Au Pair versus Study Abroad

The university years are the perfect setting to trigger the wanderlust sitting dormant in us all. 

Whether it’s the lure of practicing Italian in Florence, eating tapas in Madrid, or the simpler desire getting toasty drunk in a room full of attractive Australians, thoughts of travel and freedom begin to nudge their way into our thoughts.

So, it’s no surprise that the generous papering of “Study Abroad!” posters plastered on every wall from the Student Union to the parking garages pique interest and recieve a hefty response by the semester.  Who could resist the idea?

Personally, I intended with absolute devotion to study in France before my undergraduate years were over.  However, the roadblock of suddenly coming up with several thousand dollars to toss at my International Studies department to fund the venture ensured that I was unsuccessful. 

It wasn’t until a year or two later, when I was living in France for free, spending afternoons lazing around a crystal blue pool that reflected the towering Alpine landscape, that I realized it would’ve been a massive waste of money to study abroad.

Case in point, the several friends I had who blew enough to purchase six months of living expenses to hole up in a European university for 1/3 of that, only to return with language skills that were still decidedly bad, a new social circle made up of other international students, not natives to where they studied, and wicked credit card debt.  (There were also a few with newfound substance abuse problems, but let’s be honest, that’s just as likely to happen at home).

So, let’s take a look at a few of the aspects to living abroad, and how making the choice to au pair measures up to study abroad:

Cost:  Au pairing comes out on top here for obvious reasons.  The right host family will cover everything, including (in rare cases), the cost of the flight.  If you play your cards right, you might even leave with more in your pocket than you started with, considering au pairing is a paid gig.  Study abroad is going to cost an arm and a leg.

Language Immersion: It’s true that a study abroad program will provide structure and security.  However, research shows that full language immersion is the fastest way to fluency.  Placing yourself into a foreign household, particularly one where your native language is not spoken, is hands down the quickest and most efficient way toward your language goals. 

Culture: It almost goes without saying that your cultural exposure in a household exponentially outweighs the generic experience of dorm living with a bunch of other expat students.  Your knowledge, opportunities, and the quality of your stay will be determined by the level of cultural immersion you experience.  There is no better place to find this than as a member of a native family.

Professional Grooming: I’m not saying that study abroad doesn’t look great when you enter the workforce.  It’s not going to stand out the way that having lived abroad, on your own, as a member of a foreign community is, though.  It’s also not going to enforce the perception of language skills, independence, ingenuity, and bravado nearly to the same degree.  Take it from someone who took great enjoyment out of explaining the au pair stint on her resume to fascinated interviewers during her job hunt.

A Second Home: While you would almost certainly hold dear your time studying in Prague for the rest of your life, you won’t be scheduling any visits to the old dorm to reunite with the folks from the summer of 2011 in ten years, but if you’d lived there for three months in a family home, you would likely be welcome back forever, and would have a permanent legacy in a romantic, international city.  How could dorm days compete with that?