She Moved to Italy for a Dream 3-Month Au Pair Job. 5 Days Later, She Was Fleeing Her Host Family (Exclusive)

• Ella Reeson accepted a spontaneous au pair job in Italy, inspired by travel TikToks and her love for kids

• Within days, she faced cultural clashes, miscommunication and emotional strain from her host family, she says

• Her departure, documented in a now-viral TikTok, ended with an early flight home and a hard-earned lesson in trusting her gut

One woman embarked on a dream au pair gig in Italy, only for it to turn into her worst nightmare — prompting her to leave just five days in.

Ella Reeson turned to TikTok to document her dramatic departure from her host family’s home. In the clip, Reeson, visibly shaken, narrates her early-morning departure: “I’m sneaking out of my host family’s house. It’s 5:43 a.m. I’m literally shaking. That was literally the scariest thing ever.”

Reeson had arrived in Italy with high hopes. Inspired by another au pair’s TikTok journey in Paris, she decided to pursue her own adventure abroad. “I’ve babysat since I was 12 or 13, and I love children,” she explains exclusively to PEOPLE.

Her role seemed straightforward: wake the host child, prepare breakfast, take him to school and pick him up later in the day — all while enjoying room and board and free time during school hours.

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The excitement of exploring a new country quickly gave way to unease. Reeson recalls one of the first red flags: during her initial lunch with the host mom, she was subjected to a lengthy rant about workplace frustrations.

“I had just arrived, and she was already unloading all this negativity on me,” Reeson shares. The challenges mounted as Reeson struggled to immediately adapt to cultural differences and found herself navigating responsibility with minimal guidance.

The host dad, who did not speak English, was tasked with showing her the ropes, instead of the host mom, whom Reeson had communicated with prior to arrival.

“She would send me to him for help even though there was a huge language barrier,” she shares. “It didn’t make sense why she couldn’t just show me herself.”

The tension escalated that Friday evening when the host mom returned home and chastised Reeson for not learning quickly enough or interacting sufficiently with her child — even though it was her day off and she had in fact spent time with him.

“She raised her voice at me,” Reeson recounts. “I’m not good with confrontation, so I just apologized and moved on.”

By Saturday, during a family outing to Portofino, things took a turn for the worse. Reeson describes feeling ignored as she pushed the stroller while the family walked ahead without acknowledging her efforts. Later that evening, she was berated for falling asleep during the ride home after an exhausting day.

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“I woke up every morning feeling super uncomfortable in their house,” Reeson says. Though she enjoyed exploring the city and even began to make friends during her brief stay, returning to the apartment brought back an overwhelming sense of dread.

Her departure required meticulous planning. After returning from Portofino late Saturday night, Reeson locked herself in her room and began packing quietly despite squeaky floors and thin walls separating her from her hosts.

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The next morning at 5:45 a.m., she slipped out with two heavy suitcases, a carry-on bag and a backpack — navigating multiple gates before finally making it outside. “The automatic gate wouldn’t open at first,” she says. “I started freaking out but eventually got it unlocked.”

Leaving their keys on the car windshield as instructed by her parents, Reeson made her way to a bus stop but soon switched to an Uber after delays threatened her timeline.

At the airport five-and-half hours before her flight, Reeson felt relief but remained cautious until passing security. Only then did she text the host mom about her departure: “I explained my reasons and wished them well.”

The response — a lengthy message blaming Reeson for everything — was swiftly met with blocks on Instagram and WhatsApp.

Reeson had first connected with her host family through a website called AuPairWorld. A spokesperson for the company tells PEOPLE, “At AuPairWorld, we are committed to fostering safe, respectful, and enriching cultural exchanges between au pairs and host families. Our role is to connect au pairs and host families using the power of Internet while providing resources and guidelines to help them establish clear expectations and agreements before the placement. We emphasize the importance of clear communication, adherence to agreed-upon terms, and mutual respect throughout the au pair experience.

“As the au pair stays are very much in the ‘real world,’ it is common that challenges arise. In these cases, we encourage both au pairs and host families to address concerns openly and seek resolution collaboratively. Our support team is available to assist users in navigating difficulties and ensuring that the principles of fairness and cultural exchange remain at the forefront of every au pair stay. We remain dedicated to providing resources, guidance, and support to our community, upholding the values that have made AuPairWorld a trusted platform for the past 25 years.”

Reflecting on her experience, Reeson acknowledges that rushing into the arrangement may have been a mistake. “The process was so fast: I met them one Saturday, called them the next Saturday, and booked my flight that Monday,” she shares.

She advises aspiring au pairs to take their time vetting families thoroughly. She says, “Go through an agency if you can; ask all the questions and request references.”

Despite its challenges, Reeson believes this ordeal has helped her grow. “I’ve never been away from home alone before,” she says. “Flying to another country by myself taught me how to be okay on my own.”

Still, when asked if she’d consider being an au pair again, she is resolute: “This was my first and last shot.”

Read the original article on People