English for Au Pairs has interlinked stories about a group of au pairs new to England. Marta, an 18-year-old from Poland arrives in the UK to work as an au pair. Throughout her year-long stay she has many different experiences - some bad, some good - but with the support of her host family she finds new friends and improves her English. English for Au Pairs offers insight into the joys and difficulties of being an au pair while at the same time reinforcing English language learning through grammar explanations and exercises.
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My head is in an oven. What am I doing here? The oven is very dirty and I am cleaning it. My host mother wants me to clean this dirty oven and also the fridge. It is my first day as an au pair.
I am Marta and I arrived last night at 9pm after a long journey from my home in Poland. My host mother collected me from the airport. She was in a hurry and she said very little in the car.
The children were in bed when I arrived here last night. Now they are on their way to school. I don’t know this family and I don’t know my way around this house. No one is here and I feel alone.
It is now 9 o’ clock in the morning and my new life is beginning. I must clean the oven and the fridge. After that, there are more jobs. There is a list on the table. It says:
load the dishwasher
hang out the washing
wash the kitchen floor
bleach the toilets
clean the bathrooms
do the ironing
dust the furniture
vacuum all the carpets
My host mother is taking the children to school. My host father works in London. I am still very tired after my long journey here last night. I woke up at 8.30am this morning and there was a note for me from my host mother. It says: We usually get up at 7.15am. I am taking the children to school - back at 1pm. Here’s a list of jobs to do this morning.
I am very hungry, so I’m looking for something to eat for breakfast. In the fridge there is a pot of yoghurt. It’s delicious!
* * * * * * *
It is 1.15pm and my host mother is back. She is not happy with me because I ate her yoghurt. It is her special yoghurt and I must not eat it. She is also angry because the oven is not clean enough. I feel uncomfortable.
It is 3pm and I am still ironing. My host mother is asking me to make a Shepherd’s Pie for tea. I do not know what Shepherd’s Pie is. Now she looks angry again and I feel unhappy.
I am in my room and I am phoning the au pair agency. The lady at the agency is kind. I feel upset because the host mother wants me to do heavy-duty cleaning, but my job is to do light housework only. I explain that my host mother doesn’t treat me like a member of the family and they do not want me to eat their food!
The lady at the agency understands my problem. She asks me, “Do you want to move to another family?” I am trying not to cry as I say, “Yes, please.” The agency is looking for another family for me. I feel so glad!
Useful tips
Use an agency to find your host family. That way, if there is a problem and you need to change families, the agency will be able to help you. The British Au Pair Agencies Association has a list of approved agencies. See www.bapaa.org.uk or www.IAPA.org for further details.
Before you start, make sure you and your host family both agree how many hours you will work each day and what your responsibilities are.
Brush up on your English …
Present continuous Use the present continuous for things which are happening now, at the moment of speaking. e.g. My host mother is taking the children to school.
