 |
|
| ||||
|
|
Advice
SUMMARY
Characteristics that will help your placement abroad be a success:
Welcome to our advice area for all girls who have been placed with a totalnannies.com's host family. On this page we try to give you some advice, based on our many years experience on how to make a success of your experience abroad.
Remember it will take some time for you to adjust to your new surroundings! It can be daunting to arrive into a foreign country where you don't understand the language and into a new family whom you don't know and you are unfamiliar with their routine. You also have to contend with serious child care duties and the acceptance of the children. Sometimes the challenge of all of these problems at once can be overwhelming.
We understand the problems you may be facing and we have also made sure that your host family appreciate this.
It is important when you first arrive in your new family that you find the courage to openly discuss any issue that you are not happy with. That way from the very beginning little problems that can eventually become big ones can be overcome from the start. Also by communicating with your host family from the start will help to establish a good healthy relationship where you can all be honest with each other. Don't forget you will be staying with this family for a long time and it is in everyone's interests to make this experience a positive one.
However hard you try, you will probably find certain children, certain people irritating! This is totally natural and not your fault and all to do with the strain you are under. In this job your patience will definitely be tested and it will depend on how much training you have had on how you will cope in these situations. If you are not coping very well don't worry it isn't your fault. However you MUST do something about it immediately. We suggest that first you talk to your host family and explain to them the strain you feel you are under. Perhaps they could organize a new routine for you.
Under no circumstances must you ever hit or shake a child.
If you feel you are unable to talk to your host family don't feel you are alone. You aren't! Get in contact with your post-placement co-ordinator. They can act as a go-between between yourself and your host family. They have a lot of experience in this field and can speak your host family's language.
Always remember before you left home what your objectives where. Wouldn't be great to go home after this period having achieved what you set out to do. This is all to do with adaptability. You have to forget the things you are used to back home and try to enjoy all your new challenges even if some of them don't turn out quite as you expected. We have had a girl wanting to go home because her host family didn't have baked beans! Yes you guessed it, she should have never travelled in the first place. If there is something you particularly like or dislike tell your host family. They will be probably more than pleased to help.
99% of our candidates have had a fantastic unforgettable experience because they have made friends. Not just with their family but also with people of their own age group. They have usually found their friends in the environment of their interests and hobbies. If you like hand gliding join a hand gliding club where you can meet young people with your own interests. If you like dancing go to a club. If you are interested in foreign languages join a language school. We can help you make your first friends by putting you in contact with other girls working in families. Just click on the contact other candidates link to access their contact details. You can also chat with other girls worldwide who are participating in the program by accessing our discussion forum. Let's face it, the key to any happy travelling experience is to make friends.
|
|
©2002-2008 totalnannies.com Privacy Policy Disclaimer Comments Updated 05/06/03 Tel:+ 44 208 5423067 Fax:+44 (0)207 1529598 |
