We asked a group of our demi-pair students if they would recommend Lexis’ English + Demi Pair program, and if so, why. Instead, they gave us this great list….6 reasons why being a demi-pair in Australia might be the best decision you can make!
You can live for free
Living expenses in Australia are much higher than in my country, and some students pay a lot for rent and for food. All of that is free for me. The kids in my house are a bit older than most families, so I don’t really do much to look after them, but I do a lot of shopping and cooking for my family. They love Thai food and I love to cook them something different every night. Sometimes my host mother and I cook together (and drink wine!). Thidarat – Thailand
It’s real
Do you want to see the real Australia? There’s no better way than living and working with a family! Unlike a lot of study abroad programs or travels with friends, where you end up spending most of your time with other people from your country, you are completely immersed in the life of an Australian family and get to see the ins and outs of everyday life. It’s an experience of life in another country that you can’t get any other way. Mina – Japan
You might get to travel
My family are crazy about surfing, and they go to different places almost every weekend to surf and snorkel. All the other students at school seem to go to the same places when they travel, but my family took me to AMAZING surf towns that I would never had found on my own. I love living in Sydney, but when we drive down to the South Coast, or up to the Central Coast, it’s amazing to see all the different little towns. I don’t go every weekend, but I when I do I have the best time. They will travel up to Noosa during the next school holidays, and I will go there with them. I can’t wait! Letecia – Austria
I love to be a teacher
The children in my family lived in Japan when they were first born, and speak really good Japanese. Most of my job is just chatting to them in Japanese, so they can maintain their language skills. I love teaching them Japanese games, and we watch Japanese anime together on Netflix. Sometimes we cook Japanese food, and now every Sunday night we have temaki. I speak in English to my host parents which is very good for my language learning, and I speak Japanese to my host children. My family is really kind and they have become my very good friends. Kanako – Japan
It’s great for your English
I am studying for my First Certificate at Lexis Brisbane, and every night my kids help me with my homework. It’s great to chat with kids when I am at home, and playing games together and watching TV together has been very good for my listening skills. My host mother is an English teacher, and she has given me lots of very helpful study hints, too. If we learn new grammar or new vocab in class, I always try it out that night at home. Kids don’t care if you make a mistake! Melanie – Switzerland
You get plenty of free time
I was worried that I would have no time to spend with my friends, but it’s not like that at all. My schedule is that I help get the kids ready for school in the morning for about an hour, and then I pick them up at 3.15pm when their school finishes. We walk home together and then I look after them until my host parents get home at about 5pm. The rest of the time, and every weekend, I have free time. My host parents invite me to do things with them on weekends and in the evenings sometimes, but no one minds if I have something else I want to do (I am even allowed to use the car if I need to drive somewhere!). Jacqueline – Switzerland
If you’d like to learn more about living and working as a demi-pair in Australia, visit our course page here https://lexisenglish.com/course/demi-pair/ . Lexis offers the English + Demi-pair program at all of our Australian campuses – Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Byron Bay, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Thank you to Jacqueline, Melanie, Kanako, Letecia, Mina and Thidarat for your feedback!
