Eleanor Gold

As an Au Pair, I work 30 hours a week for the family that hosts me in Saint-Cloud, France. My daily responsibilities include teaching piano lessons, preparing English lessons, picking up my host kids from school, babysitting, preparing snacks and dinner, bathing them, and doing some household chores. I have three host children, aged 5, and 11. They are native French speakers, and it is my overall duty to integrate the English language seamlessly into their everyday lives.

I greeted and seated guests promptly upon arrival, maintained an organised waitlist during busy service periods, and managed reservations efficiently. I supported the overall flow of the restaurant by clearing and resetting tables between guests, and collaborating closely with servers to ensure smooth transitions and a positive dining experience.

As a server—my first job, which I began at age 14—I developed strong interpersonal and customer service skills while providing attentive, professional service. Over four years, I consistently anticipated guest needs, maintained a clean and organised dining area, and efficiently managed a high volume of customers during peak hours, allowing me to demonstrate significant personal and professional growth in a fast-paced environment.

I founded the first Students Against Substance Abuse organisation at my school to raise awareness for the New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition and substance use disorder. I organised and led weekly meetings, developed educational lesson plans, and engaged a broad student population through strategic advertising and community outreach. I coordinated fundraising initiatives to support harm reduction efforts and managed the organisation’s social media presence to raise awareness, educate, and promote student involvement.

I served as a teacher's assistant for the Excelsior Singers' Choir, a selective 15-member ensemble, while also performing in it for four years. During that time, I participated in four annual concerts and travelled to Washington, D.C., for volunteer choral performances. As a teaching assistant, I answered student questions, supported rehearsal activities, and helped organise choral outreach initiatives.

I provided weekly one-on-one French instruction to an elementary school student as part of an independent study programme for academic credit. I designed and prepared comprehensive lesson plans incorporating vocabulary development, basic grammar, pronunciation, reading, and conversational practice. I created engaging activities and exercises to reinforce learning, monitored the students’ progress, and adapted lessons to meet the students’ individual needs and learning pace.