After being given the opportunity to travel from the Eastern Cape to Washington DC, New York and even Chicago, a young local woman thought that life couldn’t get any better – until she recently secured a spot under the top 15 au pairs in the world, out of almost 1 000 nominees.
Although 22-year-old Nontuthuzelo “Nontu” Lusithi, originally from Mthatha, didn’t win the overall Cultural Care Au Pair’s competitive Au Pair of the Year Award, her achievement is significant as she had to compete with 699 other nominees from around the world to make it this far.
Nontu, a journalism graduate, has been with the McAndrews family in Washington DC, taking care of their daughter, Maeve, for approximately 10 months.
She was nominated by her host family, who describes her as “a diligent, caring and loving au pair”, who has helped their daughter grow and develop through years one and two.
“She’s a fantastic person who cares deeply about our family.
“When we were interviewing possible au pairs, Nontu stood out in particular for sharing in one of her videos that she was excited to bring ‘ubuntu’ to her host family.
“This simple expression of her deep care for others and ‘the spirit of humanity’ resonated strongly with us and our family values.
“The spirit she demonstrated in her profile videos and subsequent conversations with our family gave us a quick but important glimpse into the compassion that drives Nontu,” the family said.
They added that they had learnt a lot from Nontu and that she even regularly treats them to traditional South African meals, including taking the lead with their first proper braai.
“In June, we celebrated South Africa’s Youth Day. We watched the film, Sarafina!, and learned about the important youth movement in South Africa,” they said.
“Nontu’s appreciation of art, music, and storytelling has come through in the activities she prepares for our daughter, the places the two of them visit, and the skills our daughter is developing.
“Not only has our daughter already exceeded her parents’ dance moves, but with Nontu’s encouragement, she has a strong affinity for music and rhythms, mimicking and making new sounds and experimenting with arts and crafts.
“They are regular park and library visitors that meet other families for programming and even participate in talent shows. In addition to cultural exchange, Nontu has expanded our family’s appreciation for American poets, shared insights into her faith and brought a new and creative mind into our home – all things that enrich our family and our au pair host family experience,” they explained.
Nontu said that the whole process of being nominated for this award was very exciting and even though she didn’t win, she is very happy since she never expected to even make it to the top 15.
“Hearing that my host family nominated me was so exciting and fun because I nominated them as well (for host family of the year) and it was super fun because they didn’t know and I didn’t know.
“Then we saw each other’s essays for the nominations and they were so similar.
“It was nice to know that there was mutual appreciation; I think that they’re the best host family and they think that I’m the best au pair,” she said.
According to Nontu, some of the highlights of being an au pair are definitely being able to tell people that she lives abroad.
“I would tell people that I live in America and they wouldn’t always believe me, then I’d send a picture of me at the White House. They would ask if I photoshopped the picture,” she explained with a laugh.
“I have been able to travel and that is another highlight. I’ve been to quite a few places: Times Square in New York, The Bean in Chicago, Los Angeles, California and New Mexico. I went on a cross-country train trip, which was pretty cool.”
When asked what advice she could give to aspiring au pairs, Nontu said that it’s a great option if you’re not ready for the workforce yet but want to do something. It is therefore a viable option if anyone who plans on taking a gap year.
“You get to make a decision about what you want to do in life and you get to be in a place where the opportunities are different and you get a different perspective of a world outside South Africa.”
Regarding requirements, Nontu said that you would need your driver’s licence and have completed high school, but no tertiary diploma or degree is required.
“In terms of personality traits, just be open, fun, love kids and be willing to communicate, especially with your host family.
“Also just keep in mind that at the end of the day, you’re coming here to work, so as much as you’ll get the opportunity to travel, you are here to work and staying in someone else’s house, which means that there are house rules.
“There are also boundaries that you need to respect.”
