I want to give you a glimpse into the life of a CAP Petite Enfance childcare course student in Paris.
The free childcare course is actually a paid study and work diploma that Le Repertoire de Gaspard offers. It is a full time, 10 month course and you are paid around 1000 euros NET each month as you learn and work with a family 🙂 Did I mention you get all the school holidays off ?! Click here for more information on the CAP Petite Enfance childcare course or check out our FAQ and other testimonials!
So, ready to find out what life for us is really like?
7:30 I wake up to the sound of my alarm, I groggily pull the covers over my head and roll back over because I stayed up too late watching Netflix last night.
7:45 Enough is enough so I drag myself out of bed for breakfast. A bowl of granola and a strong mug of coffee later and I am ready to take on the day! I get myself ready, walk to the metro station and join the many other commuters and we all make our way to work. Sometimes there is shoving, sometimes there is singing and sometimes there is even giggles and laughs between the Parisians. It really depends on the day, I could write a whole book of my Paris metro stories!
9:00 I arrive just in time for classes to start. First up is a childcare practical lesson where we learn all the important techniques for looking after small children (making a bottle, changing a nappy, giving a bath etc.)
12:00 Lunchtime – I catch up with my classmates, we talk about our weekend plans and usually arrange to do something cool together. If the weather is nice we go for a walk either up the Champs Elysee or along the seine (I KNOW!!! How lucky am I to work in such a beautiful area of Paris)
13:00 Back to class I go, this time it’s French! We have intense French lessons four times a week, this is to ensure we will have a good enough level to be able to sit our exams in June. Learning French was a big factor that influenced my decision to move to France so the fact that I am being PAID to study French is amazing really!
15:30 It’s time to go and pick the kids up from school. Juliette (5) runs over to me, throws a drawing at me and smothers me with kisses! Sophie (8) gives a smile and quiet hello. We make our way home or to the park where we play together for an hour before going to their dance lesson.
18:30 Bath time, the girls LOVE the bath. We play with their mermaids, we sing, I dance and we just have a whole lot of fun.
18:45 The girls are now in their pyjamas playing while I prepare their dinner – usually something simple that has been cooked by their mum in advance and just needs to be heated up.
19:00 Dinner is served, the parents come back from work and I am free to go. After work, depending on how I am feeling, I usually either meet up with friends or make my way home to relax and recharge on the sofa before doing it all again the following day.
23:00 Bedtime!!
