Corona, isolation, a new everyday life and being grasped...
It's been tough times for the last ten weeks for most people in the world. A completely unreal and inconceivable situation for most people, and the whole family gathered in the home for schooling, babysitting and work. But (-since I live in Denmark, have my agency here, I have to deal with the situation here) the Danes have been super cool, and praised for the handling of virus. Slowly and controlled the society is being opened up again. We must continue to take care of ourselves and each other to avoid a set back. At the same time, it has been impressive to experience how everyone has been "in the same boat", thought solution-oriented and got homeschooling, childcare and career to run in the best way. My own two teen-age children learned both structure and overview in our everyday life. Phrases like "I have a meeting in half an hour on Teams" and "Mette (our prime minister) has a press conference at 13.00" became everyday life. And they saw how mommy was working and running her business form the office. And we met in the kitchen every day for lunch break.
I think we will learn a lot from this period. Among other things, I think we learn that it takes a lot before we become completely paralyzed again, and not quickly are able to think creatively and in opportunities instead of obstacles. Of course, there are things that are out of our hands, no matter how hard we try to solve them. But I also think that we will learn to appreciate each other, the family, a huge hug and just enjoy being social. The little things have become more important. Yesterday when I visiting the city center where I live, I got a bit emotional from seeing people sitting in cafées on the streets and alleys, enjoying an ice cream and a cold beer in the sunshine. This is something that most people have missed, and that we have taken for granted.
The day Denmark was locked down, I was at the colleges in Aarhus putting up posters about becoming an au pair abroad. Due to the lock down I had to give up completion in the rest of the country this year. On the other hand, I have an ad in a little book that comes along with all the graduation hats for the future graduating students. This means that it is still possible to go abroad and experience the world as an au pair if you have thoughts of taking a year off if you are a "scandinavian youngster" who finish College now. If you are from other countries abroad and want to come to Scandinavia as au pair you can apply here. And also remember to read the website carefully to answer all you questions before applying. All should be describe there.
Inquiries from families and au pairs are starting to come in again, and it is super nice and just the way it should be. At the same time, I hear from the agencies I work with around the world, that they are confident in terms of border openings within the next month or two. So we believe that it is of course possible to send au pairs as well as get au pairs to Scandinavia as soon as possible. Embassies and Consulates have continued being closed. But the last message is, that most Embassies and Consulates and Public buildings have shorter deadlines now for opening than they have had so far. So at the end of May - early June, we hope they start opening up globally again. So there is still a reason to believe in the dream and the project, whether you want to be an au pair or want an au pair. We will keep you updated on the latest news on the opening of Embassies and Consulates, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc. as much as we can.
There are still things we can do, if you would like to have an au pair or travel abroad as an au pair. The application process itself and finding a family or au pair we can still start up. The actual visit to the embassy is later. But the advantage of using aupairagent.dk is that you have to make as little as possible yourself. We guide families and au pairs throughout the process, and we are available throughout the period you are either au pair or have au pair in the family. So you are never alone.
Right now we are in need of Scandinavian au pairs for Italian families. A "sports crazy" family in Milan wants an au pair for 6 months after the summer holidays. A family near Alba with a girl of 10 years need an au pair as soon as the borders open and 3 months ahead. So, if you or someone you know wants an experience in the Southern Europe, then please do contact us or apply here. You may also contact me and hear more about the specific families. I will post specific "au pair jobs" on Facebook, Instagram and in the Newsletters in the future. So there are several opportunities to stay up to date on these on social media. Sign up for the newsletter on the website either as a family or au pair. Right now there is a "Freebie" where you get 4 emails with good advice to either become au pair or get au pair. And good advice we can all use once in a while. And don't worry…. I don't spam you or write anything long and outrageous ... And if you have any questions about anything specific, you are always welcome to call or write to us. You can do that right here.
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