk to me, I am a chatterbox, but this guy was a little strange and kept staring at me whilst I ate until I replied him. It took me and age to finish my food. Anyway, long story short, I felt obliged to follow him to the gate and stay stood near him until we had boarded.
For some reason I had been upgraded into Economy plus (Thank you Au Pair In America!) and I was able to board a little earlier and had a tonne of extra legroom.
AND HELLO AMERICA
Monday, 13 May 2013
Bags Bags Bags
Okay, I have come to terms with the fact that I will have to take two suitcases as well as a carry on which causes a problem with logistics. So two big pull along cases, two hands and a pull along carry on is not going to go well. So I had to look for a new bag to take with me on the flight. I do have several over-the-shoulder bags which I want to take with me but none of them are really big enough for me to fit in everything I would want to take on a long flight. It is also recommended to take a spare pair of clothes in case my luggage were to get lost so I had to accommodate for that too.
We went looking for a bag to take of any kind and we did not find anything in the conventional shopping centers. We did find one lovely bag that was actually a nappy bag and would have fitted a tonne of stuff in! Although the £99 price tag wasn't so lovely for a bag I might not use so much once I arrived State side. We had a look in a department store called John Lewis and I found myself in the luggage section where we found several backpacks. Now that really made sense. I would definitely use it on day hikes and bike rides with the children and the price range was much more reasonable. Most of the rucksacks in John Lewis were aimed for men though so we decided to go to Cheshire Oaks at a later date which is full of outlet stock and so it is usually cheaper and there are several outdoorsy shops.
Once we made it to Cheshire Oaks we went in pretty much every single shop we could see sold bags and actually found a suitcase shop which sold backpacks. They were ideal as I knew they were the right size to fit in the restricted carry-on space on the plane and they were reasonably nice. So ta-dahh,
We went looking for a bag to take of any kind and we did not find anything in the conventional shopping centers. We did find one lovely bag that was actually a nappy bag and would have fitted a tonne of stuff in! Although the £99 price tag wasn't so lovely for a bag I might not use so much once I arrived State side. We had a look in a department store called John Lewis and I found myself in the luggage section where we found several backpacks. Now that really made sense. I would definitely use it on day hikes and bike rides with the children and the price range was much more reasonable. Most of the rucksacks in John Lewis were aimed for men though so we decided to go to Cheshire Oaks at a later date which is full of outlet stock and so it is usually cheaper and there are several outdoorsy shops.
Once we made it to Cheshire Oaks we went in pretty much every single shop we could see sold bags and actually found a suitcase shop which sold backpacks. They were ideal as I knew they were the right size to fit in the restricted carry-on space on the plane and they were reasonably nice. So ta-dahh,
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Preparation
It still hadn't hit me that I was actually going but I thought it would probably be a good idea to start and think about what I want to take with me. As I'm planning on saving as much money as I can in order to travel after I have completed the program I don't want to pack really light and just expect to buy a lot of the things I need whilst I'm over there and although I really really wish I could fit everything in one case I don't think that's going to fly considering I've already filled about half my case just with gifts for my family! I admit I may have gone slightly over board...
I have already started to separate clothes up into 'Definitely', 'Maybe' and 'Definitely not' piles and it's a system that's been working well as I have my brother's old room to use as a packing area so I have taken pretty much all my clothes out of my room so I can see what I have (I was surprised how many items I had forgotten about). The 'Definitely' pile includes clothes that I really wear on a day to day basis, favorite pieces and bits that I couldn't live without. The 'Maybe' pile is for clothes that I could buy whilst I am there and would take up too much room to take (big jumpers etc.), clothes that I only wear every now and then, that I'm not sure fit really well or have holes in (I'm looking at a MASSIVE mound of tights to check through!) and do I really need to take 12 pairs of pyjamas?!... Probably not, thinking about it.
I still have plenty to think about like make-up and shampoo etc, but having kept in constant contact with my future Host Family I know that after I arrive on the Thursday my family is free the whole weekend to take me to the supermarket, show me the area and take me out driving. I cannot say how important frequent communication helps! I know that I only have to bring about a weeks supply of shower products which will save me a decent amount of weight.
Saturday, 4 May 2013
Visa
After the confirmation of my placement I received my placement pack in the post.
The pack contained everything I needed to begin my visa application and that ran fairly smoothly with a slight hiccup with getting a visa acceptable photo as the passport photos are too thin and so I had to nip to Asda and get photos done again which cost £7!
Once I'd got my head round what was needed I filled a folder with everything I needed to take and rang the US Embassy to book an appointment. The cost of the visa interview was $160 although this was expected I did not expect the atrocious train ticket prices. After discussing it with my parents my mum said that we could drive down and visit Harry Potter Studio Tour (whilst we were down south anyway), stay the night at my brother's flat in Cambridge and then get the train from there which is considerably cheaper.
On the day of my visa interview we had to wake up super early to catch our train to get us their with enough time to then get the tube and walk to the Embassy. Horrifyingly the train we were on had to be aborted as there was a broken track further along and I really did not want to be late for my 11:30 appointment but within 5 minutes a replacement train had arrived in the station and we were only delayed a quarter of an hour. We found the Embassy no problem and there was a massive queue to even get in the building. the security was very high and we were not able to take mobile phones in with us which was a problem as I didnt know how I would meet up with my mum after my appointment. A woman who worked for the Embassy told us of a Starbucks just around the corner so we said we would meet there. Once in the Embassy it we heaving! It reminded me of a airport with a lot of rows of chairs all facing a massive screen which would call out numbers and which window they were to go to.
In total I was waiting in the Embassy for FOUR HOURS! If you're about to go please take my advice and pack a book or crosswords or something, I was close to going stir crazy but it was all worth it once I was told my visa application had been accepted!!
I managed to find Starbucks no problem and we went to some tourist-y shops to get Union Jack goodies for my host family and finally heading back to my brothers so we could pick the car up and head home.
Thursday, 2 May 2013
PLACEDDDDD!
SO EXCITED!
I know that had I chosen the first family who spoke to me I would have had a good year, but I am so glad that I did not get placed with them. I know that my year with this family will be GREAT. So if you're about to be placed with a family which seem alright, hold out for the perfect family, they are out there!
Once I had recieved the email saying my placement was confirmed I was informed that within 10 days I would get my placement pack. Until then I now had access to much more information about my host family such as their address so I was able to research more about the area they live in. Although my family will provide a car for me to use I still searched into things like public transport, local parks, nearby footpaths, and of course local horse riding centers.
My host family have two children, a boy and a girl, aged 9 and 7 respectively. They are very active and have four acres of land with their house so plenty of space to play out together and they like going on hikes and bike rides so I know we can do plenty of activities and fun stuff together and I am already collecting ideas on things to do with the help of Pinterest! It's a really good resource for lots of ideas!
As both the children are school aged my schedule obviously shows that I have my days free and work in the evenings. If you were to get placed with a family who have children not in school your schedule will look very different.
My family and I are still in contact with frequent emails and the occasional Skype and I think that's important. I've been able to ask advice about that to bring and my host mom told me about a friend of hers who has horses that I will be able to go and help out and have a ride whilst the kids are at school. Again, that confirms how much they want me to feel at home with them and I can't sing their praises enough!!!
Au Pair in America have also provided me with information on the area I am about to move to, which airport I will be flying from and on what dates (although you don't find out all your flight details until 10 days before your departure), a map of where my new home is and who my Community Councillor is.
I am literally counting down the days!!!
I know that had I chosen the first family who spoke to me I would have had a good year, but I am so glad that I did not get placed with them. I know that my year with this family will be GREAT. So if you're about to be placed with a family which seem alright, hold out for the perfect family, they are out there!
Once I had recieved the email saying my placement was confirmed I was informed that within 10 days I would get my placement pack. Until then I now had access to much more information about my host family such as their address so I was able to research more about the area they live in. Although my family will provide a car for me to use I still searched into things like public transport, local parks, nearby footpaths, and of course local horse riding centers.
My host family have two children, a boy and a girl, aged 9 and 7 respectively. They are very active and have four acres of land with their house so plenty of space to play out together and they like going on hikes and bike rides so I know we can do plenty of activities and fun stuff together and I am already collecting ideas on things to do with the help of Pinterest! It's a really good resource for lots of ideas!
As both the children are school aged my schedule obviously shows that I have my days free and work in the evenings. If you were to get placed with a family who have children not in school your schedule will look very different.
Au Pair in America have also provided me with information on the area I am about to move to, which airport I will be flying from and on what dates (although you don't find out all your flight details until 10 days before your departure), a map of where my new home is and who my Community Councillor is.
I am literally counting down the days!!!
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Choosing a Host Family
Whilst I was waiting for the Connecticut family to make their decision I heard
from two more families who said they were interested. One in Long Island
and the other near Chicago. The Chicago family were obviously not for
me, they didn't mention any pets in their home life and they mentioned
in their letter that they would want their Au Pair to help them
discipline their 3 children where I honestly wanted a family where I
would be able to look after the children like they were my own little
siblings and leave discipline to the parents. In order to let the family
know they weren't for me I sent them an email so they were not hanging
on.
The Long Island family did really seem lovely, they had two dogs, chickens and both the children went horse riding. I let them know that I was waiting for a decision from another family but I would let them know if I was still available. Then all I could do was wait for an email from the Connecticut family.
When the email came I was surprised at how long it was. They had decided to go with the other Au Pair who had lived in America before and was older than I was. The email was basically explaining why they didn't chose me. Although that may sound harsh it wasn't, it was really lovely as they said if they could have two Au Pairs she would and that there was nothing 'wrong' with me... good to know!
As soon as I found out their decision I was able to email the Long Island family and let them know I was still available and we set up a time and date to Skype and it really paid off that I am a night owl due to the time difference and I wanted our conversations to be more convenient for them. After a few initial technical difficulties we chatted and decided to have another talk. Over the next couple of days we Skype'd again and I was able to tour their house, talk to the children and speak the their current Au Pair and a previous Au Pair who had come to visit.
Within a week of speaking, Susan (the host mom), said that they would be honoured for me to become their Au Pair and I was glad to accept! I felt much less pressured into talking to this family and I know that they are the right ones for me!
The Long Island family did really seem lovely, they had two dogs, chickens and both the children went horse riding. I let them know that I was waiting for a decision from another family but I would let them know if I was still available. Then all I could do was wait for an email from the Connecticut family.
When the email came I was surprised at how long it was. They had decided to go with the other Au Pair who had lived in America before and was older than I was. The email was basically explaining why they didn't chose me. Although that may sound harsh it wasn't, it was really lovely as they said if they could have two Au Pairs she would and that there was nothing 'wrong' with me... good to know!
As soon as I found out their decision I was able to email the Long Island family and let them know I was still available and we set up a time and date to Skype and it really paid off that I am a night owl due to the time difference and I wanted our conversations to be more convenient for them. After a few initial technical difficulties we chatted and decided to have another talk. Over the next couple of days we Skype'd again and I was able to tour their house, talk to the children and speak the their current Au Pair and a previous Au Pair who had come to visit.
Within a week of speaking, Susan (the host mom), said that they would be honoured for me to become their Au Pair and I was glad to accept! I felt much less pressured into talking to this family and I know that they are the right ones for me!
A HOST FAMILY IS INTERESTED
Possibly the most exciting morning for as long as I can remember.
I woke up to an email from a lovely family in Connecticut. I was in shock as I didn't even think my application was available for families to see. They had just one little girl who was 8 years old and their letter seemed lovely however I received the email early that morning and I had to rush off to feed the horses and so I decided I would reply that evening once I could sit in front of my laptop and have a good think about what I would say in reply.
Later that day I received another email off the same family asking if I had received the first email (thank goodness for smartphones so I was able to receive the messages!). It was now I decided to write an email saying I had received her messages but wasn't able to send a thorough reply as I was not at home. When I was sending this reply my phone started ringing with an area code which was definitely not from the UK. It was the Au pair representative for the Connecticut cluster asking if I had received the emails as this family was "very interested"! I told her I was currently in the process of replying and that was that.
After a couple of messages back and forth we arranged to Skype that night at 5pm their time (10pm my time). To be honest, looking back I'm not particularly impressed with how quick things had gone as I felt rushed into everything but I did really like them, we spoke for about an hour and got on really well, they had two dogs and their little girl used to have riding lessons but hadn't been for some time (animals are very important to me this was a big aspect of choosing a family... I don't think I would be able to go to a family without any pets). We arranged to speak again the day after next and that went really well again, the Mum said that they had been speaking to another Au Pair and would have made their decision as to who they were going to chose by the end of the next day.
I woke up to an email from a lovely family in Connecticut. I was in shock as I didn't even think my application was available for families to see. They had just one little girl who was 8 years old and their letter seemed lovely however I received the email early that morning and I had to rush off to feed the horses and so I decided I would reply that evening once I could sit in front of my laptop and have a good think about what I would say in reply.
Later that day I received another email off the same family asking if I had received the first email (thank goodness for smartphones so I was able to receive the messages!). It was now I decided to write an email saying I had received her messages but wasn't able to send a thorough reply as I was not at home. When I was sending this reply my phone started ringing with an area code which was definitely not from the UK. It was the Au pair representative for the Connecticut cluster asking if I had received the emails as this family was "very interested"! I told her I was currently in the process of replying and that was that.
After a couple of messages back and forth we arranged to Skype that night at 5pm their time (10pm my time). To be honest, looking back I'm not particularly impressed with how quick things had gone as I felt rushed into everything but I did really like them, we spoke for about an hour and got on really well, they had two dogs and their little girl used to have riding lessons but hadn't been for some time (animals are very important to me this was a big aspect of choosing a family... I don't think I would be able to go to a family without any pets). We arranged to speak again the day after next and that went really well again, the Mum said that they had been speaking to another Au Pair and would have made their decision as to who they were going to chose by the end of the next day.
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
Application ACCEPTED
Following my application being complete Claire (my interviewer) sent it to the London Office for it to be checked over and to see if I would be accepted onto the program.
After a while I received an email saying my application was accepted. Cue excited jumping about! BUT as I didn't have a video uploaded I wasn't expecting my application to go out to prospective families at this point.
After a while I received an email saying my application was accepted. Cue excited jumping about! BUT as I didn't have a video uploaded I wasn't expecting my application to go out to prospective families at this point.
Monday, 29 April 2013
Interview Time!
My interviewer was named Claire and she lived about 45 minutes away from me and so when the day came round I ensured I had my Sat-Nav, a tank full of fuel and all the bits of paper and ID I needed to take with me. I set off with plenty of time as I ALWAYS get lost, and I did however I still got there fairly early. Once I arrived Claire explained to me everything about the program to be sure that I knew what was required of me and to ensure I knew what I was applying for and then played a video about 'A day in the life of an Au Pair' and as I had done thorough research there were absolutely no surprises there.
The whole interview was fairly informal, we had a cup of tea whilst Claire filled out her own forms about my childcare experience, what I felt my weaknesses and strengths were, what kind of family I was looking for and if I had any prefernce in where I was located. It was really nice to see that they didn't only care about getting the right Au pair for the family in America but to find the right family for you to feel comfortable and have the best experience you can whist you're out there.
Finally I had to fill out a long but straight forward form checking that I was suitable for the program. It only consisted of answering true or false to whether a statement I had just read applied to me or not nd it probably took about 20 minutes to complete.
In total the whole interview took me about 2 hours but it certainly did not feel like I was there for that long, so thanks again to Claire for being a fab interviewer!
The whole interview was fairly informal, we had a cup of tea whilst Claire filled out her own forms about my childcare experience, what I felt my weaknesses and strengths were, what kind of family I was looking for and if I had any prefernce in where I was located. It was really nice to see that they didn't only care about getting the right Au pair for the family in America but to find the right family for you to feel comfortable and have the best experience you can whist you're out there.
Finally I had to fill out a long but straight forward form checking that I was suitable for the program. It only consisted of answering true or false to whether a statement I had just read applied to me or not nd it probably took about 20 minutes to complete.
In total the whole interview took me about 2 hours but it certainly did not feel like I was there for that long, so thanks again to Claire for being a fab interviewer!
Saturday, 27 April 2013
Application: Stage 2
Part two of the application does require more effort than the first.
In this section of the application you need to upload a selection of photos (I recommend a few pictures of you carrying out activities with the children you care for, you doing a particular hobby and you with your family and/or friends). These are the only photos prospective families will see when deciding if they want to take it one step further and message you so make sure you're smiling and not pouting into a mirror in all of the images! Your future family won't care what you look like, but rather whether or not you will be the right match for them.
Here are a few of my choices:
Next you are required to upload character/childcare references. These are forms which need to be printed off and filled out by people who are not related to you but obviously know you well enough to fill out the basic questions. These references will be checked by your interviewer at a later date so make sure they're answered correctly before scanning them into your application.
The medical form has to be completed by a doctor and so I took mine to my local GP and it took about 3/4 weeks until I got it back so allow plenty of time for it to get filled out. It also cost me £40 for the simple 2 pages to be filled out by the doctor and whilst I know that it can be done for free/cheaper at other doctors be sure to budget in unplanned costs.
Other documents which need uploading are your passport, your driving license and proof you have finished High School.
The last upload and the last part of your application (time to get a little bit excited!) is the video. Now don't get me wrong I am a confident person but when it came to making my video I felt like I came across uncomfortable on camera and I really didn't want my future family to think of me as shy but for my video to reflect the real me and so the video aspect became a bit of a nuisance for my perfectionist side and so I'm afraid the only examples I can provide are the ones I was going to use as inspiration which I found on youtube.
Here's a selection of my favourites:
Sjenna's Au Pair in America application video
In this section of the application you need to upload a selection of photos (I recommend a few pictures of you carrying out activities with the children you care for, you doing a particular hobby and you with your family and/or friends). These are the only photos prospective families will see when deciding if they want to take it one step further and message you so make sure you're smiling and not pouting into a mirror in all of the images! Your future family won't care what you look like, but rather whether or not you will be the right match for them.
Here are a few of my choices:
Next you are required to upload character/childcare references. These are forms which need to be printed off and filled out by people who are not related to you but obviously know you well enough to fill out the basic questions. These references will be checked by your interviewer at a later date so make sure they're answered correctly before scanning them into your application.
The medical form has to be completed by a doctor and so I took mine to my local GP and it took about 3/4 weeks until I got it back so allow plenty of time for it to get filled out. It also cost me £40 for the simple 2 pages to be filled out by the doctor and whilst I know that it can be done for free/cheaper at other doctors be sure to budget in unplanned costs.
Other documents which need uploading are your passport, your driving license and proof you have finished High School.
The last upload and the last part of your application (time to get a little bit excited!) is the video. Now don't get me wrong I am a confident person but when it came to making my video I felt like I came across uncomfortable on camera and I really didn't want my future family to think of me as shy but for my video to reflect the real me and so the video aspect became a bit of a nuisance for my perfectionist side and so I'm afraid the only examples I can provide are the ones I was going to use as inspiration which I found on youtube.
Here's a selection of my favourites:
Sjenna's Au Pair in America application video
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Monday, 22 April 2013
Host Family Letter Example
As mentioned, my letter. It did honestly take me ages to write as I nit-picked it for weeks, but I honestly think it paid off.
"Hi! My name's A********, although I usually go by Alie, I'm 19 and come from a large town in the North West of England. I live with my Mum, *****, who works at a High School with children aged 11-14, my Dad, *****, who used to be a Geography teacher but is now a bid writer and my older brother, ******, when he is at home but he is currently at University training to become a Chemistry Teacher, and our two cats. I've recently finished college after studying History, Biology and Psychology and so it seems to perfect time to see the world whilst I can.
The most recent bulk of my childcare experience has come from helping to look after a little pony called Spike who belongs to a 9 year old girl named S*****. S** and I quickly became friends and I would often help her tack up Spike so we could go for rides together or give her guidance when she was riding in the school. Unfortunately in around late July S** collapsed and developed a limp. It was later discovered that she had Perthes disease and it was heartbreaking to see such an active young girl unable to continue running around, dancing and riding as she used to. Following an operation and a lot of time by the end of November she has finally been able to get around without her crutches that she’s been using for the past several months. Although it’s still early she’s finally been able to sit back on Spike and I’ve walked with them both around the yard, taking it slow to begin with. It’s lovely to have been invited into the family where I have often baby sat for S** and her 1 year old sister E***. S** has undoubtedly become one of my best friends and I love her like a little sister. Although I’ll undoubtedly miss them both I’d like to be able to build a similar relationship with the children I’d be looking after.
My other childcare experience includes helping out at a local Rainbows group which I really enjoyed, especially when I could get involved in setting up and playing the games and helping out with crafts. I was there for about two years and during that time at school I completed my Junior Sports Leader Award (JSLA) where I learned about running sport activities for children and we would go to a nearby primary school and run activities for the kids in their P.E. classes. Lately I have been babysitting for several children varying between ages 1-13 and I have really been enjoying it, as well as helping out at a Sunday school for children aged 3-7 where I love getting messy with the craft activity of the day. I believe it’s really important for kids to be active and I think it’s really beneficial for them to get out of the house and enjoy the world around them. I’m definitely hands on and energetic in my attitude to childcare.
My main hobby is horse riding which I have been doing since I was three years old. I currently have 4 horses and have still been having lessons which I adore although I have to admit there’s nothing quite like a simple long ride out down the tracks by the stables. Riding has taught me a lot about discipline, patience and caring for others and it’s a hobby I would like to have the opportunity to still be able to continue. I also love to hike and have completed the Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award which includes 6 months of a physical activity, 3 months of working on a skill, 6 months of volunteer work and a 3 day expedition which included hiking and camping. As well as this I’ve completed the Cheshire Hike twice (a two day hike ran by the Boy Scouts) when I was part of the Girl Guides which covered around 26 miles over two days where we had to navigate our way though the countryside. I also enjoy going for long bike rides, taking dogs for walks, going on road trips to new places with my friends, reading and baking when I have the time.
I hope to use this experience as a chance to see how other families live, how children learn and play in a different culture and to make friends for a life time.
Looking forwards to hearing from you,
Alie"
Remember, you letter should be personal to YOU. Au Pair in America can only match you with families which seem suitable so lying in any part of your application may get you placed with a family you're not happy with.
"Hi! My name's A********, although I usually go by Alie, I'm 19 and come from a large town in the North West of England. I live with my Mum, *****, who works at a High School with children aged 11-14, my Dad, *****, who used to be a Geography teacher but is now a bid writer and my older brother, ******, when he is at home but he is currently at University training to become a Chemistry Teacher, and our two cats. I've recently finished college after studying History, Biology and Psychology and so it seems to perfect time to see the world whilst I can.
The most recent bulk of my childcare experience has come from helping to look after a little pony called Spike who belongs to a 9 year old girl named S*****. S** and I quickly became friends and I would often help her tack up Spike so we could go for rides together or give her guidance when she was riding in the school. Unfortunately in around late July S** collapsed and developed a limp. It was later discovered that she had Perthes disease and it was heartbreaking to see such an active young girl unable to continue running around, dancing and riding as she used to. Following an operation and a lot of time by the end of November she has finally been able to get around without her crutches that she’s been using for the past several months. Although it’s still early she’s finally been able to sit back on Spike and I’ve walked with them both around the yard, taking it slow to begin with. It’s lovely to have been invited into the family where I have often baby sat for S** and her 1 year old sister E***. S** has undoubtedly become one of my best friends and I love her like a little sister. Although I’ll undoubtedly miss them both I’d like to be able to build a similar relationship with the children I’d be looking after.
My other childcare experience includes helping out at a local Rainbows group which I really enjoyed, especially when I could get involved in setting up and playing the games and helping out with crafts. I was there for about two years and during that time at school I completed my Junior Sports Leader Award (JSLA) where I learned about running sport activities for children and we would go to a nearby primary school and run activities for the kids in their P.E. classes. Lately I have been babysitting for several children varying between ages 1-13 and I have really been enjoying it, as well as helping out at a Sunday school for children aged 3-7 where I love getting messy with the craft activity of the day. I believe it’s really important for kids to be active and I think it’s really beneficial for them to get out of the house and enjoy the world around them. I’m definitely hands on and energetic in my attitude to childcare.
My main hobby is horse riding which I have been doing since I was three years old. I currently have 4 horses and have still been having lessons which I adore although I have to admit there’s nothing quite like a simple long ride out down the tracks by the stables. Riding has taught me a lot about discipline, patience and caring for others and it’s a hobby I would like to have the opportunity to still be able to continue. I also love to hike and have completed the Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award which includes 6 months of a physical activity, 3 months of working on a skill, 6 months of volunteer work and a 3 day expedition which included hiking and camping. As well as this I’ve completed the Cheshire Hike twice (a two day hike ran by the Boy Scouts) when I was part of the Girl Guides which covered around 26 miles over two days where we had to navigate our way though the countryside. I also enjoy going for long bike rides, taking dogs for walks, going on road trips to new places with my friends, reading and baking when I have the time.
I hope to use this experience as a chance to see how other families live, how children learn and play in a different culture and to make friends for a life time.
Looking forwards to hearing from you,
Alie"
Remember, you letter should be personal to YOU. Au Pair in America can only match you with families which seem suitable so lying in any part of your application may get you placed with a family you're not happy with.
Application: Stage 1
The application is very straight forward - it really is just a case of filling out simple forms.
The categories are:
Once that's all done you need to fill out a more detailed form about your childcare experience, but again nothing impossible and once that's done you can write your host family letter. The host family letter, for me, had to be perfect. I saw it as my first chance to make an impression on my future host family and so I really wanted it to come across well written and reflect my personality. It was tricky to explain a lot about my self so the family know what kind of person would be living in their home and looking after their kids without sounding completely self centered. I found that a quick intro and then explaining about my history of childcare and why I want to become an au pair first showed that my main interest was working with children. I'll link my letter here if you'd like a nosey.
The categories are:
- Personal (Name, Age...)
- Contact (Address, Phone numbers, Skype...)
- Travel and Program (Select your program, Answer about previous visas...)
- Hobbies and Interests (As it says on the tin! Remember they will use these interests to help match with a similar family)
- Driving (How long you've driven for, How often, What kind of roads...)
- Childcare (Experience and willingness to look after what kind of children e.g. special needs and ages...)
- Education (Previous schools...)
- Work experience (Previous jobs...)
- Medical and Health (Allergies, Dietary requirements...)
- Return (Have you had a J1 visa before?)
Once that's all done you need to fill out a more detailed form about your childcare experience, but again nothing impossible and once that's done you can write your host family letter. The host family letter, for me, had to be perfect. I saw it as my first chance to make an impression on my future host family and so I really wanted it to come across well written and reflect my personality. It was tricky to explain a lot about my self so the family know what kind of person would be living in their home and looking after their kids without sounding completely self centered. I found that a quick intro and then explaining about my history of childcare and why I want to become an au pair first showed that my main interest was working with children. I'll link my letter here if you'd like a nosey.
Sunday, 21 April 2013
Going International
All my life I have wanted to travel. I went through college with the slow realization that unless I were to win the lottery financially funding a gap year where I'd be able to travel to several places and genuinely experience different cultures would be near impossible to pull off.
University was an option but leaving with a degree which would not guarantee me a job and still leave me with thousands of pounds of debt did not appeal in the slightest, so after finishing with my A-levels I decided it was time to genuinely look into doing something with my time whilst I could do some soul-searching and decide what I want to do with my life.
I had heard a lot about Camp America from friends and family and it looked fantastic, America as a country has always fascinated me. I think because of the massive influence it has over my home country (Britain), the amazing history and of course I want to learn about the culture we hear so much about through media and find out what it's really like. Whilst having an investigate on the Camp America website I came across their other programs. One of which was Au Pair in America and as soon as I had read more about it I knew it was the thing for me to do.
The basic requirements ask that:
University was an option but leaving with a degree which would not guarantee me a job and still leave me with thousands of pounds of debt did not appeal in the slightest, so after finishing with my A-levels I decided it was time to genuinely look into doing something with my time whilst I could do some soul-searching and decide what I want to do with my life.
I had heard a lot about Camp America from friends and family and it looked fantastic, America as a country has always fascinated me. I think because of the massive influence it has over my home country (Britain), the amazing history and of course I want to learn about the culture we hear so much about through media and find out what it's really like. Whilst having an investigate on the Camp America website I came across their other programs. One of which was Au Pair in America and as soon as I had read more about it I knew it was the thing for me to do.
The basic requirements ask that:
- You're aged 18-26
- You have at least 200 hours childcare experience within the last 2 years
- You have a driving license
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