When I say au pair clique, I am not talking about “On Wednesday’s we wear pink” cliques, I am talking about your girls, your ride-and-die group of Au Pair friends that are there for you through the best and worst of times. Besides getting along with your family and taking care of the kids, this is the next most important thing to have during your time as an Au Pair.
Depending on where you are going, there may be an abundance of girls in the area or a handful, but either way, there is always a method to growing your clique. The best way to start is to ask around. More times than not, there is already an Au Pair community nearby or in the area that know of each other, plan weekend trips and hang out after work. Join their group. What’s App is a great place to add all the Au Pairs and get the conversation flowing.
In my group, cleverly named “Brilliant Au Pairs”, it is a constant stream of stresses from a days’ work, plans for the evening, dinner dates and pub crawls. The options are limitless.
Once you have your clique, you have the toolbox you need to thoroughly enjoy your stay.
It is so important to make these relationships a priority. These girls are not just strangers that happen to be in the same town as you, these girls are living the same experience you are living. They are going through the same heartaches and learning to live in a culture that isn’t their own. They can relate to you the most out of anyone in your new home and have firsthand knowledge or advice to give whenever you find yourself in a difficult situation.
The au pair clique is your therapist when the kids are too much to handle, your escape when you can’t imagine waking up at 7:30 one more day in a row, your shoulder to cry on when you miss your family and your wingman when you see a cute local who just needs to be chatted up at the pub.
Long after you are home from your time as an Au Pair and your daily routine no longer revolves around kids, the one thing that will remain the same is the constant buzz of notifications that you get from your new What’s App group of alumni Au Pairs, catching up and planning the next girls-only weekend trip.
