Archive for the ‘Au pair English classes’ Category

1. London Eye (Millennium Wheel)
This is an observation wheel next to the River Thames which spins slowly round taking half an hour and giving excellent views all over London. For details and prices phone 0870 500 0600 or visit wwwlondoneye.com
Nearest tube: Waterloo

2. Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey
These are all next to each other and beside the River Thames. You can only go inside Westminster Abbey. For details of opening hours telephone 0207 222 5152 or visit www.westminster-abbey.org
Nearest tube: Westminster

3. Covent Garden
Shops, restaurants, cafes and a famous market with buskers and street entertainers adding to the atmosphere. A big favorite and a fun place to spend some time soaking up the atmosphere.
Nearest tube Covent Garden

4. Buckingham Palace
Crowds gather outside all year round to watch The Changing of the Guards. You can watch for free at 11.30am every morning and 10.00am on Sunday during the Summer (May-Aug) and every second morning in the Winter (Sept-April). Stand either at Horse Guards on Whitehall or in front of Buckingham Palace to see them change. The Palace itself is only open to visitors in August and September and you have to pay. To find about tickets telephone 020 7321 2233 or visit www.royal.gov.uk
Nearest tube St James Park, Green Park

5. Harrods
One of London’s biggest tourist attractions. It is an enormous and expensive department store famous all over the world. It is fun to wander around even if you don’t buy anything.
Nearest tube: Knightsbridge

6. Camden Market
A great place to visit on a Saturday. It is packed with stalls selling clothes, shoes and jewellery. Open weekends 8am-6pm.
Nearest tube: Camden town

7. Hyde Park
This is a huge London park and one of the most popular features is the lake called the Serpentine which has boats for rent and a swimming area. Horses can be rented and ridden in the park. There is also a soapbox at Speakers’ Corner where anyone who wants to can talk to the crowds there, especially popular on Sundays.
Nearest tube: Lancaster Gate or Marble Arch

8. Tower of London
The tower and the Crown Jewels are a major tourist attraction 0203 166 6000. http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon
Nearest tube: Tower Hill

9. St. Paul’s Cathedral
The Cathedral where Prince Charles and Lady Diana were married. It has the largest swinging bell in Europe. Open 8.30-4pm Mon-Saturday. For admission prices www.stpauls.co.uk
Nearest tube: St.Paul’s

10. Madame Tussauds
London’s wax work museum full of historical figures, famous politicians, actors and celebrities. To avoid queuing book in advance 0870 400 3000 http://www.madametussauds.com
Nearest tube: Baker Street

For more information, please contact sara@peekaboochildcare.com or visit www.peekaboochildcare.com

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Kind Regards,

Sara Vestin

1. Good communication with your host family is the key to a successful stayin the UK for an aupair. It is important to sit down and talk on a regular basis to make sure that you are both happy or to discuss any difficulties you have. If you have a problem, then talk to your family about it. If they don’t know how you are feeling they won’t be able to help.
There is a feedback questionnaire in our host family information section, which may help both the aupair and the aupair host family talk through any difficult issues.

Make sure that you discuss the house rulesfor the aupair when you first start in order to avoid any misunderstandings.

2. Try to be positive and flexible when you work. The best relationships between au pairs and families are when there is flexibility on both sides.

3. There will be many ways that your host family will be different from your own. Try not to be critical of these differences. It is important to try to understand why they do things differently. Part of the fun in living in another country is to experience the cultural differences. You must be the one to adapt to the way of life here.

4. Respect your host family’s privacy. The husband and wife may work long hours and may only have time to talk to each other in the evenings. For this reason they may ask you to eat earlier with the children and may want to spend time just together in the evening. In the same way you may also want time away from the aupair host family to be by yourself and they should respect this.

5. Remember to tell your family if you are going out and what time you will be back at night.
This is for your safety. If you change your plans then let the aupair host family know or they may worry about you.

6. Remember it may not be helpful to compare your situation with other au pairs because every family works in a different way and each au pair is an individual.

7. Remember to be polite. Saying please and thank you is very important in Britain.

8. The telephone can be the cause of disagreements between au pair and host family. Remember to ask before you use the family telephone. Discuss how and which calls you will pay for. Don’t make long calls. No family wants an au pair who is on the telephone all the time. Tell your friends and family not to call during your working hours and tell them not to ring late at night when the family has gone to bed. See our page on telephoning home cheaply.

9. It is perfectly normal to feel homesick during the early weeks as an au pair. If you are feeling lonely and isolated contact other au pairs and talk to them. Use our search for au pairs to find others in your area. The agency has an aupair network, pubnights and arrangeaupair trips for aupairs in London. There are many ways to take your mind away from missing your family and friends back home. Try to keep busy and enjoy your new life as an au pair. Make sure that you let your family know if you are feeling sad or homesick as they can help you out and will be understanding.

10. Contact your aupair agency(peekaboo) for help and advice if you have serious problems with your family which you have not managed to sort out. Most problems are solvable if you talk about them at an early stage. Do not wait until it is too late to sort them out. Your aupair agency should advise you on how to handle difficult issues and will help you find a solution.

GETTING THE BEST FROM THE AUPAIR CHILDREN

1. Try to talk to and play with the aupair children as soon as you arrive. This will get you off to a good start with them. The more you put into your relationship with them, the more you will get out.
2. It is very important to talk to the host parents about problems that you have with the children. Ask them if and how they want you to discipline the children. This should be discussed right from the beginning.
3. Remember that you are in another country and you have to respect the different ways people bring up their children. You are the one who must adapt and see it as part of the cultural experience of being in a foreign country.
4. Try praising a child for the good things they do and that will help much more than concentrating on their bad behavior. You may find the bad behavior improves.
5. Read our information on ‘things to do with the children’. Find out about their interests and favorite activities.
6. Try to show extra interest and have fun with a child you may be finding difficult.
7. Try to be patient. Children will need some time to adapt and accept you as their new au pair but don’t let the children take advantage of you.
8. Be positive and enjoy your au pair stay. A happy au pair will make the children happy.

For more information, please contact aupairs@peekaboochildcare.com or call 02076009880

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Kind Regards,

Sara Vestin