sea princess
Registered User
live in vs live out
Hi
I think you have been given great advice from everyone here. When we first moved here with a three year old and an old dog, we plunged straight into a employing a full time helper as we wanted the opportunity to travel and with an old dog, needed the reassurance she was being cared for when we were away. Our first helper came highly recommneded from another expat family who were relocating back to Canada. She interved well and was a mature lady. We thought she would be a great replacement for our daughters grandparents who minded her back in Australia. However, she was like the flat mate that never left the apartment and it was hell! She never went out, even when given a day off or an afternoon off. She would rather just sit around the house and I felt as though I had no privacy or space. She was also not great at minding our daughter, had average english and as a consequence we rarely left our little one with the helper in 2 years. She was a big mistake!
We then employed another helper and opted for live out. She was younger, better educated and has amazing english skills. she was a teacher in the Philippines and can engage with our children very well. Live out works well for us as a family. When I want my space I can tell her not to come in or go home early which she likes too. It gives me more flexibility and privacy. She also lives in close proximity to our apartment so if I need her, it will take 5 minutes for her to arrive. When my husband travels, she sometimes stays with us if I ask her to.
There are pros and cons for both options. I cant on the spare of the moment at night go for a walk and leave the kids or jump in the car and meet my husband, but if I'm organised and planned I can have great flexibility.
One other consideration is your apartment space. One of our issues is that our apartment is very open plan. This is not so good if you have a helper. So bear this in mind when chosing and apartment to live in. It's handy to have a kitchen area which is closed off from your lounge/living space.
Good luck.
Hi
I think you have been given great advice from everyone here. When we first moved here with a three year old and an old dog, we plunged straight into a employing a full time helper as we wanted the opportunity to travel and with an old dog, needed the reassurance she was being cared for when we were away. Our first helper came highly recommneded from another expat family who were relocating back to Canada. She interved well and was a mature lady. We thought she would be a great replacement for our daughters grandparents who minded her back in Australia. However, she was like the flat mate that never left the apartment and it was hell! She never went out, even when given a day off or an afternoon off. She would rather just sit around the house and I felt as though I had no privacy or space. She was also not great at minding our daughter, had average english and as a consequence we rarely left our little one with the helper in 2 years. She was a big mistake!
We then employed another helper and opted for live out. She was younger, better educated and has amazing english skills. she was a teacher in the Philippines and can engage with our children very well. Live out works well for us as a family. When I want my space I can tell her not to come in or go home early which she likes too. It gives me more flexibility and privacy. She also lives in close proximity to our apartment so if I need her, it will take 5 minutes for her to arrive. When my husband travels, she sometimes stays with us if I ask her to.
There are pros and cons for both options. I cant on the spare of the moment at night go for a walk and leave the kids or jump in the car and meet my husband, but if I'm organised and planned I can have great flexibility.
One other consideration is your apartment space. One of our issues is that our apartment is very open plan. This is not so good if you have a helper. So bear this in mind when chosing and apartment to live in. It's handy to have a kitchen area which is closed off from your lounge/living space.
Good luck.
