My au pair experiences - tips and advice

I have worked as an au pair twice in the Republic of Ireland and Spain. They were two of the best experiences of my life and they changed me as a person.

My first experience was in the Republic of Ireland in a small town called Killorglin. When I arrived, I realised the families house was in a rural location about a ten minute drive from the town. This made me feel quite alienated at first and I experienced terrible homesickness during the first week. Being from a town, I had never lived in the countryside before so it was all new to me. However, I decided to stick it out and I ended up having a great experience.

I ended up falling in love with the countryside, County Kerry is a beautiful place. I got along well with the family, although the children drove me crazy at times. I also made friends with 3 other au pairs in the same area and I had access to a car which made it a great experience. At weekends or on our other days off, we would meet up and go on road trips around County Kerry. There was a really nice bar in Killorglin which ended up being one of my favourite places there. Me and the other au pairs would go there once a week for coffee and cake. The cheesecake was to die for! They had a different flavour each week, my favourites were after eight and baileys.

Spain

Two years ago, I went to Spain for 10 months. It was by far my best experience. My host family were so welcoming and nice, they treated me well and I am still in contact with them.

When I first arrived, I was exhausted from my early morning flight and found it very overwhelming. I had learnt some Spanish before going, but it wasn't good enough to be able to understand so that was difficult. I am still learning Spanish now and want to move back to Spain sometime in the future! My Spanish has improved since and I managed to get by whilst I was there by ordering things in a restaurant or café in Spanish.

I made friends with other au pairs in Spain which was nice. They were actually living in the same town where I was. It was about thirty minutes on the train from Madrid. We would meet up at weekends and go out in Madrid.

During my time in Spain, I took a couple of solo trips on weekends to Salamanca and Valladolid. Although, I was anxious about travelling on my own in a foreign country, I'm glad I went on those trips as I saw some beautiful places.

These two experiences changed my life. They made me more confident and independent. I learnt a new language and I became more open minded.

My tips and advice

For anyone who is looking to solo travel, my advice would be to face your fears and go for it! It is honestly life changing, you will explore new places, go on adventures, learn about different cultures and have the time of your life! I'm not saying it was easy. It is difficult and can be overwhelming, going to a new country alone and leaving your family and friends behind. I am saying it is worth it though!

If you want to become an au pair, I used the website au pair world. You create a profile and choose which country you want to go, then you can find potential families and apply by sending them a message. They can also send you a message, that's how I found my host family in Spain. My advice would be to talk to the family on Skype first and get to know them before signing a contract. Make sure you know what to expect and what they're expectations are from you. Also, check the accommodation you will be staying in, how much you will be paid and if the family have any pets. Ask them any questions you can think of.

Once you have made that decision, go out there, meet new people, go on adventures, have fun and enjoy it! I promise you, you won't regret it.