Former Year 13 student Myrtille L decided to travel to Valladolid, Spain over the summer as part of her gap year adventure. 

Since she arrived in the beautiful and tranquil city of Castilla Leon, she has appeared on the national news as the only au pair currently in the region. 

An Au Pair is a young adult between 18 to 30 years old who travels to a foreign country to live with (and work for) a host family. Usually an Au Pair will receive a monetary allowance for personal use and assist the family with childcare and housework.

Travelling to a foreign country is an attractive proposition for most students on a gap year. Becoming an Au Pair offers you the chance to enjoy free food, accommodation and gives you life and work experience. More importantly living with a family in their own home also offers a unique perspective on the country, its people and culture.

Myrtille was inspired by Ms Rosado, who herself was once an Au Pair in Paris many years ago. Later, when she became a working mum, she knew that she wanted to welcome students to her home searching for a similar experience in the UK. Over the years, Ms Rosado and her family have hosted many Au Pairs and made lifelong friendships, resulting in an enormously enriching experience.

Myrtille has loved her experience so far and would recommend it to anyone. She suggests that if the below describes you, then Au Pairing could be an exciting adventure to take in the future:

• You want to visit Spain and work there to finance your stay in a family environment
• You want to have time to take Spanish lessons and go to a language school, or just do other activities that you are interested in (flamenco lessons, cooking lessons etc)
• You want to understand everyday Spanish family life and to fully immerse yourself in the Spanish culture. You want to learn the language having the opportunity to enrol in Spanish lessons and learn by being surrounded by the Spanish language
• You want to get to know the locals and become proficient in your Spanish.
• You are interested in getting out of your comfort zone and fully immersing yourself into a new way of life
• You want to get tangible personal and professional benefits from your time abroad not just tick a list of countries you travelled to.
• You enjoy spending time with children. You can see yourself teaching them your language and becoming a new member of the family