AIFS Au Pair in Australia

My host family were incredible and looked after me so well. I really did feel like a member of their family. One of my favourite memories with the girls comes from my love of the story the 'Gruffalo' the girls had never heard this story so being my all time favourite I ordered them a copy. I read it to them countless times, including silly voices for each character!! Then one day I put on some music whilst we were doing some craft activities. Florence And The Machine 'You got the love' came on, to which the youngest girl heard it as you 'You Gruffalo'!!! so we spent probably the next half an hour dancing around the house singing to the newly named Gruffalo song!! For the rest of the time I was with the family and I played music, the girls always requested the Gruffalo song. Now whenever hear that song it always reminds me of those amazing six months I was lucky enough to spend in and amazing place with and incredible family.

Being placed in the outback gave me a chance to see the real side of Australia that being in a city wouldn't have allowed me to see. Yes it was isolated, yes it was a 4 hour drive to the supermarket, yes I saw snakes, yes I saw spiders, yes there wasn't a huge social scene but being out there gave me the chance to see things that I may never see and experience again. One of my favourite being the sunsets, even after six months the sunrises and sunsets out there still amazed me, the creatures that I saw, kangaroos, wallabies, blue tongued lizards, emu, cockatoos, pelicans, the list could go on and on. Sure if you go to a zoo you will get to see them, but I got to see them all in their natural habitat and living in the wild, I even saw some Kangaroos boxing!! I swam in the river which was like being in a bath, learnt to fish, spent many evening beer in hand in the pool watching the sunset followed by a barbecue, Bliss!!

Ok so there are a list of cons to living in the outback but the pros well and truly out weigh them. the lifestyle is so relaxed away form all the hustle and bustle. Just you, your host family and nature that goes on for miles and miles around!! Where else could you get that.

Oh and if all those experiences aren't valuable enough, I got paid to do the job! Which funded sine incredible travelling afterwards!

Would I do it all again? YES without a doubt!

I always wanted to become an au pair and live abroad for some time. After finishing my A levels I decided to spend 6 months in Australia.

It was the longest time that I had left my family and friends so far and it helped a lot that AIFS arranged for a group of us to be on the same flight. We also attended the orientation days in their office in Sydney together. The AIFS team was wonderful and so helpful! They gave us a ton of tips and also organized our trips to the host families.

My time in Canberra went by in the blink of an eye it seems now. My host family and I were a good match and I will forever be thankful for the wonderful time I got to spent with them. The children became something like my younger siblings and when my six months placement came to an end it was very hard to say goodbye.

During my time in Canberra I also got to know a lot of other au pairs through AIFS and one of them still remains a close friend of mine. We see each other at least once a year and both agree that going to Australia was the best decision we could have made! Not only have we found a true friend so far from home, we also have grown a lot as a person while living abroad and of course traveling Australia has also been an amazing experience!

All in all I made unforgettable memories that I get to keep for a lifetime!

I would recommend for anyone to go abroad as an au pair as it gives you the opportunity to experience a different culture in a very unique way and will not only help with improving your language skills but also make you a more responsible and independent person. - All while you are making a lot of new friends and are having a great time with a family that invites you to share their life with them.

And if there will be any problems, which is normal as being an au pair isn't always easy, AIFS provides amazing support. They are always there for you whether you just need to talk or require help in any other way!

After I did my A-levels back in Germany I decided to spend a year abroad to travel, experience a different way of life and to improve my English. After 6 weeks in a host family I did not really get on with the host mum that is why I was in rematch. Within one week I had offers from over 5 families which I visited and finally I found the right match for me - thanks to AIFS. The staff was amazingly supportive!! My new host family was great. They made me feel welcome all the time, they also invited me to join them for friends and family celebration and on holidays twice. As I was living in a big city I made friends easily most of them where also Au Pairs from AIFS. My year abroad definitely made me a more independent and confident person and I would always recommend it to everyone!! The completion bonus at the end of the placement is great to use for travelling afterwards around Australia, New Zealand, Fiji or Asia.

My adventure began with my application at AIFS early 2013. I was about to finish my Abitur (German A-levels)and really wanted to go somewhere far from home.
Filling in the application form and sorting everything out was a long-term process I definitely underestimated. It's a lot of work, but in the end so worth it.
When I finally found my host family I knew it was the one I wanted to live with. I skyped with the mum and instantly knew that I'd get along with her perfectly. We constantly wrote E-Mails and skyped a few times.
I first planned on leaving Germany in October but because my host fam wasn't in need until January I got everything sorted in the meantime and got myself a small job to earn some extra money.
The group of girls AND boys flying over to Oz was relatively big. It was great fun on the flights and in the hostel during our orientation days in Sydney. It was all very well organised and sorted, as well as the help before flying out. Well done, AIFS.
Most of the girls were placed along the east coast and mostly caught a bus or train. Some others who lived further away or like me along the west coast jumped on a plane. All the tickets and timetables were provided by the host family and given to us by AIFS during our stay in Sydney.

I got to Perth on Saturday night and was immediately greeted by my hostmom with a kiss on my cheek, while my hostdad, typically Australian, shook my hand. It was great getting to the house and seeing my new home for the next few months- Perth.
I still remember how it looked like for the first time and probably won't ever forget the excited and slightly anxious feeling. Being so far away from home was going to be difficult. But thankfully my host family and their friends helped me get settled in rather quick.
I looked after two adorable little boys. The youngest one was 4 months old the older one 1.5 years. I absolutely love them, and seeing them growing up was and still is an amazing gift.
My hostmom then told me about a Facebook group for AuPairs in Perth, where everyone is able to chat and meet up and make new friends. That's how I met one of my best friends, who I travelled through Oz, New Zealand (yes I went there) and the Pacific with.

The plan was to stay for 7.5 months and then fly back home and go to university. That never happened...I decided to stay longer Down Under than initially planned and travelled around, made new friends and saw so many different places, uncountable. Spending Christmas at the beach, wearing you bikini and celebrating New Years in Sydney is definitely an experience and so so worth it.

The good thing about 'Straya is that everyone is so open and friendly, that it's easy to find friends.
I had lots of girls I met up with for weekly play dates with the kids or for a couple of beer and a "barbie" at the beach.
My host parents are like an older siblings to me. We get along so well, and are still texting a lot. They're my second family, my second home on the other side of the world.
It's not easy to get yourself settled in a new family and I was very lucky to have such great support.
I wouldn't want to change my experience for anything in the world. I had amazing opportunities, found even better friends and made some of the most unforgettable memories.
Being able to do what I always wanted to do and have the support of my family and the organisation was more than I ever hoped for.

I am from Kiel, Germany and 19 years old. 4 years ago I decided to go to Australia as an Au Pair. Since than I planned and grew my plans to go leave my hometown after finishing my A-levels, which is where AIFS came in. AIFS was a great decision and they have been helpful in every situation. I am au-pairing in a small town called "Carnarvon," 1000 kilometres north of Perth. I have two kids. One little girl (1 year old) called Ella and one little boy, Liam (almost 5). They are special, so lovely and adorable. They give me so much love and I became a part of their life and family. They are so attached to me as I am to them. The life in a rural area is fun, interesting and a great adventure. I have grown so much and learned a lot about myself throughout this experience. I'm glad I've done this and made so many great experiences with my new family and my kids. I learned a lot about Australia and I've seen a different Australia than anyone that went to the east coast!

My journey began in July 2013. I arrived as the first Au Pair in Roxby Downs, so I often explained what an Au Pair is, who I am and where I come from. The community in Roxby was always very interested in me and my journey, most of the people said I'm brave and they would love to do something like that, but they are afraid.
I didn't feel that brave and strong because I was really homesick, cried a lot, I was wondering if my decisions in becoming an Au Pair, going to Australia and especially choosing a family who lives in the outback with no other Au Pairs around were right. I had lots of doubts and worries especially the first time. Everyone says it's getting better in time and they were right after I survived the first downs I grew on them and they made me stronger every day. So I stopped crying and instead I was looking for things I could do in this beautiful, special, small mining town in the outback of SA. I started to meet people from all over the world, because that's what Australia is about. It's a multicultural nation; I met people from South Africa, Eastland, Russia, India, Papua New Guinea.... But I couldn't find anyone from Germany. It was hard for me to talk in English all the time, all my Au Pair friends had other Au Pairs or backpackers to talk to in their own language and I was a bit jealous but I learned you always have to look on the bright side. I came to Australia to improve my English and there is no better way to learn English than to use English the whole time in your everyday life.
A good friend of mine always said I'm jealous because my English didn't improved that much because I'm always talking German in my free time and I haven't met any Australian cause I spend my free time with other Au Pairs.
So you see there is always a good and a bad side, sometimes it was really hard for me and I felt lonely in a foreign country with foreign people but every time I tried new things and started to talk to other people I felt better and better and I saw that I'm now not afraid anymore to do things on my own or to try new maybe odd things. I just feel more independent and that's what a gap year in a foreign country is about. To learn who you are, to become independent, also to enjoy your time off away from the busy and maybe boring everyday life you had before and to try new things especially when they seem really odd :D
Here in Roxby I participated on a Pink Ribbon Golf Day to raise money for the Pink Ribbon association we played Golf in the Roxby Downs Golf Club, auctioned a caddy and had fun (I never played golf before :D). I did a silver jewellery making workshop with an incredible woman I met here in Roxby; we had a beautiful Christmas pageant on a sunny, hot day. I left my print at the community mural with self-made ceramic tiles (even one that says AIFS Au Pair in Australia). Also quite lot families in Roxby are thinking now of getting an Au Pair and I feel great because I helped them to get to know what an Au Pair is. Au Pairing is a good thing for families and students even if you have some issues with your family, I also had them.
What I learnt is, that you need to talk to people about your feelings and your wishes, it can be really hard but it's necessary if you want to be happy.
I also became a member of another family which is really great and they will always think of me like I will. Every time my Hostchild rides her bike she will think of me because I taught her how to ride, when she is teaching it to her children in the future she will probably think of me as well and may use the same way I taught her to ride the bike. It's amazing what you can show your Hostchildes and how important you can become for another person.
I can just recommend doing a gap year if you ever had the wish to do it!
In the end you would regret it, even if you decide to do a gap year and after 3 months you decide you want to go back. You can because you do that for yourself, AIFS lets you go home if you want to, I'm not sure if other agencies would let you go earlier.
AIFS acts more in the background just to help you if you need help, otherwise they let you do anything you want to do, and it’s not like they are your agency and controls what you have to do. They let you arrange everything with your Hostfamily on your own. What they do is, they help you especially at the beginning with all forms etc. and they are there for you if you need help. And that's exactly what I wanted, support here in Australia during my gap year.