These days there are several options for gap years. Volunteering, teaching English as a foreign language, and inter railing are all popular. I chose to be an au pair because it seemed like the only option which had a guaranteed pay check (albeit a small one), as well as the fact it was arguably the best way to improve my knowledge of German and get to know the country.
I also enjoy working with children. There is something quite relieving about working with children (as long as you have a balance between spending time with children and spending time with adults). The world becomes a little bit smaller, less terrible and more interesting when you spend time with children.
Au pairing is also relatively easy. My jobs include picking up the children, feeding them, waking them, helping them to get dressed and typical household chores. It is quite the opposite of slaving over essays, books and revision, it almost feels like a break or a holiday. I am not responsible for the 'bigger things' like food shopping and I don't have to pay taxes. It's like spending a year as an honorary teenager, before having to be a proper adult and wholly responsible for myself.
This means I have the chance to grow as a human being, and because of this I feel like I will be more prepared for when I finish au pairing and get a 'proper' job. I also get to make some wonderful friends, stay with some truly lovely people, and become a member of a new family. There is a One Tree Hill quotation about happiness, which says that happiness might be achieved through the "quiet nobility of leading a good life" and this is exactly what I get to do.
As lovely as it is to enjoy this, I also know that I could only do it for a short period of time, and thus it fuels my motivation to make something of myself, and to make a solid, successful career.
Did you consider being an au pair? What else have other au pairs noticed? Let me know.
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