u/Downtown_Volume7529

Hi everyone, It’s my first time here. I’m 19 and I’m French. I would like to lose weight because I weigh around 80 kg (176 lbs) for 1.60 m (5'3"). I have a lot of fat around my hips, inner thighs, butt, and a bit on my stomach. Basically, a bit everywhere. I would like to lose weight and get under 60 kg. I don’t have a specific weight-loss goal or timeframe, but I know I want to lose it. We don’t really have a balanced diet. Easy meals at lunch and snack-style dinners or ready-to-heat meals in the evening. Also, my family and I are not sporty at all. I already lived alone for 6 months and I ate well, exercised, and managed to lose some weight. But I keep gaining weight again since I’ve been living with my parents. I feel a bit uncomfortable telling them that I want to eat healthier. I live in a small village without sports facilities. The nearest one is 20 minutes away by car and I don’t have a driver’s license. Has anyone ever been in my situation? How did you deal with it? I really need advice… 😭

Hi everyone, I need your advice and experiences. I’m a 19-year-old French girl and I’m currently in the process of becoming an au pair in Spain. I’ve been in contact with a family for about a month now and we’ve had two calls. The first call was quite chaotic because both children were present (a 4-year-old and a 6-month-old baby). The mom was feeding the baby while the older child was crying in the background. I had some doubts about how serious/organized things were, but I decided to give it a second chance — and I’m glad I did. The second call went really well. The older child wasn’t present, and the baby was also there but everything was calm and we were able to talk properly without interruptions. It reassured me a lot. Now, if I match with this family, I would leave in about two months (end of August or early September). My question is: would it be appropriate to ask them where they are in their decision process, and whether they see me as a serious candidate? I don’t want to sound pushy or impatient, but I also don’t want to stay in uncertainty for too long. What would you do in my situation?

Hi everyone! I'm writing a novel, and one of my main characters is an au pair. I'd really like the story to feel as realistic as possible, so I thought the best way would be to ask people who have actually lived it. What were your biggest difficulties when you first arrived? What surprised you the most? Did you experience any unusual situations, misunderstandings, awkward moments, struggles, or funny stories with your host family or the children? I'm interested in everything: culture shock, language barriers, homesickness, daily life, first days… even small or seemingly insignificant stories are very welcome! Thank you so much to anyone who takes the time to share their experience. It would really help me bring authenticity to my story. ❤️

Hey everyone, This is my first post here, so sorry in advance if I’m not following the rules properly or if anything isn’t very clear. I’m a 19-year-old girl from France. I’ve been babysitting regularly since I was 15, and I’ve always helped my parents take care of younger children. I really want to work in the childcare field, but I’m still not totally sure about the exact career path I should take. I’m going to be an au pair in Spain in about a month, and I’d also love to go au pair in an English-speaking country afterwards to improve both my Spanish and English. Since I know being an au pair can’t be a long-term career, I’ve started thinking about becoming a nanny. I was wondering how people actually become professional nannies? Are there specific qualifications or training needed? What are the career progression options like? Any advice, information, or personal experiences would really help me out. Thank you!

Hi everyone, I'm in a bit of a dilemma and would love some outside opinions. I'm currently looking for a Spanish host family, and I've been talking to one family in particular. So far, everything has been going really well. We communicate easily, they send me photos of what they're doing, and I send them photos of what I'm doing too. It no longer feels like a formal conversation between strangers, but more like talking to friends. However, there's one thing that's making me hesitate. We recently had a video call, but the timing wasn't ideal. The mother was feeding the youngest child while the older one was screaming in the background. Because of that, it was difficult to have a calm conversation or discuss important topics in depth. The youngest child seems absolutely adorable and very calm, but the older one appears to have quite a strong personality. Of course, I know it's impossible to judge a child based on one call, especially when they might have been tired or having a bad day. I really want to keep talking with this family because I genuinely like them, but I'm wondering if I'm ignoring a potential red flag. I'm also not sure whether we'll be able to arrange a call without the children present so we can have a more focused discussion. What do you think? Have any of you been in a similar situation? Am I overthinking this, or is it something I should pay attention to? Thanks in advance! 😊

Hi everyone,

This message is mainly for host families (but anyone is welcome to reply 😁).

I'm a 19-year-old French woman who would love to spend a year in Spain as an au pair. I've had video calls with at least five different families, but none of them have resulted in a match. I think my disability may play a role in that.

To keep it simple, I mention on my profile that I have a physical disability. I also discuss it openly during calls with families. They ask questions, and I answer very honestly. However, it seems that my disability works against me every time.

I was born with only my heels on both feet and a partial left hand. Despite this, I am completely independent in my daily life and do not require any special care or assistance.

As a host family, what concerns or worries might you have in this situation? And what could an au pair do or say to reassure you?

Thank you in advance for your thoughts and advice!

Hi, I need some advice. I’m French and I’m looking for a Spanish family to go to as an au pair for one year. I met a family where the chemistry is perfect; we’ve had several calls, lots of laughs… I took the initiative to message her again to explain a bit more about my disability (at her request). After this message, she told me that I’m a perfect au pair for this family. But right after that, she said she’s worried I might not be able to react in an emergency situation. I told her that I’ve already handled this kind of situation before and that I have first aid training. I don’t know if it’s over or if she’s just looking to be reassured. What do you think?

Hello,

I’m currently in the process of becoming an au pair with a family and I would really appreciate some outside advice to understand where I stand in the process.

I’ve had several exchanges with the family, including two video calls. I also met the child during one of the calls, and everything went really well (good vibe, laughter, natural communication).

We’ve been in contact for about a week now, with regular communication. The family also suggested a video call with my parents soon.

I feel like things are progressing well, but I’m not sure how to interpret this stage or what the usual next steps are in situations like this.

Do you think this is a good sign? And what usually happens next in an au pair matching process?

Thank you in advance for your help 😊

Salut à tous !

Je suis actuellement en pleine phase de recherche de familles en Espagne et je voulais savoir avec combien de famille vous avez discutéeavant de matcher.

Merci beaucoup !

Salut à tous,

Je suis en contact avec une famille espagnole super sympa ! C'est elle qui m'a contactée, nous avons discutee durant une semaine et j'ai eu un appel avec eux aujourd'hui.

Ça s'est vraiment super bien passée, et elle m'a proposée un deuxième appel avec la petite de 3 ans. Je suis 100% emballée.

Mais n'est ce pas trop parfait ? Je ne le pense pas mais on ne s'est jamais

Hi everyone, I have my first call tomorrow with a Spanish family for an au pair stay starting in September. There is a 12-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl. I’ve been learning some vocabulary to be able to communicate with them (since they’ll be present during the call), and I think I’m doing quite well. But I’m honestly really stressed. It’s not my first call with a Spanish family, but I wasn’t this nervous before. How did you manage your stress before and during your calls? And I would really love some positive stories !

Hi everyone, I have my first call tomorrow with a Spanish family for an au pair stay starting in September. There is a 12-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl. I’ve been learning some vocabulary to be able to communicate with them (since they’ll be present during the call), and I think I’m doing quite well. But I’m honestly really stressed. It’s not my first call with a Spanish family, but I wasn’t this nervous before. How did you manage your stress before and during your calls? And I would really love some positive stories!

Hi everyone,

I'm 19 years old and I would ideally like to go to Spain as an au pair for 1 year. I created an account on AuPairWorld and I quickly got in touch with a family.

The dad is the one handling everything, so I sent him a first message to introduce myself and talk about my availability. I originally wanted to leave in September, but he told me they were looking for someone starting in January. I said that wasn’t a problem at all, and we immediately arranged a call.

The call was supposed to last 15 minutes, but it only lasted 3. I still don’t know anything about this family because the dad mainly wanted to see if there was a first connection and to test my Spanish.

Should I be worried about the reliability of this family? We still haven’t talked about the children, their family, or my experience.

I don’t know if this is normal. Please help me!

Salut à tous,

J'ai 19 ans et je veux partir au pair en Espagne pour 1 an idéalement. J'ai créée un compte sur AuPairWorld et j'ai été rapidement en contact avec une famille.

C'est le papa qui s'occupe de ça donc je lui ai envoyée un premier message pour me présenter et mes disponibilités. Moi qui souhaitais partir en septembre, il m'a dit qu'il recherchait quelqu'un pour janvier. J'ai dis qu'il n'y avait aucun problème et un appel à de suite était convenu.

L'appel qui devait durer 15min en à durée que 3. Je ne sais toujours rien sur cette famille car le Papa voulait voir si un premier feeling passer et tester mon espagnol.

Je dois m'inquiéter sur la fiabilité de la famille ? Nous n'avons encore jamais discutée des enfants, de leur familles ou de mon expérience.

Je ne sais pas si c'est normal. Aidez moi !

Salut à tous !!

J'ai besoin d'aide pour un entretien vidéo avec une famille espagnole la semaine prochaine. J'ai commencer à discuter avec eux il y a quelques jours et un appel à déjà été fixée. Je communique avec le papa sur WhatsApp.

Des conseils pour que je gère un max mon entretien ? Sachant que mon espagnol est assez bon pour me faire comprendre et que je le comprends plutôt bien aussi