Living and working in Australia is a popular choice for travellers and au pairing is a traditional path. Danielle is one of those travellers that would be asked to list where she’s been and in her case it’d be easier to ask where she hasn’t travelled with her well-worn backpack.
Coming from a London upbringing (our family homes are a five-minute walk) Danielle loves to travel and experience different cultures, meet people, immerse herself in beautiful scenery and explore local cuisine. Here she talks about au pairing in Australia, finding a job and working in childcare. Work isn’t always a priority for backpackers and it’s something strange and unknown when you first encounter it abroad.
Read on and find out about her au pairing work and which she’d choose between Sydney or Melbourne. You can also browse her travel photos here on her Instagram.
How did you go about moving to Australia?
I’d always wanted to move to Australia. Not so much for the place itself but more for the experience of gaining confidence and independence. What better place to do it than the other side of the world?!
I had never moved to another country and knew of others who simply applied for their visa and flew over without anything planned. Being too shy to take the same route as them, I used a company that helped people move and live abroad. This way there was support away from my family. The decision to find an ‘au pairing’ organisation came because at the time my background was in childcare. The company offered to find a placement, which meant giving me housing and support whenever I needed.
What was your process for finding the job and moving over?
The working holiday visa application was easy. It takes about 15 minutes to complete the online application. Usually you should find out in a few hours to a few days if it’s been approved.
In terms of applying for the au pair company, I listed my childcare experience, the type of family I would like to live with and where in Oz I wanted to move. I was classed as an experienced au pair because of my childcare experience, so I was matched to a family that was looking for an experienced au pair.
Part of the process was to make a PowerPoint presentation of myself including the kind of person I was. This was seen by families searching for an au pair. I received information packs from the company about families which included pictures, what their interests were, who they were looking for and a rota of what my working day would look like.
Skype interviews with families were the main way to see if we would match with each other. When I found the right family to work for, I made the commitment and flew over.
The company conducted their training in Sydney even though the family lived in Melbourne, but this was great as I had the opportunity to meet people who were on the same programme as me. We stayed in a hostel together. After four days I flew to Melbourne and moved in with my new family. I think they paid for the flight.
What did you love about your first location?
I lived in Melbourne but Sydney was my first location and I loved it! The energy, the vibe and the people I met were great. There were wonderful people in Sydney and I often felt that I would have been happier living there rather than in Melbourne. I stayed in a hostel called Wake Up Hostel and they hosted great events, from beach tours to night time dance-offs in their basement club.
Any initial struggles?
My entire trip was a struggle. The family I stayed with were awful and the mum ‘sent me to my room’ at 24 years of age! She kicked me out after two weeks.
As a side note, I know people who had a wonderful time au pairing. If something feels off about the family you are planning on matching with, listen to your gut. Take your time when picking, you will find a nice one.
Luckily, I had family friends in Melbourne who took me in and let me live with them for six months, a great kindness. Although I had somewhere to live, I still needed to find a job in Melbourne, which was hard for me. I had no hospitality experience and had never worked in retail. Every job I was searching wanted at least one year’s experience and my childcare degree was not recognised in Australia.
Needless to say I found a job in a childcare setting which required a roundtrip of eight hours a day… to work a total of four hours a day. For those of you who haven’t been, Australia is huge. Despite this I saw many beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
Where was your favourite food spot in Sydney and Melbourne? What dish was it?
I was only in Sydney for four days and I can’t remember any food spots but I remember Republica in Melbourne. It was a beachside restaurant that did the best chicken and chips with aioli!
Australia is famous for its beaches, did you have a favourite?
I lived quite far out of the city centre which was great because I got to explore life outside of the city that I may never have experienced before. My favourite beach was Mordialloc. It is beautiful with many blue and green hues in the sea, it was tranquil and had a short pier to walk down.
Did you have any interesting encounters with locals that stood out for you?
Australians are really friendly. For some reason I remember an encounter with a lady I met on a bus. I can’t remember what we connected over but we really hit it off and started talking about life. We exchanged contact details and she said if I ever needed any help to let her know. She was very kind.
What is one item you took and never used?
I travel quite lightly, so I believe I used everything I took with me.
What is the last place you travelled to?
Prague with Arti (you)! It was a nice weekend getaway in November with plenty of winter markets to explore, interesting architecture and delicious comfort food to eat.
Do you have any plans for your next destination?
I always have another place on my to-visit list. South America is next, more specifically Peru to climb Machu Pichu, Bolivia to see the salt flats and Brazil to experience their carnival- I’d also like to see some of the Amazon rainforest.
Do you prefer booking tours or making your own itinerary?
I’m a bit of both to be honest. I’m not much of a solo traveller, so I like going on tours to meet like-minded people. It allows for the ease of travelling without trying to figure out where to go and I use a couple of tour companies.
If I am travelling with a friend I love to build an itinerary based on tips and advice from others who have already been. Also doing research from a Lonely Planet book is a good way to find things that would interest me.
What’s the one item you wouldn’t go travelling without?
My multi-purpose small crossover shoulder-bag. I use it to put my travel essentials such as passport, ear plugs, eye mask, bobby pins and hairbands in when travelling. It can also be used as a day bag when I have reached my destination.
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