Rewind to Thursday morning. I headed to downtown Stuttgart to apply for my Visa. I got to the office and got to walk straight in. (I had been to the office the day before, and was sent home with paperwork that my host family had to help me fill out and sign.) So I greeted the woman again and we got to work. Everything was going well and I was calm. Then she said, "Ok. we need you to take this short test to see your level of German." My stomach dropped. I was nervous. She gave me a sheet of paper with a picture on it and a bunch of sentences. She told me to read them and say if they are correct or not. So I did my best to read them and in a few cases, I guessed at what was being talked about. She asked me to step out of the room as she graded it. I came back in a few minutes later, and she said, "Well you didn't pass it. You cane take it again, but you must pass an A1 level in order to get your Visa. You also can't work until you pass it and get your Visa." So I left feeling terrible and unsure of what would happen next.
I arrived home and told my host mom what happened and she said I would need to study and hope that I can pass it. So all weekend, I studied. I have spent almost the entire weekend in my room, going through my Living Language German course. I have learned a lot, but there is still lots to go. It was a really hard weekend. I felt so much pressure and honestly, was unsure if I really can pass the test to stay.
SO my advice for AuPairs. Take the A1 level requirement seriously. I didn't and now I regret it because we have to do so much more work to get me to even get my Visa, which I could have avoided. I had read from another AuPair that she didn't really have to take a test or anything, and I was depending on that and for me it wasn't true!! Learn basic German before you get here. If I learned anything, its that it is better to be over prepared than underprepared. Another thing my host mom mentioned was the need to speak what little German you know to people at the Visa office and in your town government offices. It will go a long way. People will respect you more. Even if you mess up and sound dumb, they will help you and will appreciate your effort. Who knows, but that could have made a difference for me.
AuPair World is a great reference for everything you need to apply for your Visa. Check them out if you have questions.