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| This was going to be a joke about how little you can fit in a suitcase - then I became REALLY worried |
But that's just regular packing, the sort one does for a holiday or long weekend. If you are off as an au pair (or any long term stay) packing is a whole other ball game.
Step back and consider what you are about to do. You are going to stay in a new city/town/village, in a new country for a long time. If you've ever struggled to fit 2 weeks worth of clothes into a suitcase for a holiday - well you might want to reconsider your packing style. As someone who has lived abroad longterm before, I am going to tell you how to pack for your au pair year. There are a few stages:
1. Where are you living?
I mean this at its most basic level - get out a map, and then get out your laptop. Are you in Moscow or Madrid? Stockholm or Santiago de Chile? This is going to affect how you pack. Bear in mind that you may be leaving in August and want to take 5 bikinis, but it's highly likely (unless you have an exceptionally generous host family) that you won't be back home until late December. You'll regret not taking that winter coat.
Google is your friend - find out what the average temperature and weather patterns are going to be like and then use your judgement. Places you may think are warm, because they are considered holiday destinations, may look very different out of season. For example - When I went to live abroad, I moved to Greece. You may think 'ooh lovely, warm Mediterranean weather' - but you'd be wrong. First of all the Mediterranean may have warm dry summers, but it has notoriously cold winters. I wasn't on one of those lovely Islands either, I was up in the North in a city called Thessaloniki. When I arrived in the Summer it was a sweltering 35 degrees celsius. By the time I was preparing to go home for Christmas, it was below zero, and there was a regular bus to the ski resorts in the mountains outside the city.
Paris is relatively easy if, like me, you are coming from the UK. It's more or less in the same weather pattern as London, slightly warmer than Edinburgh. Lack of Gulf Stream means that if anything it's a few degrees warmer in the summer, and a few degrees colder in the Winter. All in all, it's the same basics - warm coat for the winter months, light coat to protect you from autumn and spring showers. Layers are you friends. A pair of waterproof wellies may be worth bringing for any particularly heavy rainfall. Of course you will be able to buy new clothes when you arrive should you need to, but there are some things that are expensive and you probably don't want to buy when you have a perfectly good one at home (yes I have an obsession with winter coats - why do you ask?).
All of the above assumes that you have a family who is planning to stay in the same place for most of the year. If they have said to you that they make regular weekend trips to their Alpine chalet or Riviera beach house - use your best judgement.
2. How are you going to be living?
In Paris, it is quite normal for au pairs to 'live out' i.e. occupy a studio flat near to, but not part of, the family's house or flat. Do you have to supply any of the furniture? If so the key question becomes how will you get your kettle and bedsheets to Paris? The easiest answer is that you will have to enlist a company to ship your extra baggage. There are many companies who do this, but it is going to cost you extra money. I have listed a few that have been popular with my international student friends below (of course these are all UK based/focused companies):
If you intend to 'live in' - i.e. with the family -then you do not have to worry too much about this. But do check what they expect you to bring. For example, do you have to bring your own bedding or will it be provided? The best thing to do is to check with the family.
One final point on how you will be living - remember that a good deal of your time is going to be devoted to looking after kids. Depending on the work schedule you have agreed with your family, your day may involve a wide range of things - from running kids to school, arts and crafts, cooking, and going to the park. I'm not saying you shouldn't make an effort to look your best at all times, but you may want to consider (take a deep breath now) choosing a few clothes that are practical over stylish. Flat shoes, even trainers, are going to seem really appealing when you are trying to rush a 4 year old to school for the 5th day in a row. Make sure you have a couple of t-shirts and good pairs of jeans that will survive a vigorous game of tag and survive the frequent washing to get paint, jam, and mud out of the knees.
3. Hobbies
Ok this should seem obvious, but when you are working with limited space, make sure that you are making the most of what you've got.
- Gym users - do you need to bring 4 types of trainer, or can you work with one pair? How many work out outfits do you need?
- Photographers and film makers - do you need to bring all your cameras? Can you get by with one?
- Writers - Can you buy notebooks and stationary out there - do you need to bring it with you? And can you get your favourite authors on a Kindle rather than dragging books out there?
- etc. etc.
4. Gadgets
So this one really ties into the one above. Nowadays we live with so many gadgets they are crucial to us running our day to day lives. In many ways they are space savers. For example, you don't have to bring a personal organiser or diary with you when you can get some great apps to organise your life. E-readers (like Kindle and Nook) are amazing space savers for those of us who devour books, but who may not have the language capabilities to buy at a local bookstore in the new country. I personally use things like a fitbit to keep an eye on my personal fitness, and I have a set of Bose mini speakers that connect wirelessly to my phone.
However they can start to create their own kind of mess. For example, if you are using a macbook air (like I am) then you are going to be taking extra hard drives to store all the lovely photos you are taking, alongside your music and media files. All the gadgets I mentioned above come with charging wires and connecting cables - so make sure you have all of them before you leave. Organisation is key here - you don't want to lose your camera memory card or a usb stick containing vital information
One final note about gadgets: remember to buy plug adapters. The european standard adapter will get you across most of the continent (Why the UK didn't sign up to change their plugs to match is beyond me. Actually I do know but I refuse to be drawn into pseudo patriotic debates about soveriegnty.) USA, and Australian plug adapters are easy to find in places like Boots or John Lewis. Get them now, because the British to European varieties are harder to find once you arrive at your destination.
5. Documentation.
If you are coming to Europe from outside the EU (e.g. USA, Australia, China) then you will have a lot of paperwork to fill out. You should work out well before you intend to depart what documentation you need, because some of it may take a lot of time to arrive.
For hopeful au pairs from USA, I would recommend this lovely blog: AshleyAbroad.com where she goes through the long process of coming to the EU as an au pair.
If you are moving between EU (or EFTA) countries - congratulations. You need to do next to nothing in terms of documentation. Grab your passport and get on that plane. Well not really...
One key document (or item) you should have as an EU citizen is your EHIC - European Health Insurance Card. UK applicants can get one here. This card is issued free of charge and allows anyone who is insured by or covered by a statutory social security scheme of the EEA countries and Switzerland to receive medical treatment in another member state free or at a reduced cost, if that treatment becomes necessary during their visit OR they have a preexisting condition. Bear in mind that in France, au pairs must be covered by the French Social Security (Sécurité sociale) in case of illness or accident. Your host family will register you with their local Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie (CPAM). You should not have to pay for any of this in France, but this is not so in other countries (e.g. Spain) where you are responsible for your own health insurance.
Related to the EHIC is a a certificate of health from your doctor. A good basic certificate is provided by AuPairWorld.com here As you can see it is technically designed for non-EU au pairs, but as it is already in French and doesn't need translating, it may be a better bet than a handwritten letter from your GP.
You may also wish to take copies of any education certificates with you - if you have completed higher education (university) then these should be enough. Otherwise you may have to take copies of A-level and GCSE certificates. You may not be asked for these as an EU au pair, but better safe than sorry. Especially if you want to take a second job whilst out there. If you have take the DELF or the DALF exam (The Internationally recognised qualification in French language) then you really need to take a copy of that with you.
Finally, don't forget a copy of your contract with the host family. You need a copy for reference, and make sure all parties sign it when you get there.
Look, we all have a jewellrey box than our grandmother gave us when we were small, or those photos of our best friends from school that we like to keep close by. Items of sentimental value are very important, and having a few treasures around you may help you feel less alone when you make the big jump to a new country. However, my advice to you is to limit the amount you take with you because:
a) they will take up space that could be used for something useful
b) You are starting a new chapter in your life, constant reminders of where you have been may stop you looking forward (personal experience of that one)
c) If it is really precious you don't want to lose it halfway around the world.
You may disagree with those reasons, but that is your choice. Don't complain to me when you have all your old school-friends' pictures but forgot to pack a french dictionary.
When It comes to toiletries, its best to take enough with you to last for a normal holiday. If you have extremely sensitive skin, or you can't live without x-shade of nail polish, then fine, pack more. However part of the experience is getting to know what brands are available in a foreign country and you never know, you may find your new favourite brand out there (especially if you follow my French beauty posts, like the one I did on La Roche -Posay). That being said - I am a big fan of Lush's solid shampoos, because they last forever and airport security never stop you for them, and it never hurts to take a spare pack of tampons with you...
When it comes to the rest, it's all up to you. Remember, you and you alone are responsible for carrying it through an airport. Do you need all those pairs of earrings? Can you get by with one belt? Surely you can buy a cheap yoga mat somewhere in Paris?
Best of luck if you are packing for your time as an au pair. I hope it is not as painful for you as it is for me.
And remember - always, ALWAYS, pack a box of teabags - it never tastes the same abroad.
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