HELLO ASHLEY! WE ARE VERY HAPPY TO HAVE YOU HERE TODAY! COULD YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND TELL US ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND?
Hello! My name is Ashley and I'm 25 years old. I'm originally from San Francisco, California and I came to France to learn French and to study communication. For the past 4 years now I have been a Bilingual Mômji nanny!
I look after a 3 year old boy, Antoine, and a 5 year old girl, Louise, in English, on Tuesdays and Fridays after school, and on Wednesdays during the afternoon!
SO WHY DID YOU APPLY AT MÔMJI? HOW DID YOU FIND YOUR JOB?
I found out about Mômji through a French friend who had already worked with you for two years. She told me that the company offered bilingual childcare job offers : the idea of finding a job in my native language when I arrived in Paris was very reassuring!
There were also many benefits such as finding housing, or taking French classes for free, which was really helpful when I arrived here.
I also really liked the idea of being in immersion in a Parisian family to discover the French culture at my arrival.
Afterwards, I really enjoyed sharing my language and US culture with the children I was taking care of. I was also able to integrate more easily thanks to the parties organized with the Mômji community: I met other nannies, but also English teachers who come from different countries around the world!
WOULD YOU SAY THAT YOU HAVE A FULFILLING JOB, WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB AS A NANNY WITH MÔMJI?
Absolutely! First of all, I really feel like I'm making myself useful on a daily basis: after all, children are the adults of tomorrow, and helping them grow up in an open environment by offering them a privileged access to a foreign language is a real acccomplishement!
I am well supported in my daily missions with Mômji: I receive regular educational materials with ideas of activities to do in English with the children. The family I work with also received an educational kit at the beginning of the services which contains a Happy Families game, a bilingual imaginary book and lots of creative advices and activities.
Professionally, I am also very happy to be able to attend Mômji's French classes, which helped me alot to improved my language skills.
This experience made me realize that I love working with children and accompanying them in their development has made me want to train and professionalize myself! I’m currently thinking of obtaining a French diploma in the Early Childhood area while working, an option offered by Mômji.
WHAT IS A TYPICAL CHILDCARE DAY LIKE?
My childcare services start as soon as I’m out of class! I am lucky enough to finish at 3:30 pm on Tuesdays and Fridays, which allows me to pick up Antoine and Louise directly after school.
We then have a 4 pm snack together. They love my homemade cookie recipe and its very secret ingredient. 😊
When we have time on Wednesday afternoons, we bake cookies together, and I admit that we usually don’t have any left over for the Thursday snack time. After this gourmet break, it’s time to do homework: Louise is in first grade, so it's a very important year, since she is currently learning to read.
After being studious, it's finally time for fun! Together, we usually do creative activities, which channel their energy: they are really driven, especially by painting!
I take advantage of their attention and enthusiasm during this time to talk to them in English: sometimes we do watercolor or coloring workshops, yesterday we made salt dough, and once we even took the time to surprise the parents by preparing the evening meal!
When the weather is nice, we go to the park before snack time, where Antoine and Louise can meet their friends. I learned them how to play baseball, and they love playing it outdoors: it's an activity that allows them to exercise after school, but also to make new friends effortlessly!
Every time we step by the park, we bring back a leaf or a flower from there, depending on the season: we have started to make a herbarium together, and they really want to collect as many plants as possible!
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE ACTIVITY TO DO WITH THE KIDS?
I love cooking with them! Since I live in a studio flat, I don't necessarily get to cook as well as I would like, so spending time in the kitchen with the kids is very enriching, for them as for me!
At this age, they are very curious: they love kneading doughs, mixing ingredients, experimenting with new recipes, seeing the result browning in the oven... Cooking together is always a shared excitement!
WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT VALUES FOR YOU?
While working with Mômji, it is definitely sharing!
Antoine and Louise are very curious and interested in my culture, my family... and our american food, of course! They are always happy to learn, and they have also taught me a lot about French culture (the "bise", the delicious French desserts, the holidays in France...).
Their parents were also very kind to me when I arrived in their family: they gave me a lot of advice and made me discover a lot of good addresses!
HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR PROFESSIONAL FUTURE TODAY?
After 5 years of study, I will finally get my master's degree this year!
Next year, I would like to take advantage of the opportunity offered by Mômji to pass my Early Childhood diploma.
I have always been interested in the social professions, and this interest has grown stronger in me since the COVID-19 crisis.
I also know that the childcare sector is constantly recruiting, and that it offers job opportunities in various sectors: health, social, education...
In addition, it would allow me to add a valuable line to my resume before I finally launch my full-time professional life!
