Help with children and home in South London, UK

Details

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  Description

  UPDATE! I have unfortunately had a cancellation and am now looking for someone last minute. So no problem if you are not a Spanish speaker and if you cannot stay 3 months 🙂
  
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  HOLA!
  
  We are looking for our next Workawayer to start end of April / beginning of May.
  
  Must:
  
  ✓ BE A NATIVE SPANISH SPEAKER
  ✓ FEMALE
  ✓ COMMIT FOR THREE MONTHS (minimum)
  ✓ LOVE CHILDREN
  
  Vegetarian or vegan preferred 💚
  (I do not cook meat)
  
  Hello! Hola!
  
  We are looking for our next Workawayer to start at the beginning of May (but flexible) and who is happy to speak Spanish with me! (Si no hablas bien el inglés, no hay problemas porque quiero practicar espanol y que los ninos aprendan) 😊
  
  We are a family of three, me (Kathryn or “Kat”) and the two children – a 10 year old girl (Amelie) and 8 year old boy (JJ). I am a single Mum (and have been for 7 years now) so it will just be me, the children, two cats and you! 🐱😸
  
  I studied Hispanic Studies at university and have lived in Cuba, Chile, Brazil and Trinidad & Tobago. I am a lawyer now and all my work involves cases in Latin America, so I would like to improve my spoken Spanish. Por eso me encantaría tener una Workawayer hispanohablante :)

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  London is a fantastic city (I have lived here for 20 years now!) and there are great transport links to central London from our house, so you will be able to enjoy all that this fantastic city has to offer. We also have lots of parks and green spaces nearby.
  
  We are a laid back family, but also like to live life to the full! We love meeting new people and learning about new cultures, and would love to share our culture with you too and introduce you to London life - I am happy for you to join in with our activities, like yoga and fitness, cinema and theatre and walks in the parks and countryside.
  
  I would love the children to learn Spanish (and to improve mine) and we will help you with your English too (if you are learning!). If you are musical and can teach the children piano or guitar that would be amazing!

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  Au Pair Help

  This host has let us know they’ll be complying with UK regulations for au pair stays.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  I am mainly looking for help with the morning school run and in the evenings with taking the children to clubs.
  
  The children finish school at 3.15pm and I would like to share our home with someone so that I am free to go to work events, go to yoga play netball, go out with friends and be more spontaneous!
  
  The current timetable is as follows:
  
  MONDAY - FRIDAY - Friday walking (or cycling) the children to school leaving at 8.20am for a 8.45am start. I have two adult bikes which you can use. 🚴‍♀️
  
  PLUS:
  
  MONDAY - Collect children from school (3.15pm) and take them to dance class.
  
  TUESDAY - Collect children from school and take them to a sewing lesson.
  
  WEDNESDAY - Help with laundry and ironing and gardening. Babysitting 7.45 - 9.30 while I go to yoga.
  
  THURSDAY - Collect children from school (3.15pm) and take them to dance class.
  Help get the children to bed while I play netball.
  
  FRIDAY - Collect children from school and occasional Babysitting.
  
  WEEKENDS - you are generally free, but every now and then I will ask you to babysit on Friday/Saturday.
  
  You must be happy to live with our two cats 🐱😺
  
  If I have a work event, then you would need to be happy collecting the children from school, making a simple meal for them and getting them to bed. They are 8 and 10 now so are fairly independent.
  
  They are both obsessed with screens so I would like a workawayer that is happy to engage with them, play with them, do arts and crafts, sports etc (rather than just leaving them to watch TV).
  
  Both children are with a modelling/acting agency and you will sometimes need to take them to auditions at short notice in central London. You will need to be comfortable taking public transport around London.
  
  I would also love some general help around the house, in particular with tidying up after the children and with laundry... and ironing! I have a cleaner so won't ask you to do any cleaning, only to tidy up after yourself and the children :) If you like gardening, I would love some help with that too (as I don't know what I am doing!)
  
  If you have music skills, then I would love it if you could give music lessons to the children - we have a piano at home, as well as a guitar and violins. JJ currently has guitar lessons and Amelie is having singing lessons.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate
  Portuguese: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  I studied Hispanic Studies at university and use Spanish in my work as a lawyer every day and would like to improve my spoken Spanish. I would therefore like somebody who is happy to speak with me only in Spanish and teach the children some Spanish 🙂
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  Accommodation

  We live in a 3 bed terrace house (built in the Victorian times, but modern inside!) in a residential street in Anerley in south-east London, just down the hill from Crystal Palace, which you might have heard of.
  
  It's a lovely spacious house, with a large lounge, a large kitchen and a garden at the back. Your room is a good size with a double bed.
  
  We have recently adopted a Mama cat and her very playful kitten 😊
  
  We are close to Norwood Junction Station (travelcard zone 4) where you can get direct trains to London Bridge (12 minutes), Victoria, Shoreditch and Islington, Surrey Quays (to name a few).
  
  Within 5-10 minutes walk from our house you have supermarkets, cafes, pubs and beer cabins and Stanley Arts (an Arts centre with cinema and comedy nights, yoga classes, a café etc.) We are a 10 minute walk from South Norwood Country Park – a huge space, great for walks, bike rides and exercise and it has a mini golf course too! We feel lucky in that we can enjoy the best of what London has to offer while still being in a nice, and relatively green residential area.

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  What else ...

  Vegetarian/vegan preferred.
  
  My son and I are both vegetarian (and I try to be vegan most of the time) and I only cook vegetarian food at home. So if you are vegetarian/vegan too that would be amazing!
  
  We will sometimes eat together, but you need to be happy cooking for yourself (and sometimes the children) as I am not always around in the evenings. Ideally we would each cook a couple of times a week for each other.
  
  You will usually be free from 9am-3pm to enjoy all that London has to offer during the day, (or study or work).

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  We have good WiFi connection at home (I work from home 3-4 days a week) and there is a desk and chair in your bedroom so you can set up your own little office!

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  Space for parking camper vans

  There is free parking on my street.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  One

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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