Welcome to our advice area for all
girls who have been placed with a totalnannies.com's host family. On
this page we try to give you some advice, based on our many years
experience on how to make a success of your experience abroad.
Remember it will take some time for you to adjust
to your new surroundings! It can be daunting to arrive into a foreign
country where you don't understand the language and into a new family
whom you don't know and you are unfamiliar with their routine. You also
have to contend with serious child care duties and the acceptance of the
children. Sometimes the challenge of all of these problems at once can
be overwhelming.
We understand the problems you may be facing and
we have also made sure that your host family appreciate this.
It is important when you first arrive in your new
family that you find the courage to openly discuss any issue that you
are not happy with. That way from the very beginning little problems
that can eventually become big ones can be overcome from the start. Also
by communicating with your host family from the start will help to
establish a good healthy relationship where you can all be honest with
each other. Don't forget you will be staying with this family for a year
and it is in everyone's interests to make this experience a positive
one.
However hard you try, you will probably find
certain children, certain people irritating! This is totally natural and
not your fault and all to do with the strain you are under. In this job
your patience will definitely be tested and it will depend on how much
training you have had on how you will cope in these situations. If you
are not coping very well don't worry it isn't your fault. However you
MUST do something about it immediately. We suggest that
first you talk to your host family and explain to them the strain you
feel you are under. Perhaps they could organize a new routine for you.
Under no
circumstances must you ever hit or shake a child.
If you feel you are unable to talk to your host
family don't feel you are alone. You aren't! Get in contact with your
post-placement co-ordinator. They can act as a go-between between
yourself and your host family. They have a lot of experience in this
field and can speak your host family's language.
Always remember before you left home what your
objectives where. Wouldn't be great to go home after this year having
achieved what you set out to do. This is all to do with adaptability.
You have to forget the things you are used to back home and try to enjoy
all your new challenges even if some of them don't turn out quite as you
expected. We have had a girl wanting to go home because her host family
didn't have baked beans! Yes you guessed it, she should have never
travelled in the first place. If there is something you particularly
like or dislike tell your host family. They will be probably more than
pleased to help.
99% of our candidates have had a fantastic
unforgettable experience because they have made friends. Not just with
their family but also with people of their own age group. They have
usually found their friends in the environment of their interests and
hobbies. If you like hand gliding join a hand gliding club where you can
meet young people with your own interests. If you like dancing go to a
disco. If you are interested in foreign languages join a language
school. We can help you make your first friends by putting you in
contact with other girls working in families. Just click on the
contact other candidates link to access
their contact details. Let's face it, the key to any happy
travelling experience is to make friends.
