Being an Au Pair

When I first came to Australia I wasn't sure what line of work I would fall into & how I would even find work but luckily I have had my fair share of good luck on this side - having worked in hostels in Sydney & Mission Beach, to working in an Irish tea shop in Sydney's The Rocks, however my latest role isn't something I thought I would ever do.

I became an Au Pair in March 2012 and I am still working with the family to this day & probably will be until my second working holiday visa ends next year in October. It is safe to say that this has been something that has changed the way I acted, spoke & thought about family life, coming from a relatively large family back home I felt right at home when I joined my current family however as the months have gone on, I have started to feel the strain on our relationship's and started to miss my own family more which I didn't think would ever happen. That's not because I don't like my family (everyone's families have flaws) but because I spent so much time away from them going on holidays each year before coming to Australia that the time away didn't make much difference to my life prior. 

However, working in another family and seeing how they interact, etc plays a big part of your life and wether your ready for that or not, makes a huge impact on how you act as a person. I look after two boys aged 6 & 7, and boys being boys they do argue like cat & dog but are also lovely children to work with. It's lovely to see them grow and they almost at times feel like my own children - but thats when I have to draw the line. As much as I love children I don't wish for my own, having seen the struggles that families go through to make ends meet or to make sure the family dynamics work out equal is a lot of hard work if you don't have extra help and I am just not ready for that. I am only 26 so there is still time for me to change my mind but I just have never been a maternal person. 

When I first started as an Au Pair, I loved every minute of it and learning new things both about my family I work for but also about Australia joining them on holidays and day trips has been awesome, but I think over the past couple months I have started to drift away from what I first found exciting about what I do and now feel ready for another adventure. It's not to say I wish to leave so suddenly but more of a phase that I now think I have out-grown. 

Most other Au Pair's I know are aged between 18-21 years old and with myself being 26 (27 in Aug 2014) I feel like I am too old to do what I do, so I ask the question: Does being an Au Pair have an expiry date?

Answers on a postcard....