My new job!

My little boy Felix

So I researched for a good two months on what exactly I wanted to do in OZ. I wanted something cost effective and I thought about living with a host family. Then this brilliant idea hit: work and get paid to live with a family.

I’m pretty good with kids so I decided I can handle being an au pair (which is a step down from a nanny. You need special qualifications for that. And they get paid a lot more.) Au pair techinically is defined as a young person from 18-30 as a full time babysitter.

Pros of this job (vary depending on each family): free rent, utilities, wireless internet, groceries and security of having a family to already show you around and hopefully get over being homesick faster.

I signed up on 2 free websites: greataupair.com and newaupair.com. Go ahead check em out.

I talked to several families through email, comparing what they had to offer, how many kids, their daily situation and what my duties would be. I’m soo excited about the family I picked.

My Australian Family-- Felix, Sarah and Simon

Location: They live in Panania, a primarily Vietnamese small town (eh), 35 min train ride west of Sydney. Their mall is 15 min away so I’m used to that.

Sarah and Simon are the rents, with 3.5 year old Felix being my new little boy friend. I talked to Simon mostly in emails and Skype (explain in a later post). They have a German au pair, Tanja right now. She has been so sweet, answering all my questions. She’s been there since Sept and now she’s leaving to go travel out west to the other side of the country. It’s too bad– we really get along!!! She really helped me decide on this family by giving me the low down, saying that they are geninuely nice and Felix is pretty easy to handle (scoreeeeeee). She said he is just lovely!

Details on family:

 Jobs: Simon works at his own home office, an hour away in their cottage house. Something in stock market. Sarah is an executive assistant (like me!) in Sydney.

More details on my duties as an au pair later…