Nicola in France

From the very first day that I arrived in Paris I felt so welcomed as part of my host family & I feel like we have already formed a strong bond. It was lovely having a few weeks to get to know them better before getting into the school routine. I’m excited to start my French lessons today & meet some more au pairs there. I’ve already made some great friends through the welcome picnics & introductory meeting! I’ve attached a photo of me at a crepe restaurant in an old flour mill called Char à Bancs. We went there for dinner when we were staying with their Granny in Bretagne. Thank you for all your help in setting me up with my host family 🙂

Emilie in France

I have many many stories to share from my placement… I’ll start by saying that this was the perfect placement, for my host parents and for me. I’ve spent the past 10 months looking after a 4 year old girl and 5 year old boy. It’s a difficult age to care for because they don’t remember to do little things like blow their nose when it’s running, but, it’s also a very cute age where they ask you questions like ‘is there an ambulance for animals?’ after we saw a bird with a broken wing.

My host parents really made me feel a part of their family. I spent Christmas meeting their extended family and holidaying with them in the ski fields of Le Grande Bornand. We shared the same sense of humour and shared a mutual respect which motivated me to work hard. It’s an odd feeling, to feel like the single mum of children that aren’t your own. But if you’re lucky enough to feel loved by the kids you care for you’ll be surprised at how much you would do for them without thinking twice.

My family introduced me to many typically French traditions (and many yummy bottles of wine) and I think because of that, I have fallen in love with France. I lived in Brittany which is not the most popular area of France that you hear about but I think no matter where you are placed there is so much to learn and so much to see. Before my French classes started I was totally alone during the day when the kids were at school and during the weekends, this lasted one full month. So every weekend I took the car and drove to a new area of Brittany which I hadn’t seen before and it’s still some of the best times I’ve had here.

It’s daunting to imagine yourself flying to a foreign country where people speak a different language to your own. It’s even more daunting to imagine that ALL your friends and family are far away. But I found that it’s not too difficult to find friends. Travellers tend to stick together and once language school starts, the au pairs always find each other. In fact, the hardest part about making friends here is having to say goodbye because you can’t be sure when you’ll see them again.

Thanks again for the experience everyone at JCR. Writing this email made me cry! Haha. I’ve just had the best time of my life.

Elise in France

Thank you so much for helping place me. I know some times were stressful but you guys helped heaps and I really appreciate that. It is so nice here: the house is amazing and the family are so lovely and have made me feel very welcome. I also attended two days of school with Marie-Mathilde which was an experience. Very different to Australian school! I enjoyed it. The scenery is also very amazing! Petit roads and lots of trees and flowers!! The girl and I also have lots in common which is great. I will keep you updated with some more experiences soon!