Au pair bloggers needed Things are a little slow here at Ultimate Au Pair: the christmas holidays have just been and our writers travelled back home (forgetting about au pairing, kids and tantrums). So, it's about time to get things up and running again! To celebrate the new year, Ultimate Au Pair would like to find some enthusiastic new writers…
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Au Pair Profile
Yep. You read that title right. PAUL. I'm part of the rare niche of male au pairs. I'll explain more about the perks and downfalls of this unique perspective, but first let's get the nitty gritty out of the way. Name: Paul Bowles Nationality: 'Murican (read: American) Gender: Male Age: 20 Number of Children: 2 - Boy age 7 &…
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10 Tips for Au Pair Survival
Sometimes being an au pair is just overwhelming, so here's my top 10 tips for not only surviving, but also enjoying the experience. 1. It's all about tactics What's your plan of attack? Be prepared with a mental list of important things the host parents need you to do by the time they get home, and then plan what time…
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Les Coiffeurs – English Speaking Hair Salon Paris
My hair is one thing I love getting done! When I lived in Liverpool I went as often as I could afford to as a student and was always left feeling amazing...because well, I got my hair done didn't, I who doesn't feel great after. Unless of course they ruin it! This is what I was super afraid of when…
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Amazing shops to explore in Montmatre
These past couple of weeks in Paris have been so much easier! Au pair friends told me when I first started that the first couple of weeks are the hardest, now I think I finally believe them. Now that I have gotten to know my host family, we get on so much better! The host mother now explains to me…
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Visitor, Visitor!!
So the weekend I have been dying to come has finally arrived...yes the weekend my best friend Charlotte came to see me. I spent three years at Liverpool university and had many people say "ohhhh I can't wait to visit you at uni". You soon realised that visiting wasn't as easy as you thought, and people who were once dying…
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Life on ‘Vacation’ – Part 2
As I mentioned in my last blog, the kids are off on their very regularly vacations from school. This meant that in the second week I was going for my first trip away with my host family. We went to one of their favourite places, where they have been holidaying for years. Île de Ré is situated off the coast…
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Life on ‘Vacation’ – Part 1
Now I do not know if this is a European thing but personally as a kid I wouldn't have minded having two weeks off in October, December, February, April and more in summer! This is of course great news for the children in France, but in the eyes of the parents not so great news. This essentially means extra money…
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The RER A Disaster
When I arrived in Paris I was very impressed with the train and metro system here, not only because it could bring you to most places in Paris but also because it saved my life when it came to getting around. Living in an urban area of west of Paris is great because I can see how people live outside…
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Week 2: Was coming here the right decision?
My host mum has been getting angrier and angrier at me for little things, such as putting dishes back in the wrong cupboard, or not making the dinner quick enough. I am really trying to do everything she asks me, according to her high standards. However the more annoyed she gets, the more I panic and do things wrong! I’ve…