Complaint Against Angela, German Family
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Complaint >> Posted: Sep 07 '06 by Treina in British Columbia, Canada |
| This family was nothing but a problem from day one. Angela made the town she lives in sound so wonderfull and that they were this great family. Wrong.
-they had said i would be able to keep in constant contact with my daughter, which was not true they had given her a phone limit of 5 Euros per month. Anything over that she would have to pay out of her pocket. They also told us that msn was on the computer and we could use skype to talk to each other. This also was a lie. There was nothing of the sort. Tahnee had to ask the family to update the computer so that she could talk with us.
-Going to Munich was an option if wanted...not everyday but it was avalible whenever. That to me sounds like a good town of transporation. This also was not true. It was an hour long bus ride into munich and if you missed that bus well you are out of luck.
-They say Isen has lots too offer...But it does not. It is a little town with almost nothing and by the time you can actually get out of the house to walk around and look at shops everything is closed because it is eight in the evening and you have just put the kids to bed.
- the room you will stay in is about 2 meters wide by 6 or 7 meters long. The bed is not comfortable. It's actually not even a bed its like a fomie on a cupboard.
-the bathroom has no mirror and no sink, to wash your face or brush your teeth with. There is always the option of doing that downstairs.
- you will be working longer than 6 hours a day. I have spoken with this families other aupairs and they experianced such things as well
-there is more but feel free to ask any questions you might have
This family was not the most welcoming and the father treated my daughter as if she was a child. She is a very smart and intelligant girl and did not deserve to be treated in such a way. I have talked with their last two aupairs Kat who stayed for 11 months and left after Angela refused to give her her last vacation and Stefanie who wanted to leave because she was also unhappy but had to leave sooner than expected because her sister became ill...simple fact is any aupair minus one that they have had has been very unhappy in their house and I would hate for someone else to have to go through what these girls have been through. |
Comment >> Posted: Nov 16 '06 by Natasha in Arizona, United States
I was this family's 1st au pair and would like to speak on behalf of the family. From my time with this family, I came to know them as fair, honest people. I read what the mother of another au pair wrote, and I can understand where she might be coming from, but I disagree. I'll go ahead and respond specifically to some of the statements. To the mother who wrote -- I in no way mean to be disrespectful, but I think it is only fair for me to give my statements as well. I sincerely wish you and your daughter the best.
Phone useage: Rates to call the USA from Germany are extremely inexpensive (when I was there, about 3.3 cents/min on average). It was regularly cheaper to call my family in AZ than to call a fellow au pair 10 miles away! When you dial, a recording states how much you will be charged per minute for the call. While I was there, we based my talk time on having 7 hours free per month, this could have been changed to a monetary amount. I frequently decided to talk even more, paid for it myself; you can receive unlimited calls, though!
Computer use: I used AOL IM with no problem; I spent a lot of time on the internet. I'm not familiar with the skype.
Going to Munich: I went to Munich every Sunday for church, on many Tuesday evenings (the husband in the family stayed late in Munich on this night, so I would ride back home with him), and often on Saturdays. Once I even took the little boy to Munich. Yes, it was a long ride, about 60-75 minutes to get to where I wanted to be. However, for me it was worth it (I often read on my way). Yes, bus times are limited. But, the family was flexible with me so I could catch the last bus out if I wanted to. Yes, if you missed the bus, you were out of luck. But, that is how it would work in any city if you are carless. I am currently a social worker and a lot of my clients have to depend on the bus system here in Phoenix, it can take people over 2 hours to go 20 miles. The Munich system is much better, faster, more reliable, and easier to use.
The town of Isen: Yes, it is small, rural and has limited offerings, and according to German law, stores do close at 8pm (all over the country, even in the big cities, unless the store is providing a direct service to travellers). I often took the little boy around town during the day, we spent endless hours walking, window shopping, real shopping, travelling to nearby towns to meet friends, getting ice cream, exploring the outdoors, etc. Don't expect a lot of night activities, though! There were some restaurants open still, but I didn't go alone. At night, I usually emailed, watched tv, talked with the family, or read. German (perhaps European in general) life tends to be at a slower pace when compared to American life, and that took some getting used to; I came to enjoy the down time, though it could be boring at times!
The room: It is the normal size of a smaller bedroom in a suburban middle-class home. When I lived there, I had a different room which was even smaller, but had a living room attached. I like smaller rooms, though. Regarding the bed, it took getting used to. However, it is a normal european bed, not what we are used to in America. If you go to Ikea, you'll see similar things (that's where it was purchased). After about a month, I loved it!
Bathroom: The bathroom has been renovated since I lived there. There was a sink, tub, mirror, and toilet when I was there -- I don't see why the family would have decided to leave out essential pieces of the bathroom. The family has renovated the whole house (little by little) and are now done with the major things (they might have wallpaper left to choose); all of their renovations used very quality materials and they put a lot of thought into making sure they made their house a home they could enjoy. I have no doubt that the upstairs bathroom was treated the same way.
Work hours: I worked 30 hours weekly -- sometimes I worked less but would make up for it by working more a different week. They were very flexible with me. Out of the many au pair friends I had, I felt like this family was one of the fairest families I was aware of regarding work hours. They went by the contract, and did not expect more of me than we had agreed to.
For anyone who is thinking of being an au pair, let me be honest. It is challenging -- even though I had lived and travelled abroad, as well as lived on my own for 6 years prior to being an au pair, I still was challenged at times. But I learned and grew so much. I still keep in contact with this family that I lived with, as well as some other friends that I met during my time there. If you're with a good family, stick it out through the challenges! It can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. Best wishes with finding a family to au pair for, and please do not overlook this family in your search. You can contact Angela if you'd like my email
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Comment >> Posted: Nov 26 '06 by Stefanie in New York, United States
I am the "Stefanie" mentioned above. I was a previous au pair of this family. I am not going to comment on either of the above comments, but rather just give my opinion on life in Isen with this family.
There is nothing "wrong" with the town, just note that it is small. I am from New York City, and caught off-guard by how rural it was. I was very honest with the family about my feelings, and they respected that. All they asked was that I stay until they could replace me, which was fair. In the end, I left for personal, family reasons. I am still in touch with, and on good terms with the family.
As for working: work is work. You are watching two kids. So you either like that or you don't. All kids are different, so there is no way to judge these two kids. They are KIDS. Anyone with any teaching background knows that kids are all different. There are good days and bad days - like with any family.
The biggest thing is honesty. The family asks for honesty. If you are honest with your feelings, good or bad, then you'll have no problems. In America, we tend to be polite, saying things like "oh, it's ok" or "no, I'm fine" etc...(even when things are not really fine or ok) I am rather blunt, so I expressed myself, and that worked best with this family. The family will also be honest with you.
Lastly, I can comment on living arrangements. The room is small, but by no means unlivable. My computer had AIM (I think it also had MSN, but in America we're mostly on AIM) Not sure about Skype. I got 5 Euros a month for the phone, and it costs 1 cent per minute to call the US. So, I had ample time to talk. The husband treated me well, however, I am almost 25, much older than some of the other au pairs...so I can't speak across the board on that one.
Ok, well like I said...I am trying not to give a bias opinion, but just to state the facts. Establish relationships before you jump into any au pair situation, be honest and make a wise decsions...best of luck!
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