The Best Place in Europe for Young People
Britain is a welcoming and cosmopolitan country and the ideal place for a young person to live abroad and meet new people.
It is a place full of things to do, places to see, people to meet from all over the world. And because it is so international, it is also a good place to meet people from your own country.
Of course, you will improve your English and this might make a big difference to your future. English is a language which opens doors: to studying, to jobs, to people, to cultures.
Living with a family is the best way to improve your English. If you are an au pair, you might want to go on an English course. You will find that in many cases the courses themselves are free and you only pay for taking the exam.
Do tell us about your hobbies and interests, we will try to match you with a family with similar hobbies and interests and we will also explore whether there are any clubs near the family you might be interested in. Becoming part of the family is so much easier if you have plenty to talk about!
So many places to see ...
Wherever you go in the UK you will be near some great place for young people and students. So in your spare time you can go to sports or crafts clubs, music and dance venues, shopping districts or just stroll about in great cities like London - a great experience in its own right.
But the UK is not just about nightlife or shops. It is many countries in one. There is Wales and its mountains and castles; Scotland and its lochs, its islands and its capital Edinburgh. Northern Ireland (and Ireland is close by!) full of old cities, castles, lakes and countryside.
There is the North of England with nature reserves like the Lake District, the ancient cities of York and Berwick, and monuments like Hadrian’s Wall.
The Home Counties with their grand manor houses, Oxford and Cambridge, the water canal networks, the prehistorical monuments of Stonehenge and Avebury, and the beautiful rolling countryside.
The South has a spectacular coast. To the east there is Brighton and its clubs, the Isle of Wight and the sailing races.To the west there is Cornwall and its beaches and fishing ports. But in the south there are also the great medieval cities of Canterbury and Bath.
So many things to do ...
That's for the places. How about the things to do? There are sport events like the Ascot and Cheltenham horse races, Wimbledon Tennis, cricket, and the Cambridge and Oxford boat race.
Then there is the music, like the Glastonbury festival, of if you are into opera and ballet there is the Glyndebourne Festival and Covent Garden all year round, leaving aside the hundreds of clubs where you can enjoy live music, be it rock, jazz or pop.
What about art? Fancy the great expositions in the British Museum, Tate Modern, V&A and the Royal Academy of Art? The Edinburgh Festival of Theatre and Comedy? The Science Museum or Natural History Museum? Or what about just fun events, like London's Notting Hill Carnival?
Going around
Going around can be easy with the bus/coaches and trains. You can travel cheaply with discounts for students and young people.
Coaches are a good way to travel long distances cheaply but also being able to stop in many nice cities - National Express is the main operator.
Trains can be expensive, and confusingly, there are different Train companies running lines in different parts of the country.
However, if you book in advance on internet sites like Trainline and use the Young People Railcard Pass you can also travel cheaply and quickly around the country. If you need advice, you can ask either ourselves or of course your host family and friends.
Meeting people
The best way to meet young people from all over the world is to enroll in an English Course for foreign students.
There are two major types of courses: EFL and ESOL. Hundreds of colleges and language schools run these courses and they are attended by foreign students to improve their English or to get a certificate for admission to a British University.
Chances are that there will be a college near your host family's home which provides such courses. The best bit is that if you come from the EU, Norway, Switzerland or Iceland, you will be able to enrol in the course for free.
If you join a family living in London or near London, the odds are that you will also be able to meet with young people from your own country through schools, cultural and/or religious associations. But even if you are not near London, we can help you to get in touch with other Au pairs.
London is one of the most cosmopolitan cities on earth with people from hundreds of nations and communities - you can't miss your own! So you will have your cake and eat it- to be abroad but also a bit at home.
Sports
Sports facilities can be found everywhere. You can join gyms, sports teams and clubs – sailing, horse riding, tennis, hockey, volleyball, swimming, cricket, you name it. Sports teams are welcoming and happy to accept foreigners; all that matters is that you enjoy the game.
Discounts for sport clubs and gyms are often available for students so it makes sense to enrol on a English Course and reap all the benefits.
Pets
Many British households have pets and they are very attached to them. So bear that in mind when considering a family, especially if you have allergies that could give you health problems, please make sure that you mention this on the registration form.
Internet
Most UK households have broadband connection and PCs. Ask if you can use the family pc or if you could bring your laptop if you have one. You will be able to keep in touch with your friends and family with Skype or Windows Live and social networks like MySpace and Facebook.
Finding out about the UK
You can use many websites to learn about the UK and its culture. For general information about English cultural icons like Stonehenge, the sport of Cricket and the Crown Jewels, have a look at www.icons.org.uk.
Check out www.visitbritain.com to discover more about your visit, buy maps, passes and tickets for travelling around.
To find out about English Language and Culture, you can use "Ellie's English - English for Crazy People" at www.elliesenglish.com, which is designed to help young people.
For informative and practical information about learning English look at www.learnenglish.org.uk and www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish.
Where does my family live in the UK?
Log on the websites www.multimap.com or Googlearth, enter in the name of the town, street and/or the postal code of the host family you are interested in.
To sum up, we want to help you to ‘earn and learn’ and have the experience of a lifetime, here, in the UK!
Are you interested? All our services to au pairs are COMPLETELY FREE, so REGISTER NOW and we help to find a nice family!