ROBBIE, 23 JAHRE

My name is Robbie and I am 20 years old.

I am studying architecture at the University of Dundee in Scotland, however I currently live in Mainz Germany where I have just completed an Erasmus exchange year at the University of Applied Sciences in Mainz.

I grew up in the North of Scotland as one of a family of six: my Dad is a officer in the Royal Air Force and my mum is a teacher of Modern Languages at our local school. My elder brother Jamie (26) is a rugby journalist and sport commentator while my younger sister Katie (16) is at high school and hopes to go on to study art or cinematography; my younger brother Rory (11) is in his final year of primary school. In my free time I love to draw and create art and my main passion is photography, specifically landscapes and wildlife. Always keen to learn, I try make time to watch documentaries on politics, history, or the environment. I’m also highly sociable, partly as a result as my time working as a barman, and I enjoy spending time with my friends and my siblings. I love the outdoors and often go mountain biking or running in the woods at home and one of my favourite activities is to go cold water wild swimming. I’m also vegan and an animal lover.

After my time on Erasmus I’ve fallen in love with Germany, both language and culture, and I’m eager to have a different life experience somewhere new in the country. I am currently considering transferring my degree to a German university in order to complete the rest of my bachelor’s degree here. However, at present, my language skills are not sufficiently developed to study my degree in Germany. I possess an intermediate level of German after only 1 year of formal education in the language back in Scotland plus what I have picked up while living in Mainz. Therefore, working as an au pair would be a wonderful opportunity to immerse myself in the language and to make the improvements that I desperately need to study to a Masters level in your country. Fortunately, the pandemic has given me the opportunity to learn online for the next semester in Germany and it is my ambition to combine study while working as an au pair. My ideal situation would be a flexible mix of childcare and architecture study to suit the needs of your child(ren).

I believe that my personal experience of looking after my little brother (since he was a baby) has prepared me well to step into the role of an au pair and ensured I am equipped to bond with children of all ages. I found great joy in life playing with my younger brother on the beach or in the forests at home and believe that it is important for early childhood development to have adults as role models who will nurture and play with them. I believe that play, particularly outside, is the best way to teach them new skills, encourage creativity and develop both physical and emotional maturity. This involves forging a personal connection or friendship with a child as an individual, recognizing their general interests and abilities and guiding them to develop those interests.

My responsibilities when looking after Rory include (but are not limited to) cooking meals for him, playing with him and keeping him entertained and taking him to and from school. I also worked hard to help and support my little brother with his education; I regularly help with his homework and during lockdown I assisted him with his home-schooling. I’m incredibly passionate about education and, after I graduate, I intend to become a teacher. A particularly rewarding experience for me was my involvement in my highschool’s support for literacy program. I was assigned to a child who had reading difficulties, and, after intensive one-to-one coaching, he was able to reach a far higher reading level by the end of the semester. That showed me I had both the aptitude and desire for a teaching career.

In addition, my work experience has prepared me well for life as an au pair. Last summer I was employed as a sous chef at my local golf club and a restaurant. I learned how to cook and bake, and I was entrusted to cater breakfast and lunch meals independently and then assisted with busier evening bookings. In those roles, I had to learn time management, a crucial skill when working in a fast-paced often stressful workplace environment, in addition to taking on additional responsibilities including health and safety and hygiene regulation. I was entrusted with cashing up duties and building security and I learned how to think on my feet and stay calm under pressure in demanding jobs with long working hours. I also have a passion for garden work, and I love helping my parents with garden projects as well as general garden keeping and winter chores such as chopping wood and household husbandry.

Although lacking in formal childcare qualifications, I have the independence and self-reliance to cope with au pair work and study and the experience, skills and temperament required to provide not just child minding but nurturing the educational and emotional development of children under my care. I am looking for an open and kind family who are willing to integrate me into their home.