Paris sees surge in UK students applying to become ‘au pairs’

Parlez-vous français?

Well, if not, then you may want to brush up on your French, as this past year has seen a sharp rise in UK students applying to become au pairs to families in France as a result of a shrinking job market post-Brexit, said a Paris-based English childcare agency.

According to Le Répertoire de Gaspard’s Director, Catherine Leroy, the agency, as a core recruiter of English-speakers in the French capital, has seen “a significant upturn in student applications from Britain this year”.

“This is good news for us as we continue to receive high quality candidates who are concerned about work opportunities at home.

“UK companies may be scaling back on recruitment efforts, but we are increasing our investment and employment intentions for Anglophones searching for work here,” she said.

The agency specialises in English speaking childcare services, including after-school pick-ups; Wednesday work; lunch-time conversation sessions; private English lessons; holiday work; and garde partagée (shared custody) services.

Besides its childcare services, the agency also offers childcare training through its sister institution, the Paris Institute of Childcare Training (Paris ICT).

Students at the institute will be able to work towards a professional certificate in early childhood education, also known as “CAP Petite Enfance”.

Paris ICT students are provided a full-time salary – they spend half their time in child education classes and the rest of the time working for Le Répertoire de Gaspard, in addition to going on work placements to put theory into practice. 

Due to increased interest from UK students, Paris ICT has seen a huge spike in enrolment of English-speaking international students. Over 90 percent of its student population now consists of English-speakers from overseas.

Virginia Bastide, the institute’s Director of Human Resources and Marketing, said: “As an expat myself coming from the UK, it’s very rewarding to help so many Anglophones find valuable work opportunities here.”

Bastide said that the diploma program has proven to be a big hit, and has not only helped students improve their French language skills, but has also made them more employable, thanks to the range of experiences they are exposed to.

“In turn, our families and children are feeling the benefits too of our professional childcare services on offer,” she added.

Image via Pixabay

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