Monday 16 July 2012

Working in Finland

Hi there!

I've made it to Finland and I'm almost done my first two week camp here!  It has been going very well so far, the accommodation is very nice and the food is good.  We get fed many times a day so it really saves a lot of spending money because you do not have to buy any food or snacks.  The other teachers are from England, Ireland, Kenya and Russia.  The teaching job is a lot of work but also a lot of fun, the kids are very energetic and happy to be at camp.

Thanks for letting me know about these camps, I look forward to the rest of my summer here!

Elizabeth


18 comments:

  1. I did the UK camp program through Scotia Personnel a couple years back. It was a great experience! Met a lot of new people and the camp environment was a lot of fun.

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    1. Good for you Darren! It is certainly something to recommend to people who are looking for work and fun in an interesting place.

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    2. It was a great opportunity and experience for me!

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    3. This is great to hear.

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  2. I recently did the Italy summer camp and it was such a blast! I loved the food and meeting lots of new people!!!

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  3. I did a kid's summer camp as a camp leader in the UK through Scotia Personnel and had a summer of a lifetime! This was my first summer away from home but I met young people from all over the world including people from Australia, New Zealand and Europe. The team from Scotia Personnel were great and just wanted to thank them again!

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  4. Hey Vanessa, your comments were very helpful! After doing the Au pair in America program for a year and having such a great experience, I'm considering applying thru Scotia Personnel for the Italy camps for next summer!

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  5. I went away for a year as an au pair in the US thru Scotia Personnel and had the time of my life!

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  6. I wanted to take a minute to write about my experience au pairing in Spain with the help of Scotia Personnel.

    I left for Madrid at the end of August in 2010, after having decided on Spain and au pairing after speaking with the staff at Scotia Personnel. I was really ecstatic to have found an economically savvy way to live extensively abroad.

    The first months in Spain were incredibly rewarding and challenging at time, as is the case with anything new. I took language classes, explored the city and made many friends (many au pairs, as nearly all au pairs are eager to meet up and as such, getting to know people is not a problem).

    In November, I decided to switch to another au pair family as I was interested in au pairing with a different age range. I continue to stay in contact with my second family. The mother regularly emails me photos of the girls and we exchange Christmas gifts by mail, she also offered to pay for my flight back to Spain should I ever want to au pair for the family again!

    Around the same time, I met Alberto, who just so happens to be my husband as of last November!
    Had I not au paired in Spain, my life today would be totally different, having never met many of my very close friends, new families or husband. Nor would I be able to speak the high level of Spanish I do. As a result of my time in Spain, I have also been able to expand my resume as a child care professional, tutor and ESL teacher.

    Obviously, I recommend au pairing with Scotia Personnel to anyone who is looking to travel

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  7. I am so excited I cannot wait I am going to do my second program in the United States.I had a wonderful time in Europe.This should be a blast again.How I like to travel and work with children.Thank you Richelle and everyone at Scotia Personnel.

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  8. I also did a program through Scotia Personnel. I went to the USA to be an Au Pair and it was fantastic! I had an amazing host family and the children were so much fun to be around. I travelled on my time off and enjoyed my whole experience! Its so nice to read about others great experiences!!!

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  9. So glad to hear that, if you ever want to go to Europe I can tell you from experience it is excellent.I am going to the United States this year cannot wait have to reorganize first.

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  10. It’s really interesting to go back thru these blogs and read all the comments people of left of their experiences! Thanks a bunch guys!

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  11. I was reading thru this awesome blog and just wanted to write a comment about my experience as an au pair. I have been an au pair in America through Scotia Personnel. I’ve had such a wonderful time! My host family was great to me! Working with children and travelling are my two most favourite things. I’ve travelled throughout the US with the family. As well, I’ve met other au pairs through the program from all over the world. Now I have free room and board wherever I travel and great friends as well :). I’ve had such a wonderful time!

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  12. NEW YORK CITY (2007)-The year was 2006 and I was 20. I had just returned home from the United States after spending the summer in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania—working alongside an international team of young adults—engaging kids in the spirit of camp life. Working abroad opened my mind to many creative and inspiring possibilities—allowing the space to grow away from my family and all that was familiar. Upon returning home I realized I had come down with the travel bug—and Halifax just wasn’t cutting it!
    I called Scotia Personnel, an agency that offers incredible work and travel opportunities. Having just graduated with a diploma in child and youth studies—I was keen to work with children. That’s when I was introduced to the Aupair in America program. The great thing is, once I was accepted into the program, families from across the United States began contacting me—I got to choose which family and state I went to —and before long it was 2007, I was 21, and on my way to experiencing life in New York City.
    Upon arriving in Stanford Connecticut for orientation, the adventure immediately began. We were a group of young women about to embark on a unique cultural experience within the United States of America, most away from home for the first time; we mingled and created memories that are told in stories across the world up to this day.
    Now I could tell you hundreds of stories about being 21 living in New York City; I could show you thousands of pictures, but you really have to create the experience for yourself. What I will tell you is that the friendships made that year, as well as tattoos, have defined me mind, body and spirit. Not fully acknowledging then how special each moment was or how intimately I would treasure that time—I’m left today feeling lucky and grateful for such an amazing experience, opportunity—I learned so much about myself and had so much space to grow personally!
    If you’re into igniting lifelong friendships from around the globe and love to travel and try new things—then this is your ticket. My group of friends that year were from Australia, Germany, South Africa and Canada—and their doors are always open. I highly recommend this program; I literally had the time of my life!

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  13. Scotia Personnel came to Algonquin College discussing their different travel and work opportunities, and through them I got to spend 1 year working at a Hotel in London, England after I graduated. The experience was unforgettable and the staff was friendly and super helpful. My friend and I got placed in great hotels close to each other and together we were able to travel around Europe and had an amazing time! Because of Scotia Personnel I got to spend my 20th birthday in Madrid, and was able to meet and live with people from all over Europe. I had a great time, and am looking forward to doing another program through with them!

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  14. So inspiring reading about people's experience. I would like to share my story. I had the pleasure of working with Scotia personnel through my experience as an au pair one year in the states and following with six months in China. I've always dreamed about traveling and experience another culture but never knew how or where to start. I heard from college school mates and family and friends about this angency so naturally this was the way to go. And I can't tell you enough how an amazing feeling it is to put ideas and dreams into reality.

    The Scotia personnel staff is very friendly, patient and incouraging when it comes to the process of getting ready to work and experience abroad. Any questions I had they reassured me and helped me through my process so I was one step closer to being abroad. The best thing was they share the excitement of your adventures and incourages to keep pursing them. I was blessed with two amazing host families and friendships with people despite having to part ways to our own countries once we where done, When the contract ends, we knew we would be life long friends despite the distance and time, cause sharing these kinds of experiences a hard to forget,

    I highly recommend jumping in and starting the processes right away, they will help you through the applications, interviews, questions and of provided reassurance when you feel uncertainty when leaving your comfort space (your country and home).

    I am still processing my Life changing experiences in just a short time period and i think I will be reflecting for the rest of my life , if it wasn't for this well established angency I may not have gotten to do all the experiences I got to do and for that I am very grateful.

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