Come help with dog sitting and a little house sitting in our family. Hessen, Germany

Germany

Favourited 54 times

Host rating
Feedback
5
Last activity
13/09/2020
Reply rate
100.0 %
Average reply time:
within 2 days
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Availability

2020

Min stay requested: 1 month or more

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What's this?

Details

Description
We‘re looking for a dogsitter/aupair to stay in our family. We - that is Steffi and Frank, both working for Lufthansa airlines, and the almost-17-year-old twins Kai and Tobias (non-identical) - and of course our not so little dog Dinah who definitely is part of the family! She‘s a friendly and lazy mix between Rhodesian Ridgeback and Old English Bulldog - so knowledge of dog handling can be an advantage in this job. If you play football with her she will love you forever!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Animal Care
Language practice
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
You could live in a German family and see how German life and traditions are (you would be part of the family). During your free time you can explore Frankfurt city and it’s surroundings.
Help
It’s mainly dogsitting and a little bit of an Aupair job (we had many aupairs before) as the dog can’t prepare its own food - the kids are old enough (almost 17) to help themselves. They might need someone to make sure they get up in time in the mornings when we (parents) are away working. Speaking English with the family would be perfect, so the boys could improve their (lacking) skills. And a little help in household chores are appreciated. We are both working with Lufthansa and are away from time to time, that's why we had aupairs since the boys were little.
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Accommodation
Own room (can be locked) of 16 sqm on first floor of our house - major bathroom to be shared with 2 boys. Our house has 8 rooms and 3 bathrooms. We live in the suburbs of Frankfurt in a small town. Would provide you with car to drive the boys to/from school if needed. The car (shift gear) or a scooter (can be driven with car license) may be used for private trips (fuel not included).
As we did with the aupairs, you would share food with the family.
What else ...
As mentioned before: you should take care of our dog when we are both away working. Meaning taking her for a walk two times a day and feeding her. Maybe helping boys not loosing track of time (difficult in that age).
The boys are used to having aupairs - but they should learn to take over responsibilities by doing most things themselves now.
This is what the aupairs did by now:
Waking up boys in the morning, make sure they leave in time for school, take dog for walk. Picking up boys in afternoon if needed, take dog for walk again. Prepare dinner.
This is what needs to be done when parents are both away flying. When one or both are at home work is shared of course.
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
- Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
One
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Photos

Feedback left by and about host (5)

12/09/2020

Left by Workawayer (Rob) for host

Let's see. How do I describe my experience with Steffi, Frank, Tobi, Kai, and Dinah... Probably with the word 'perfect'. I can't quite count how many times this family comes up in my thoughts, and it's been six months since we've been together. Yes, my time was cut short by the pandemic and having to return home. But the fact that we were together… read more for a good bit before I had to leave was such a blessing.

Accommodation
They are between two homes so I'm not sure how relevant my feedback will be on the home I stayed in by the time you read this, but the new home looks just as nice. I had my own clean, private room that I absolutely loved. The view from the window was right out to the street. Knick-knacks, decorations, and clean sheets made the room very very comfortable and safe for me. The living room, dining table, and kitchen are all inter-mingled and create a nice sense of community. The yard is very green and lush and you can put balls of bird feed on the tree branches if you so choose, or fill up the bird feeders. The sauna was like Heaven for me. Frank let me have alkoholfrei bier when I wanted, and that was a very kind gesture.

Chores
Straightforward and I was trained very well by Steffi and Frank. Sure, I made a mistake here and there, but they were forgiving and understanding. I'll never forget to empty the water tank in the dryer ever again! I helped cook, I took Dinah out to go to the bathroom or for a walk, and I helped pick up and drop off the boys to and from school, nachhilfe, and swimming. I spoke with them purely in English as much as possible and Frank encouraged me to correct their English so that they become better at the language, which I was more than happy to do. Talking about anime and video games with the boys was rewarding and a lot of fun. I had the VW Golf to drive around so make sure you have your driver's license and you know how to drive stick shift. If you show love to Dinah, the family dog, then you will be in a good position.

Steffi and Frank (the parents)
Kind. Honest. Very very knowledgeable on American culture and extremely fluent in English. Funny. They have skits of British comedy they played in the car with Benedict Cumberbatch and it was very fun. Frank took me to the local pub and it was SO cool in there. I felt like I was experiencing true, authentic, suburban German life. I was treated like family. I was respected and listened to. I was given freedom to work or relax and I was also given responsibility to take care of Dinah and the boys.

Tobi and Kai
Funny. Cool. Teenagers. They like making jokes and love each other, although they won't tell you that. They're quite good at English. With some gentle encouragement, you can teach them little things about English or American culture or chores around the house. They like what they like and are pleasant gentlemen. We had a few disagreements but nothing that got out of hand. I enjoyed their company and they were quite low maintenance. Intelligent and good-natured.

Dinah
Deenie deserves her own section. She is a half ridgeback half something. She is the queen of the home. Whatever Dinah wants, she usually gets. She loves playing ball. She likes being in the same room as you. She doesn't like the rain so much. She is quite cuddly. Play ball with her. You can get along with her if you feed her and play ball with her. It's pretty simple.

Neighborhood
I can still remember the driving routes. The suburban landscape of Frankfurt is beautiful. Big, open fields, greenery, and little towns with cool, old-school-looking buildings. Try the local pizza shop. Frank has known them for decades. I was lucky enough to go out to eat with the family twice to their favorite ethnic restaurant and we ate well and had fun. Everything is close by. The train to Frankfurt is easy to take and is a short ride, all things considered.

Food
The family has a few really tasty dishes they like to prepare, such as sous-vide meats, salmon, pasta, and my favorite, which was raclette with potatoes, mushrooms, and ground beef. Delicious. Plenty of soda water which I love.

Conclusion
A warm, welcoming, safe, comfortable home in a beautiful, quiet, scenic part of the world, with a lovely, lovely family. Chores were straightforward and you are given tons of freedom and the ability to prove yourself by completing tasks well and on-time. I would happily spend a year or more with this family.

(Excellent )

27/08/2020

Left by host for Workawayer (Rob)

Rob stayed with our family for quite some time until Covid-19 started. Otherwise we would gladly have had him with us for a much longer period! He fitted into the family perfectly, our boys regarded him as a big brother and our dog totally loved him! We would be glad if he visits again whenever he's in the area, for just a visit or -most… read more

(Excellent )

10/12/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Lucas)

Lucas stayed for 5 weeks with us and immediately became part of our family. He didn't need any instructions what to do or where to help, he helped wherever things needed to be done, either with the boys or with the dog (she loved him right from the start). Surprised us with his cooking skills. Lucas is very communicative and likes sharing his… read more

(Excellent )

22/09/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Franka)

Franka kam ganz spontan zu uns und hat sich sofort in die Familie eingefügt. Leider blieb sie nur zwei Wochen - wir hätten sie gerne für länger bei uns behalten. Selbst der Familienhund, sonst eher Männern zugetan, mochte sie sehr und forderte sie ständig zum Spielen auf, was Franka dann auch bereitwillig tat. Die tägliche Routine mit unseren… read more

(Excellent )

20/06/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Samuel)

Very willing to work. Respected no-smoking household and stayed outside. Our dog LOVED him. Was keen on learning how to drive a shift-gear car (did well there) to bring or pick up kids. Easy to live with in one household. Welcome back anytime.

(Very good )

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Host ref number: 211747298353

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