Wanderlust Exchange

Living in Shenzhen and sharing a household with Nadya’s family has truly been the best decision of my life—and I’ve made dozens of significant choices before this. Nadya and her family are incredibly sweet, understanding, and flexible, creating a warm and welcoming environment that made my stay unforgettable.

The children were absolutely delightful, and I know I will miss the oldest daughter for the rest of my days. We've journeyed to over 10 incredible locations, delving into the rich tapestry of Chinese culture and savoring a myriad of delicious cuisines. These past two months have felt like living a dream, with each day offering new adventures and unforgettable experiences.

I am deeply thankful for this amazing opportunity and the wonderful memories we created together. This experience has truly been life-changing, and I will cherish it forever.

Some people come to China for business, others for study, others for travel. Most stay in hotels or private apartments, mingling with other foreigners and generally staying out of touch with the real China.
The reason I chose to au pair in China was because I wanted to learn Mandarin in the fastest way possible - total immersion! Living with a Chinese family in Beijing has given me the WILD and highly uncommon opportunity to improve my language skills daily as well as witness, understand and take part in authentic Chinese culture. This is something no amount of "touristing" can provide.
My three greatest treasures have been my part-time language classes (completely sponsored by my host family), immersion in Chinese cuture, and the friendships I have forged. I consider my language journey highly successful - I had zero background upon my arrival and now, less than a year later, I have passed my HSK 4 with high scores and am studying HSK 5.

Of course, there are certainly challenges, but these often turn out to be the greatest achievements. Living in your work environment can be tiring, and children can be frustrating, but suddenly vivid snapshot-like memories fill my mind...Skiiing on the snowy slopes of Chongli. New Year fireworks against an starry midnight sky. Sandcastles on a beach in the south. The first time a child smiles and call you his friend. Qingdao beer at an open-air concert.
All is not fun and games. Being an au pair is quite emotionally demanding and often language barriers can be uncomfortable or discouraging. BUT for those individuals who truly have a desire to experience the world, to grow as a person, to gain practical knowledge and skills, forge relationships, and emerge an enriched and stronger person -

For you and me, an opportunity like this is treasure.

When i accepted this program, i didn't know what to expect! I've been living in china for 5 years now away from my family, so i needed something like this! I've learned a lot about the Chinese culture, even much more than the 5 years that i have been living here in china, and that's by having the opportunity to get involved the Chinese family experience and understand the way they think, their way of seeing things from their own perspective. So i enjoyed my time a lot! I recommend every language student to give it a try, you'll gain experience from it!

My experience as an au-pair was a 4 out of 5. I have been here from the end of February till the beginning of July. Getting a student X2 visa with the right documents provided by the school and the company, makes it all a lot easier. So don’t worry too much about the visa, just look at what you need, where to make an appointment, and in my case, Wanderlust helped me a lot with questions about my visa. So that was really reassuring. Because that is a very important part of course. When I finally arrived in Shanghai I was escorted by one of the employees of Wanderlust, to the family’s home from the airport by metro. And a few days later I received an introduction tour from the company Wanderlust with some other new students. We went to the Shanghai museum, which was my favorite part. The next few weeks I had to wait till my classes started and I was getting to know my family, the teacher at the language school, Mr. Alex, was such a wonderful person and teacher. He was always ready to help me if I had any questions. Yes, even if they were stupid questions. And their headmaster was also always ready to help you, I could see that they all worked hard and also cared about their students. And as for the family, I am legit so incredibly lucky to have met this family. They are amazing persons and made me into a better person, they are always working hard and trying to improve themselves and their skills. So they influenced me to do the same. While teaching their 4 girls English and playing with them, I tried to ask them how I could improve. And they always came back with helpful feedback. It is not always like this, but they really treated me like their own family member, I love them, and I hope that if you choose this program, you will be as lucky as me to find such a great, warm-hearted family. So the school and family were so great, I had to travel a long time 3 days a week (about 2 hours) to get from their home to school, but for me that was totally worth it. I made some great friends at the language school and a few of them I will never forget. For me this program I was, working hard, learning hard, on my off days either resting, learning or hanging out with friends, and overall a great, great time. Everybody has their own priorities, for me it was learning Chinese and becoming a better teacher, person, etc. Somebody who you can rely on. I gave it a 4 out of 5 because things like communication can always be better, so I am honest while writing reviews. I would recommend this program for people who love to be put in completely different environments, cultures, work ethic, etcetera. And be sure to look at what kind of family you will be staying with, because that is in my opinion the most important part in deciding how you will feel about this program. What do they expect you to teach the children? For how many hours? How far is the school from your home? What will you do with the children in their free time? Etc. I wish you the best of luck if you decide to do this program, good luck and have fun!

I was an au pair with Wanderlust for 4 months, and it was an absolutely amazing experience. Wanderlust was so helpful everything starting from the interview process all the way to the end of my time as an au pair. They were very prompt with answering my messages when I needed help. Staying away from home for so long was definitely quite nerve-wracking, but having the agency be there as support in case I ran into any problems allowed me to feel relief.

The family and the kid, who was 7 years old, was also wonderful to be with. The kid and I developed a very close bond. The family welcomed me with open arms and went above and beyond to make sure my stay here in China was comfortable. All in all, I am so grateful to be able to teach English while also learning Chinese here in China. I couldn't have had such an amazing experience had it not been for the family and most importantly, Wanderlust.