Thank you so much everyone who was interested. We have closed the application accepting and are moving on to interviewing those people we think would best suit our family. We received a crazy amount of extremely qualified applicants and were thrilled at the response! If you are interested but couldn’t come this year we will need an Au Pair again next year!! Christopher and I have been going back and forth and back and forth about having an au pair while we are in Paris. We loved having our dear Che Che while in Timor:

While living there it was extremely hard to “get out” with the kids. The heat was oppressive, the dirt overwhelming and the kids were constantly touched, grabbed pinched etc.  and even once Sawyer had a rock thrown at him. Our kids were generally good natured about it thankfully, especially Finn, nothing bothers this little guy:

It was such a blessing to have Che Che so I could grocery shop in the insane heat by myself, drive the dirt roads to and from Sawyer’s school with just him etc.

In Paris we will obviously not have the same problems. Instead we will have the “problem” of wanting to see EVERYTHING and have four cuties five and under in toe. We decided that since we will only be there for two years we need to make the most of it. This means having an Au Pair so in the evenings after putting the kiddos to bed we can take a walk on the seine, with out worrying about someone falling in ha! Or every other saturday visit a museum in the morning together. Or maybe actually being able to A. Go to an amazing restaurant once in a while B. Be able to afford the meal since it is just two instead of six and C. Get through said meal with out someone launching a dish across the room. Since the metro’s have no elevators this means hauling a double stroller and groceries around will be pretty hard hence the decision to hire an Au Pair. So do you want to live here:

Simply Bloom Photography

with us? 

We are already interviewing two young ladies but wanted to make sure we find the right person for our family… since they will be living with us ha! It is important to note that being an Au Pair is not being a “nanny”.  Being an Au Pair is a program with set guidlines from the French Governement. Adhering to these guidlines is the only way we can get you the correct visa.

Here are some of the Embassy dictated guidelines and monetary compensation suggestions:

Procedures for bringing an Au pair to Paris

(Information provided by Human Resources Office, Tri-Mission Paris, January 2012)

The Au pair trip is a cultural and linguistic stay the aim of which is the discovery of a language and its culture.  In exchange of his/her work the student is living with a family, provided food and lodging as well as a small financial compensation.

As a general rule, the Au pair takes care of the children and completes some domestic chores.  He /she has an individual bedroom, is granted one and a half day leave per week and receives a compensation of 250 to 300€ per month.

 Various contractual arrangements are possible:

      Au pair:  This is the most common arrangement

-        30 hours domestic work per week;

-        4 evenings of baby- sitting per week;

-        2 to 3 hours of language class, paid by the host family;

-        250 to 300 Euros compensation per month.

Some of our personal Preferences:

1. You must be female and over 18

2.  Have experience with children (not just “like them”)

3. Be interested in exploring Paris and take required weekly courses in French (required by the local gov’t)

4. Willing to work about (but probably less then) 25 hours a week and every other saturday for a few hours

5. Able to commit to at least one full year with us in Paris

6. Willingness to travel with us on occasion (especially to Ireland to visit my family… right Aunt Julianna and Felicity?)

7. Desire to have a fun and crazy time with a very fun and crazy family

What you will get out of it: 

1. Room and board with private furnished bedroom and bathroom on a US Guarded Compound (so your parents don’t need to worry)

2. Use of our guest room at specified times if you have guests who would like to visit

3. Monthly monetary compensation on par with local rates (see above)

4. Chance to travel throughout Europe on your frequent time off

Do you know anyone phenomenal that is looking to spend at least a year in Paris? If you do please have them email their resume and a breif description of themselves to us at kelly {at} sewinginnomansland {dot} com

Cheers!!

Kelly