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Hello,
We are a small family of three; myself, my wife, and our one year old daughter Mili. Our home is in a rural village in Dorset (in the UK). It's within what's known as the "Piddle Valley".
We live next door to my parents, my sister and her family live across a small stream. My sister keeps a big vegetable garden in the paddock between the houses and there are also chickens, bantams, runner ducks, and muscovees there too.
Before the paddock, there's a big lawn and my parents maintain a beautiful English garden with flower beds with shrubs, bedding plants and lots of roses. In sprint the daffodils are out in force, and the garden evolves as the year progresses.
Our main task for the work away person is to have someone to help us with our daughter. We'd like two to four hours each day (except Sunday) supporting us in raising her as my wife and I both have jobs. Most of the work will be child care in and around our house but there will be variety and other odd jobs which will also come up.
We typically offer lunch daily and dinner every other day. For couples they might like more independence, with singles more, but either which we way we welcome you as part of our family.
Gardening
Farmstay help
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Cultural exchange options are wide and diverse : ).
My wife is Manipuri, a north eastern state in India, and so you can get to know more about Manipuri's,
my sister's husband funnily enough is also Indian, but he's from Andra Pradesh and a keen motorbiker!
My sister is an avid permaculture gardener and runs the veg patch for the family
My parents are good English folk, traditional and proper!
My wife is a keen yoga instructor, and we are both keen on spiritual practices,
I am a huge walker and eagerly walk and run around the beautiful Dorset countryside.
We all love a wild swim too, and head out for wild swims to the coast and rivers in the summer quite regularly
My elder nephew is football mad, and his younger brother likes to play a lot
Mili has an intense stare, is super happy, and cute and has lots to learn!
We're a well read family, so there's always a book around if needed
This host is looking for an au pair in the UK
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Our primary aim is to find someone to help us with our one year old daughter as I run an software business focused on social and environmental impact, and my wife has a part time software job. We'd love some help for about 2-4 hours a day, excluding Sunday, with Mili.
We'd not want to be prescriptive as we're sure you'll come with your own ideas but to give you a flavour of our days -
Typically we start earlyish and are up by 7 am, our current work away joins us by 8 am for an hour or an hour and a half. Mili typically has a little sleep around that time and might be up again by 11 am, when again an hours help is useful. After that we typically eat lunch by 12.30 or 1, and then around 4 or 5 we might need a bit more help as we prepare dinner for between 6 & 8.
Some things to do with Mili include -
- just hanging out in and around our cottage, helping Mili to learn, walk, and play etc
- taking Mili out while you're doing something else, or simply walking e.g. cooking, cleaning, gardening, walking
- supervising Mili and her cousin playing around the house, in the garden, in the paddock, or by the river
Additionally there might be odd jobs like popping into the shops, or helping with driving if you're comfortable with driving cars.
English: Fluent
Hindi: Fluent
French: Beginner
You will be staying in a ground floor studio flat which was the old dairy. It's a very large open plan room with a double bed, a separate bathroom with shower and sink plus a small kitchen with an electric oven, hob and microwave. It has a small terrace outside as well.
We can provide access to a car which is likely to be helpful when you want to go elsewhere.
The place is in Central Dorset, and has some beautiful countryside and coast - for walking, running, cycling etc
Our place is on the road but it's a beautiful house and garden which is peaceful and quiet
There is very limited local bus transport, so a car or a driving license is important, if not critical
We're looking for someone, to help out with our daughter Mili. So our expectation is that you will be quite good with young children, enjoy time with them, and then are happy to live a quiet rural existence in your free time.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
My wife and I work in tech, so we have the requisite fibre connection and a studio flat we have is a great workspace too.
There's space to put a van, but ideally it would not be too big!
Two
2 - 4 hours a day, 5 days a week