Perri, foreign au pair - CV1 Coventry

I am committed to providing a safe, nurturing, positive and happy environment for the children in my care; allowing them to thrive. For the past 3 years I have worked with children in various formal and informal settings: school, at home, theme parks and more. I thoroughly enjoy working with children; supporting their development and watching them grow up and achieve is very rewarding. Currently I’m working as a Nanny in Switzerland for two girls’ aged 10 and 12 years old. Although I enjoy living within the beauty of Switzerland, I am planning to move to Australia Feb 2017 therefore in the meantime it would be great to support families in England temporarily.

Prior to relocating I lived and worked in the United Kingdom as an ASD specialist, therefore I have studied and learnt how to manage and support children with diverse stages of development and varying needs. I was also a Key-worker to two children, both with Autism as well as additional difficulties: ADHD, ADD, dyspraxia and sleeping disorders. The importance of building excellent, trustworthy and caring relationships with children (especially underprivileged) and their parents has been a key part of my role. While working I obtained my Level 3 NVQ in ‘Specialist Support for Teaching and Learning in Schools’ which has extended my knowledge in childcare. Although my educational background is very SEN focused, I do have in-depth knowledge of the ‘Teaching and Learning’ aspect due to the course I studied and supporting the English department and the EAL (English as an Additional Language) students. Regularly meeting teachers and gathering engaging resources was vital, as some students are unable to access the mainstream school. Therefore I would personally provide short-term education for the students on a 1:1 basis or group lesson to ensure they don’t fall behind in class. Also due to the rise in EAL students as a member of the Pastoral/English support I regularly supported the EAL manager with developing teacher help packs e.g. translating basic foreign words to English. This experience and knowledge will enable me to provide the best academic as well as literacy and numeracy support in the following subjects: English, Maths, Science and ICT.
It is essential when working in an ASD and school environment that I am always extremely organised, ensuring the day is structured to enable predictability for the children I work with. However due to my bubbly, calm and energetic nature I always ensure I have a firm and fair approach as personally I believe if you are far too strict with children is can hide their personalities; children thrive when they can be themselves. As well as this it is essential that I am always extremely organised, ensuring the day is structured to enable predictability for the children I work with. My communication skills are impeccable due to: liaising with the SENCO, teachers, parents and outside agencies and most importantly communicating with and understanding the child.
My child caring skills have been perfected through years of caring for both immediate and extended family. I have three younger siblings who I have always cared and cooked for, and have minded many young nieces and nephews, including infants – we’re a big family! I have always loved children and find nothing more rewarding than caring for them. I am extremely family orientated and I often take sole charge of my younger brothers which requires me to do: school runs, prepare healthy meals, support with homework, and arrange activities. This experience then led me to become a Nanny in Switzerland; I always wanted to travel. Life in Switzerland is amazing, it’s so exciting to meet new people and learn the different cultures.

I have a passion to travel, not necessarily from country to country but I enjoy adapting to a different way of life. I love to learn about new places, cultural differences and make new friendships across the world. I enjoy outdoor activities from long walks to rock climbing.