Actually, I never expected that I will move abroad, and I never expected that it will be German-speaking country even more. I never liked German language, and in my high school I used to stand for its removal from the curriculum. I would also never think that I will be able to leave everything, good job, independence, friends and family and move out because of relationship. Already while living in Poland it happened that I was working as babysitter. First child was like an angel. Sister of my ex trusted me and let me take care of her 1 year old son. Since then, I was regularly playing with him while discovering how great children are. At the same time it was relaxing me before upcoming “matura” (Polish school-leaving examination). I’ve passed matura and summer slipped by, than next one, and I’ve met next child, it was a son of a new neighbor. For the first time I’ve heard about her from my sister and one day we’ve met on the walk. She was a girl two years older than me, which still had head full of big world, parties and entertainment. She rather wasn’t dreaming of maternity before and I was the only one person who was playing with the boy. At that time I was thinking that babysitting is only an extra job and I rather won’t do it anymore in the future. I wanted to study and have a serious job to have happy and comfortable life. I didn’t plan to fall in love with a guy from Austria and move abroad to live with him, but that’s what exactly happened. Do I regret that I moved out and left everything? On the one hand yes, because I miss independence and with this men it didn’t work out anyway. People say that the best way to really get to know somebody is to live together. On the other hand no, because I live in a beautiful and interesting city, and after break up, I’ve met someone who I’m happy with until this day. While living in Vienna I was listening to German language on the streets, in shops, or in metro, and from one day to another I liked it more and more. Finally I started learning. At this point I know basics, I understand quite much and I can communicate, but it’s still too low to get here any good job. That’s why I had to look for something that I could do with English, the language that I always liked and was speaking fluently. I thought that if Vienna is an international metropolis, full of foreign companies and foreigners, than it shouldn’t be a problem to find English companies where there could be something to do for me as well. It could be an office, a shop, a storage, or hotel. I had many ideas. I’ve wrote down all possibilities, I’ve created an action plan and begun to send CV. Tens, all days long, from mornings till evenings. To my disappointment everywhere was required communicative knowledge of German. I’ve received some invitations for interviews, where I was arriving with happiness, but only to hear that they accidentally skipped fact that I don’t really know German so they have to say no. Once I’ve tried on Viennese airport, I thought that there has to be some English-speaking job possibilities, but everywhere fluent German was required as well. After almost two months of unemployment, disappearing savings and stress, I’ve decided to take job as English-speaking babysitter. I was missing normal office or shop work, but at the same time I was happy that finally I can begin to earn money and stop being a burden. I found interesting that in Vienna there is no problem to find a job as babysitter without knowledge of German. In Vienna live families of many different nationalities, so it’s easy to find a job with Polish, and even easier with English. Very often parents are bringing up their children with 2, 3 languages, and usually one of them is English. Children need somebody to practice the language with. Until now I happen to work with Russians, Lithuanians, Hungarians, Germans, English, Americans, Austrians, and Polish people. I’ve met many different types of parents, and ways of parenting. I’ve met children of either nice or very difficult personalities. In this blog I want to tell you about this families and what I’ve experienced with them.
