Before your AuPair arrives

Screening Questionnaire to Improve Your Luck In Matching with an Au Pair

by cv harquail November 18, 2017
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We can’t interview our way to a “perfect” Au Pair. It’s the sad truth.   BUT…  we CAN interview well and screen out all the ‘known no’s”… which makes it a bit easier to find an Au Pair candidate with a lot of YES! LongIslandHostMom challenged herself to summarize a lot of our community wisdom to […]

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When to Disclose Host Parent Illness During Au Pair Match

by cv harquail July 18, 2016
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Recently we’ve discusses Au Pair illnesses, when an Au Pair ought to share this information with Host Parents, and how / when Host Parents can best respond. Now, the shoe’s on the other foot, with this email from HostMomWithGoodPrognosis. Should this information be shared before matching with an au pair? Or later, once the au pair […]

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Tips for a Nervous First Time Host Mom

by cv harquail March 16, 2016
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Do you remember how excited you were, once you’d matched with your first au pair? Wondering what s/he’d really be like? How the kids would take to her/him? How you’d all get along? I myself was in a bit of a haze, getting ready to return to work from maternity leave, starting up classes again, […]

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Easy Ways to Get to Know Each Other Before Your Au Pair Arrives

by cv harquail April 3, 2015
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Once we’ve matched with each other, Host Families and Au Pairs usually have a good bit of time to wait before the Au Pair physically joins the family. We’ve already shared a bit about how often we like to check in with each other between Match and Arrival.   We agree that keeping in touch […]

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Want to find a fabulous Au Pair Host Family? Reply to our emails promptly

by cv harquail February 16, 2015
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Dear  Au Pair Candidates, Do you know how frustrating it is when you don’t reply promptly to Host Families’ emails? We read your letters, watch your videos, and pour over your applications to get a sense of whether you might fit well with our families. We’re nervous about getting in touch, but we write the […]

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Lost Passport Delays Au Pair’s Arrival. Should we match or move on?

by cv harquail January 17, 2015
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Dear Au Pair Moms– We’ve got a crazy delay in our Au Pair’s arrival that messes up my carefully made plans. Specifically, we are looking at a 3-5 week gap, maybe longer, to figure out childcare and wait for our au pair who lost her visa. Can you advise me what to do? Our old au […]

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Improve Your AuPair’s Driving With an Online Driving Class

by cv harquail September 5, 2014
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An online driving course is an easy, inexpensive way to get both you and your AuPair feeling confident about her/his driving– before your au pair even arrives in the USA! Here’s a tip from TexasHostMom—  Our first AP was 26 when she arrived and had been driving for some time, so I never thought we’d have […]

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Help Your Incoming Au Pair Visualize Her Adventure

by cv harquail March 18, 2014
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My au pair is doing a project for the agency and has requested photos of us, neighborhood, etc.  Should I send her pics of our house and her room?   Absolutely! Send photos! It’s understandable that your new au pair wants to be able to visualize where she is going to be. I think it’s […]

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50 Shades of Shocking? Au Pair has trashy taste in reading

by cv harquail March 1, 2014
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It can be pretty exciting to finally ‘find’ your au pair match, and to be able to look forward to meeting your new au pair. That is, until you discover how s/he likes to spend her/his free time. Dear AuPairMom–  Am I a prude, or is this something to be concerned about?   We recently […]

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Send an Excerpt from your Family Handbook to Prospective Au Pairs

by cv harquail March 19, 2013

In my house we have a saying: “Fewer, better things.” This advice is to keep me from buying those $2.00 sequined rabbit statues at Target when I already have ceramic bunnies that will make perfectly fine easter decorations thank you very much. This advice also works for the family handbook selections we send to prospective […]

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