Nanny in Australia

Going to Australia to be a Nanny
By Lisa Webber
 
I think it all started when I was around 12. I found out I really loved younger children and wanted to be able to work in a career where I could help look after them. I thought maybe about childcare and that seemed to be a career path I would take. But I soon then realised I would actually like to be able to see some other countries as well and I didn't think childcare could really do that for me. So I thought about doing some nanny work or becoming an Au Pair. It was something that really didn't seem like too much hard work, I would get to work with children AND I had the potential to see the world if I took it overseas! So I thought to myself I could do it, and I started getting a few qualifications and some experience up here in the USA so that I could look a lot better to future clients when I applied for their positions. One such position that I saw was in a place called Hobart in Australia. I had never heard of Hobart but I knew a little bit about Australia so it sounded fun and like a good experience for me to have. I applied for it and had a Skype 'interview' with the family who seemed very impressed with what I had to offer. The job would only be for 6 months and all I would have to pay for was my air ticket to Hobart! They accepted my application and within 2 weeks I was on a plane, arrived in Australia and made my way to Hobart! It was all pretty exciting!
 
The family themselves though were very very nice, but I have never seen a more busier family in my entire life! Both parents worked full time and were always on the go with their jobs, so the reason they then needed me was to look after their 3 children which I had no trouble with! They had a newborn, a 1 year old and a 2 year old so they sure had been even busier over the last few years when it came to making babies! Their children though were a bit of a handful, but I have to admit that's how I like it because it makes the job all the more interesting for me and makes it never boring! It's always bad when you get a 'boring' family as I like a challenge, and this is exactly what their children presented to me! The newborn baby especially. He was a gorgeous little thing but oh my god did he cry a lot! And he even had a bad case of reflux which made things a lot worse. I had to keep taking him to the doctor and getting him checked up, but it did make things a little bit easier once all of that had cleared up thank god! I said before I liked young children and well I do, but the trouble some of these kids caused wow! The 2 year old boy was a little horror, he would never listen to anything I would ever say and he would always throw tantrums whenever I tried to tell him what to do. At first it was hard, but as I said I like a challenge so I soon gained control of the little boy and things would be fine after that. Their 1 year old daughter was actually pretty sweet and she didn't really cause me too much drama, but the boys, wow! I had to really control them!
 
It was fantastic to be able to go to Australia and experience a new culture because their way of dealing with things could be seen as quite different to what I was used too! And the way they spoke as well, there were lots of times where I couldn't understand them so I had to just try and pretend or even just basically ask 'what did you say' which was quite funny. And I still can't get over the fact that the whole time I was there I was provided with free accommodation. That to me was amazing, all I had to do was pay for an air ticket to the other side of the world and then there I was, staying for free. It totally astounded me. And I met so many different people and made lots of friends, but the main thing was that I soon found myself loving the children and really not wanting to leave! When my 6 months were up I was very sad, I found myself crying and wanting to stay a bit longer! But the family did tell me that if they ever needed a nanny ever again that they would give me a call and that I would always be welcome if I ever found myself back in Australia. That was a great thing for them to say and it really did bring a bit of a smile to my face after a very hard time having to go home!
 
So if you are out there and wanting to work with young kids and you also would love to see some other parts of the world, then you should really think about becoming a nanny and doing it overseas because the experiences you have will be absolutely amazing. Really, I had the time of my life and I am looking again online as we speak to see if there are some other positions for me to go after and go somewhere new in the world. You really do need to be prepared to look after children and do so in the best possible way, and you should never become complacent or assume that every job you get will be easy because trust me when I say that's never usually the case! Just keep your head in the game though and you will soon find yourself having a blast in another country!