Being a Nanny in Holland

Aupair, Nanny, Baby Sitter, Not their Mom

So I came to Holland in 2008 as an aupair.

It was my first time from home, my first time flying; as well as ever being held responsible. The year was terrifying, exhausting.

I got to travel and learned so much from that alone. To top it off I was pushed beyond my limits of what I thought possible and taught myself to speak Dutch. It was and is incredible. We often have doctor appointments for our daughter and I am able to do the entire appointment in Dutch.

Ultimetly the best thing that happend to me that year was that I met my Husband! He was hanging out with friends that were the neighbor to the family I lived with (did you follow that?) But I continued to see him at birthday parties and we finally got a chance to go on our first date. (our Mutual friend set it up) Things went rather quickly after that though! Pregnant with in about 2 months after moving in.

Back to being an aupair and my best advice is to use a trusted agency and to be open and honest about everything with everyone who is involved. This will insure your safety and make certain that you grow and make the most of your time. There are different options for duration from just a few months up to a year; the longer you stay the more benefits you get from your agency.

Earnings, lets face it as any aupair before of after me will also say you are not an aupair to get the money. Some definitions call being an aupair an exchange of culture. So pretty much you work your tale off just to learn about a different culture and I did and it was worth it; but I wish I knew more going into it just how rough if was going to be living on such little money. I have heard of other aupairs getting extra jobs to get a little more cash but usually this is illegal if not then just frowned upon.  However the ammount you make depends on where you are living for your aupair stay.

Working Hours are also different depending on the country. Here in Holland at the time I worked it was 30 hours a week including 2 nights of avaliblity. In those 30 hours I was to cook dinner, wash the childrens laundry, Iron the childrens laundry, Vacuum the house once a week, bring kids to and from school and appointments, and sometimes bed.

www.travelactive.nl is the agency I used and they have many other options for travel and I was very pleased with them and their envolvement in my year.