Thank you for sharing your experience Angela. I have some questions, would you please mind answering them? : 1) Did you have any German knowledge before starting your au pair experience? 2) Have you experienced a significant increase in your German level during this experience? 3) Since you are currently living in Germany, are you working there? Is you German level good enough to enable you to work in German?
Hi there, thank you for watching the video! :) I will be glad to answer your questions: 1) I did. Before coming to Germany I have graduated in Translation and Interpreting in the following combination of languages: English, German and Italian. Though, my knowledge of the German language goes back to the High School as I studied it for three years. 2) I have. I have to state that I am very impressed when I think of how fluent and self-confident I have become in the last few years. Living here in Germany as an au pair helped me put into action the theoretical knowledge I have taken in during my academic years. Speaking the language every day, constantly and having no other option than communicating in German with my host family has been an extremely useful challenge and has helped me improve my skills, which I would have improved with great difficulty, if I had stayed in Italy. 3) Yes, I am living and working here in Germany. I regularly communicate in German both in the private and in the professional life, so I would actually say that the level I have reached is good enough to let me live and work here. Of course, you never stop learning in life... :)
Hi Silvana, thank you for watching the video :) As far as I know, you are allowed to atteng a German course during your spare time, which you are supposed to have every day. Therefore, if you attend the course everyday or twice a week is up to you and to the course schedule given that - as I said - you use your free time for that. I hope the answer was helpful and I wish you a beautiful au pair experience! :)
Hi, it depends on the duration of the course and the language school. In Germany the VHS is a cheap option for example. Find out more here: www.aupairworld.com/en/wiki/language-course
Hello, thank you for the question! :) Thanks to my language knowledge - which embraces both English and German - I could speak to my host kid in her mother tongue, that is German. I believe this is a very important aspect for the host kid, as it lets him/her feel more at ease when the au pair speaks the same language as the one the kid speaks. My host kid was really good at English as well and I also taught her some Italian words, but the communication in the everyday life used to take place in German.
