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...