Getting the Visa

Kia Ora!

It has been a while since I've posted on this blog! In the meantime I have been to Singapore, Malaysia, and the South Island. I have also got my Visa! I tell you what, it was a bit of a mission - it's not hard, just many steps, time consuming steps!
I filled out the form online, and you had to submit a photo, a digital passport photo with all these requirements on the proportions etc. I had no idea where I would get a digital copy of a passport photo unless I scanned in an actual picture (as far as I know, I haven't heard of the pharmacy store passport pictures being put on a USB or anything). So I schemed and I plotted and decided I would give it a go by myself, I didn't want to be forking out money on passport photos or be having to scan them in and somehow find they weren't up to scratch. So one afternoon I propped my camera up on a shelf and set the self timer; I sat cross legged on the floor in front of a plain wall and took photo after photo, experimenting with the flash/no flash and other simple settings. I loaded them all on the computer and tinkled around with them, cropping them to what looked to be the right dimensions. Then I submitted it on the visa application's convenient 'test photo' section and I had it approved immediately! I was thrilled! I have proved that you can do it yourself, and I recommend you do that too if you are looking for a cost-cutting way of filling out the form.

Once that was all completed, I booked a time to go to the consulate, they are very very busy and times were booked up weeks in advance. I managed to find a time that suited me and fitted in nicely with when I got back from overseas. I had to take time off work because they only see people in the morning, and only on weekdays. I got there and you are greeted with x-ray scanners and security guards, I then found out that in addition to the documents I had to bring, I also had to have a small pre paid courier bag in which they would post back my passport - for me this meant a hurried dash to the nearby postshop! When I got through and was able to get into line for them to check all the documents, I noticed that some of the workers were expecting you to have a hard copy of your passport sized photo - on photo paper! Of course I didn't have one, and I had visions of having to run downstairs again, run to a passport photo place and have my photo taken again! (Some other people in line had to do this). Thankfully, the worker I saw didn't even mention anything about that and I was let through to the interview stage. For the interview, you just wait in a waiting area until one of the booth consulate workers calls your name, then you simply go up, they ask you a couple of questions like "What will you be doing in the US?" "Have you been there before?", it takes literally 2 minutes and they tell you right then and there that you are approved. Then you are free to go!

A couple of days later I got my passport back, with my new visa inside! How exciting! I am so glad to get that over with! Now I can just focus on packing, getting rid of all my stuff, and finishing off the working year!
Good luck with your visas! Will blog again soon. :)

Gina

Seattle, Baby!

So, the family that I had been skyping offered me the position and I was absolutely elated! They seem like a great family and I immediately accepted. I have since received a flurry of emails from the agency about booking a time to go to the American consult to have my visa sorted, it's something that is a little difficult to do because I work full time and my work is very far away from town where the office is, so there will be a little bit of schedule shuffling to fit that in but its no real big deal, I'm sure will work out fine - everything else has!

I also got an email from the agency coordinator in Seattle, she sounded so friendly and lovely and just told me a bit about herself and her role in my placing - she will call me and visit me in the first couple of weeks that I am over there and just ensure everything is going well.

It feels like it is all really starting to happen now, I can finally tell my friends and family where I am going exactly and it feels a lot more 'real' rather than being a 'maybe'. I started working through the visa form and got fairly well through it, then got quite confused on a couple of questions so I emailed the agency to see how to answer them, and they told me that I hadn't needed to go off and do it on my own in such a hurry, and that there were forms being sent from America which would fill in those gaps! Haha here I was trying to get things out of the way quickly in between my busy work schedule when actually I didn't have to do it on my own. If you are in the same position, just relax and don't worry or freak out when all these formal looking immigration forms come through!

I must admit, there is something a little intimidating about applying for a visa, the whole formality of it. Luckily I am an expert chameleon and just adapt to whatever situation I'm put in.

For some reason., every time I get any form and I initially look at it I always think "I will never be able to finish this!" but then bit by bit everything always gets done and there's nothing to worry about. Right now, my priority is my work and my family (whanau) and friends.

I will blog more when I get to the next step with my visa.
Enjoy the journey!

Gina :)

Post-Skype talk

Kia ora koutou!

Well, I have now had two skype interviews with one family. The skype interviews were fantastic, it was just like talking to them in person. I wasn't nervous or anything, I felt really good and comfortable, I had prepared a little list of questions prior to talking to them, but over the course of the conversation I just added and subtracted questions as necessary.

It is so good to actually think about going over there and working as a part of a family! I was also able to email the family's last au pair and ask her some questions, which I found so helpful, it gave me a different perspective to what the family gave me - and was more relevant to the nitty gritty information that I was looking for.

I also found a very useful website:
http://www.bestaupairguide.com/

This article on that same site was very interesting too...
http://www.bestaupairguide.com/2011/01/questions-to-ask-your-host-family-before-starting-your-au-pair-job/

We will just see what happens, and I will keep you all posted. :)

Ciao!

The Latest Goss

Things are beginning to pick up speed, it's a very exciting time, I received a few emails last week about potential host families! I don't know too much about them yet but they come from all over the country, mainly Washington state and I've heard about one family in Pennsylvania. It has been really fantastic to come home and get out the map and have a look at where they are, and reading about the climate, the attractions etc. I will find out more about the families themselves in the next week.

I have arranged to skype a family sometime this week and I have been thinking of all different questions to ask!
I had a whole list somewhere but have misplaced it! What I really want to ask include things like:

- What are your favourite things to do as a family?
- Do you have meals together?
- What would an average week look like in terms of my work hours (would they be flexible or would you need me at certain times each day)?
- What things do the children like to do?
- What colleges are nearby to where you live?
- What are your expectations of an au pair?
- Have you had an au pair before, and if so, what was your experience like?
- Do you both work or does one of you stay at home?

It is important for me to find a family where I really get along with the parents because that will make or break the experience, especially if the mother stays at home and we work alongside each other every day.
I am also interested in finding out how my study will be able to coincide with my working - what if I have classes in the day? will my class choices be dictated by my work hours or will we be able to work it out no matter what?

I am really looking forward to studying over there. I have already emailed a college professor who has the same academic interests as me. He gave me some great ideas and told me about different events and conferences on topics I am passionate about. It was so exciting! I have a mental list of all the professors and academics I want to contact while I'm in the States. I really want it to be a time of growth, challenge and learning. If you are wondering, the topics that I am interested in are: poverty in Education, Urban Education, Critical studies in Education, Critical race theory, Radical teaching, inequality in Education and Sociology. Most of the classes like these are graduate courses which means that they will cost heaps more!!!!!!! eek!! haha I better get another 8 jobs or win lotto in the meantime to be able to afford it! haha.

At the moment I work with special needs children in one of the poorest schools in New Zealand and I love it. I want to learn as much as I can, whenever and wherever I can so that I can return to New Zealand and be a better, more effective teacher for the students that I love so dearly.

I will check in again soon!
:)

Gina

Swimming in The Matching Pool

So now I am all good to go, I have finished all the application forms, all my referees have been contacted and all ok! It's a good place to be now because it means that I don't have anything on my mind, I can just relax and think about work and wait for things to be emailed to me!

As each day passes, the more excited I get thinking about where I might end up! I would love to know so I could tell my whanau and friends: I tell them I'm going to the States and the second question they ask is "Whereabouts in the States??" and I have to stammer and stutter and say it's a long story. Haha.

Since I have already completed a degree, I am just trying to find out if I can do post-grad courses instead of just undergraduate ones. It doesn't really matter if I end up doing undergraduates, but hey, might as well try and do post-grad if I can! I have a couple of American friends who are in college so will ask them.

I am trying to convince my best friend to come and meet me over in the States for the holiday part at the end of my time with the family! She's pretty keen, but she's a student so doesn't really have any money. At least she'll have heaps of time to save! Fingers crossed!

Will post again when I hear from some families!

Doors Opening

Time progressed, and slowly, one by one all the 'issues' and excuses I had identified began to look more achievable and not so difficult after all. I managed to find some time to fit in the doctor's appointment, booked my driving test (and got it!), completed my host family letter and photo album. Every night after work I would try and fill out a little bit more of the application.

It looked like all the doors were opening! I began busily researching about what would happen to my interest free student loan, and found out that if I let the IRD know of my departure date they would automatically put me on a repayment holiday for the duration of my time away! Even better news was that I would only have to pay interest on my loan for the year I was gone - when I got back it would return to being interest free! It was a great load off my mind. I started to google things about America, it was very exciting to think that soon I could be there! 

I also had no idea how I was going to pay for all the costs associated with the program on my meager salary as a teacher aide, but just kept believing that "if it's God's will, it's God's bill". 

Sure enough, in the last week of the term I got a call from a school offering me a job finishing at the end of the year. Not only a job, but my dream job - full time teaching, but not simply in a classroom - I would be working one on one with special needs children, doing a little bit of relieving, and working with children in small groups to enrich their language development. It would be a properly paid position and the two terms that I worked would be taken off my teaching registration time. I was thrilled. Now I did not have to worry so much about being able to afford it, and because it was coming off my teaching registration I no longer felt worried about putting the registration on pause next year. Another great thing was that the position finishes at the end of the year, so I wouldn't have to resign or anything in order to go on this program. It was all falling into place. 

I finished my application and took it in to the office and had a brief interview. Now everything is done on my part, once my referees come back from being overseas and are contacted I will be finally ready to be matched with a family! Stay tuned!

Sitting in the Thinking Chair

After the initial thought of becoming an au pair, I began to think about it endlessly. I consulted family, friends, work colleagues, Americans that I know, people who had taken me under their wing, people from my church - basically anyone who would listen to me - and sought their advice. I was overwhelmed by their encouragement and positivity. They were so supportive that I began thinking up negatives just to balance the argument out a little! 

I was invited to an info night, and despite my crazy schedule of drama teaching and private tutoring, managed to make it in on time. I came armed with hundreds of questions that I had jotted down throughout the day. As luck would have it, I was the only person who turned up to the info night, so was able to have all my questions answered, and discuss the whole thing is greater depth. It was terrific. I was also given a huge ream of application papers that I had to fill out! Most of the questions looked straightforward, but I dreaded having to somehow schedule time to go to the doctor to get my medical form completed - my daily timetable was fit to burst as it was!

Also on my mind was the fact that I didn't have my full driver's licence. I was eligible to sit it, but I had been putting it off and putting it off. Now that I actually needed it, it seemed my whole application was halted just by that one little thing! 

I got home from the info night and sat down with my father. Together, we started seriously considering the pros and cons.

My pro and con list looked a little like this:

Pros:

- Visit, explore and live in America

- If I work with special needs children it would be a great experience that directly relates to my career ambitions. 

- Get to study in America

- One month to travel US after job finishes

Cons:

- Teaching registration paused for 1 year.

- Unsure about what happens to my NZ interest free student loan (would I have to pay interest forever now that I was leaving the country for a whole year?)

- Little things: What if I don't get along with the family or something like that?

After a while we could see that the pros outweighed the cons, and as someone pointed out to me: "when you're 67 years old, you're not going to regret doing it, you'll only regret not doing it."

As a Christian, I seek to live by God's will - and my biggest concern was that this was either the wrong timing or just the wrong thing completely. I prayed that if it was His will, the doors would keep opening; and if not, that they would shut tight. I prayed about it, and decided that I would continue in the application, since by doing it I could still back out. Besides, it was the only way to get to see the potential host families, and I was so looking forward to that!

And thus, I got out of the Thinking Chair and began filling in the application.

It Begins...

Two months ago I had never imagined that I would be preparing to go to America for 12 months as an au pair. I was a newly qualified teacher and had just finished doing an Honours course. I was very content in my work as a drama teacher, and as a teacher aide working with special needs children. I was also applying for full-time classroom teaching positions beginning later in the year to work towards my full teaching registration. I had an overseas trip planned to Malaysia so I didn't even have 'itchy feet' to want to travel. But, it seemed that God had other ideas for me!

It all started one day when I was asked to be the guest speaker at a youth workshop on public speaking. The workshop was in Parnell, and since I had arrived in Parnell early, I decided to have a drive around the area. As I was driving, I passed the office of Au Pair Link New Zealand. I didn't think anything of it really, apart from thinking that they had a cool logo.

Life went on, and it was wonderful. At the time, I was really excited as I had just had an epiphany of a new ambition for my career. I no longer wanted to become a standard classroom teacher, instead I wanted to take my one-on-one work with children, in particular special needs children, even further and carve out a niche as a Freelance Education Specialist. Just the thought of it was exhilarating, and I began to research my developing ideas online, seeing if there were others in New Zealand (or internationally) who had done this themselves. I took a look at various job listing websites, not to apply for anything (I knew I didn't have the skills or experience - Yet), but just to see if anything like this existed.

It was on one of these job sites that I came across Au Pair Link New Zealand again. I was immediately drawn to the American Au Pair program, my mind raced as I considered how this experience could add to my dream of becoming a freelance education specialist. How wonderful would it be if I could work with special needs children at home, as their live-in nanny. What an experience to work alongside their families, understand their struggles and pour love and time into their children.

I was also attracted by the study aspect - as part of the program I would undertake 6 credit hours of study in an American college/community college. This was very exciting to me as so many of the Educational theorists I loved to read were American, to think that I could be able to learn from them, possibly in person!

I had a lot of exciting questions brewing, but wasn't about to jump on the bandwaggon without deep consideration and prayer. I didn't even know if working with special needs children in the au pair program was possible. It was a big decision, and it would mean my plans for getting my teaching registration would be on hold for a year. My interest was piqued enough to inquire about the program, so I sent a short email to Au Pair Link. I asked if they worked with special needs children, and outlined what I was interested in studying. I got a positive response back and suddenly it dawned on me that this could end up happening!

And so it all began...