The next steps

ORIGINALLY POSTED APRIL 22

So there needs to be a replacement au pair found asap for this specific Parisian family. Without really thinking, I decided to do it. I didn’t weigh the pro’s and con’s, I didn’t really discuss it with anyone, I just decided to go for it. I emailed the woman in charge of the Au Pair agency, attached my resume and told her I was extremely interested in learning more about the opportunity.

Within an hour of my email, I received a phone call from the American ambassador for the program, she was eager to start my application process and get the entire situation underway. She sent me a quick application to fill out, told her that I needed to send the family a letter about myself including photos of myself, my life and explaining what I hoped to gain out of this situation.
After having sent her my application, she wanted to set up a Skype interview to discuss details. That went well and only took about 15 minutes. From there she got me in contact with the woman in charge of the program who lives in Paris to set up another Skype interview. This one was conducted in french, (Scary considering that when I was in Paris last time, I got so nervous and tongue tied that I couldn’t even ask for help buying a train ticket…) but I made it through and she seemed to really like me.
I sent her a list of references, my letter with photos and in return I got a letter from this family, introducing themselves, with photos as well. Let me just say, before I’ve even met them, that they are adorable. We then set up a skype interview with the family.
There were originally going to be 2 interviews, one with just the parents and the second with the children, however due to a scheduling issue, we only had one and I met everyone all at once. They were cute, funny and polite. They spoke to me in English so that I’d be more comfortable, which was nice. The only time I spoke in French was when the teenage daughter asked me to say a few things in French so they could hear my accent.
Caught off guard, I managed to say “Je m’appelle Mandie. J’espere d’aller au Paris pour etre votre Au Pair,” which I think means “My name is Mandie. I hope to come to Paris to be your Au Pair.” Fingers crossed.
They seemed to like it, I got a nod of approval from the family, the mom was very polite and told me that I sounded good! We hung up and I was so excited I couldn’t stand it.
We then went back to the agency and told them that we’d like to continue on in the process, so that meant getting me registered for a french language school and working on my visa. I found a language school just a short walk from where my apartment will be, and after several failed attempts at international payment, I made a deposit on a class beginning in September.
Here are the next steps starting now:
Get a copy of my birth certificate from the health department
Get a TB test from my doctor
Drive to Chicago, to the French consulate, to get my long-stay visa
Book a flight
Shop for a wardrobe that will last me an entire year
Pack
Say goodbye to friends and family…
stay tuned!