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Description
We are looking for someone to join our family in the beautiful Scottish Highlands from spring 2026 for 6+ months. We live in one of the most picturesque parts of the UK in an old farmhouse surrounded by fields, just outside the small but bustling town of Nairn. We have easy access to some of the UK's most stunning beaches, rivers, mountains and wildlife and would love to share these with you as part of life in our family.
We have three young children (age 7, 5 and 4) and we’d love to host someone who is happy to get stuck in with life at our family home, while using it as a base to explore the beautiful area we are lucky enough to live in. Ideally we would host someone with some experience of looking after young children, although enthusiasm and a willingness to learn can be just as useful. Our middle daughter has Down syndrome and we use Makaton to complement verbal communication so we would happily help you to learn some signs. We have childcare set up for during normal hours during the week (except for school holidays) so your role is mainly at weekends and a little bit of help in the mornings and evenings during the week to help let us get out to work. We offer 2 weekdays off per week and 4-5 hours work per day on average (typically fewer than this during the week days and a little more during the weekend). We are outdoor enthusiasts although having small children contains our adventures mostly in the local area rather than the mountains, but we take plenty of opportunities to cycle the couple of miles to the beach in Nairn. Enthusiasm to spend time outdoors in all weathers is key to a happy stay with us in the North of Scotland!
We have a garden, greenhouse, vegetable patch, fruit trees and bushes that we love to cultivate and enjoy the produce from. We would particularly welcome someone who is keen to get their fingers dirty in the soil with us and our children. Some of our happiest times are spent in our garden or down on the beach nearby. We would love to have someone to stay for a few months at a time or longer to give the opportunity to settle into the rhythm of family life.
We have plenty of experience hosting visitors in our house, having been keen Warmshowers hosts for a number of years (sofa surfing for cycle tourers) and, more recently, au pairs. We can give you a link to our reviews if you’d like to hear what people think about staying with us before making any commitments! We love helping our guests to feel part of the family and you are very welcome to be included in family life. You will have your own double bedroom complete with countryside views and a wood burner, with a large bathroom just next door.
We are looking for someone who is gentle, friendly, fun and imaginative. We love doing arts and crafts activities, particularly involving nature. You will need to have initiative to be able to get stuck in and help with family life, but we can guide you particularly at the start of your stay.
We are really keen that our children are able to enjoy their childhood without the intrusion of too much screen time. We therefore ask that our au pairs don't use their phones around the children as we have found in the past this becomes distracting and intrusive and interferes with the ability for au pairs to bond with the children.
Sorry but we can’t host guests who smoke.
If you are interested in joining our family please send us a message telling us a little about yourself. We look forward to hearing from you.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Interests
Sustainability
Books
Plant care
Music
DIY & crafts
Cooking & food
Carpentry
Animals
Yoga / Wellness
Nature
Camping
Winter sports
Sailing / Boating
Mountain
Beach
Water sports
Outdoor activities
Hiking
Cycling
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We can offer a taste of life in the north of Scotland, share food and drink, point you in the direction of good places to cycle, beaches, river walks, mountains...it's all nearby.
Au Pair Help
This host has let us know they’ll be complying with UK regulations for au pair stays.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We would love to have people to stay to experience a little of our life in the Highlands, help us with the children and generally enjoy the beautiful part of the world we are lucky enough to live in.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
Accommodation
You will stay in our spare room with your own bathroom nearby. Comfy beds, fresh sheets, wooden shutters (especially important in the summer when it doesn't really go dark!). Alternatively if you prefer to sleep in your own camper van we can provide a flat parking space for your home on wheels.
We provide 3 shared meals per day and can cater for most dietary requirements. We expect you to be fully involved with family life, including preparing meals and tidying up, as you would be doing in your own home. It has worked well in the past for our au pair to be responsible for cooking 2 evening meals per week. We can buy in specific ingredients if needed and can help to work out a meal plan.
What else ...
We tend to go to bed early and wake up early, as is the rhythm of life with small children and busy jobs. There will be plenty of time for you to explore the local area and we can lend you as many bikes as you can ride (we love bicycles!) to get around. If you have your own vehicle you may find this useful for getting around, particularly as you'll have quite a bit of free time during the middle of the days when we already have childcare set up. Your role is at either end of the day during the week, and during the daytime at weekends. As we have childcare 9-5 most weeks on Monday-Friday we do ask that you join in at the weekends, but you will get plenty of free time in the week.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have reasonably reliable internet access - it's fast enough for streaming but does sometimes struggle if multiple people are trying to use heavy bandwidth at the same time. We tend to keep off screens as much as possible (for example, the children have a 20minute tv time each evening but no other screen time). We can support those who would like to work online during the day, as we don't need too much from you midweek (of course, we can find things for you to do if you are bored!)
Space for parking camper vans
We can accommodate small/medium sized campervans on our driveway, and probably larger ones in the farmyard opposite - our neighbouring farmers are very friendly.
Can possibly accept pets
We love pets, at the moment we have two much loved guinea pigs (Goose and Pondweed). Visitors with child friendly pets are very welcome.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Goose (guinea pig)
Pondweed (guinea pig)
