Have you ever compared the EduCare program to the the regular Au Pair program?
If you’ve chosen the EduCare, what swung you over? And, what’s your experience been with EduCare Au Pairs?
What’s the EduCare Program?
From the website of the US Department of State:
The Au Pair program includes the EduCare component.
- The EduCare component is only for families who have school-aged children and require childcare before and after school hours. Accordingly, au pairs participating in the EduCare component may not be placed with families having preschool children, unless alternative, full-time arrangements are in place for their supervision.
- The EduCare au pair may work no more than 10 hours per day, and a maximum of 30 hours per week.
- Au pairs participating in the EduCare component receive 75 percent of the weekly rate paid to au pairs.
- EduCare au pairs must complete a minimum of 12 hours of academic credit or its equivalent during the program year.
- The host family is required to provide (up to) the first $1,000 toward the cost of the au pair’s required academic course work.
EduCare Au Pairs get a weekly stipend of $146.81 (vs. the stipend of $195.75 for regular au pairs). [Why they get 75% of the weekly stipend for working 66% of the regular 45 hour week, I don't know.]
Here’e how the EduCare program is described to prospective au pairs:
The EduCare program is suited to someone who would like to spend more time studying, and less time looking afer the host family’s children. With EduCare you work up to 30 hours a week instead of 45 hours. Naturally, you earn slightly less, but your US$1,000 study allowance allows you to take courses for six hours a week.
EduCare departures take place in July/August or December. As Educare participants start their chosen college courses in either September or January, this gives you time to get to know your family and surroundings before classes start.
I discovered, with my little research for this post, that I never really understood the EduCare program…. I assumed that the program was designed for au pair candidates who wanted to do more studying than au pairs on the regular program. I didn’t realize that the program was also designed for families who simply needed less childcare– precisely because their kids were in full days of school… it’s as much about the kids’ educational status as the au pairs. Duh.
Even though my girls are in school for a full day now, this plan wouldn’t work for us… but not (only) because of the 30 hour on-duty limit. The real reason is that no one could afford to take the entire 22 credit hours of education, with only a $1000 tuition stipend! in our part of the USA, it’s hard enough to get the six credit hours of the regular program, and usually that costs the au pair &/or family more than $500. So for us, the basic expectation of this program is just unrealistic — unless we were happy to pay more for education, or our au pair was willing to put her pocket money (and more?) towards tuition.
But, I hear that the cost of living and going to school is lower outside the NYC area… so maybe it would be more realistic for you.
Are EduCare Candidates different from regular Au pair Candidates?
According to the regulations and the agency websites I scanned, there are no differences in what is required of candidates for these two programs. However, it would be interesting to hear from you if you’ve seen differences. Perhaps the kind of young person who selects EduCare over the regular option is more interested in studying? (Or, maybe s/he wants to work fewer hours, and/or doesn’t’ really need that much pocket money?)
CalifMom recently mentioned:
…We are looking at the educare program for next time. The APs have to take two classes per term, so they are not able to just sit at home–they will have to be more on top of things. I think that program will attract APs who are more driven, more achievement-oriented, and hence better at getting stuff done, as well. Just assumptions here, though.
Parents, what do you think about these two programs? What has your experience been, if you’ve used or considered EduCare? Do tell….
From Flicker: Salihah on the day before school on from bingregory
First Day at School from Danacea
Ist Day of School 2009, No.1 from Jeff Blucher
{ 60 comments… read them below or add one }
The EduCare program would be PERFECT for our family, but it is only available in select areas (i.e. large cities) so it is not an option for us. I think because of that we are going to withdraw from the AP program when our current au pair leaves in August. With both kids in school now it just doesn’t make sense for the extra expense.
PA AP mom,
We are in the same situation. I put a post recently under the “cost of au pairs” that with a pre-schooler needing more stimulation and attending some classes the cost of a full time AP is growing and becoming difficult to justify for us. An EduCare AP would be great because I dread the craziness of school vacation days and kid sick days that lie ahead of us.
I have thought about it because I do have school aged children, but the 30 hour maximum would be difficult to manage in the summer, when I need about 40 hours of childcare. During the school year we need 15 hours/week unless a child is sick, there is a school holiday etc. Also, as you mention our au pairs cannot fulfill the current educational requirements on $500 in our area. It used to be that volunteering was allowed to earn some of the hours and some of our earlier au pairs enjoyed those opportunities.
We, too, would love to explore this option, but it’s not offered in our area. I don’t know if the programs select certain metropolitan areas having more popular or accessible education programs that more au pairs are interested in, or why it’s not more widely available. We had interviewed an applicant last year who actually had “EduCare” on all the copies of her application form, but somehow she got into the pool with regular applicants. She seemed eager to speak with the agency about switching the status after learning that we are in California, but was told that was not possible, and after some thought, decided that she really was more interested in going to school than the childcare aspect of the program, so it’s good that we matched with someone else. She, though, didn’t fully understand the differences when she was applying nor when she was interviewed, I believe.
Has anyone ever shared an AP? Is this allowed? Since August my AP has watched the neighbor’s two children after school on several occasions (nothing steady & maybe 4 or 5 times). My neighbor asked me first if this would be okay, and I told her it was up to the AP. The AP doesn’t mind and has also babysat for the kids at their house.
My neighbor and I had talked about possibly sharing an AP, but I have not talked to the LCC about this. Currently I only need someone to watch the kids about 35 hours a week. I can see where there might be some problems, though.
I know that it is against the rules to share an au pair but I also know of families that do it.
Last year we had a convo about Should You Share Your Au Pair
http://aupairmom.com/should-you-share-your-au-pair/2009/05/14/celiaharquail/. It was more about occasional sharing, rather than formalized (and still against the rules) sharing, but many of the issues are the same.
What if the families are both in the program and there are 2 au pairs? We were approached by a HF that has many kids and so needs more of a 55 hour work week, whereas we only needed someone at the time for maybe 30 hours. They proposed the idea of using our au pair for the extra hours — paying part of her stipend of course and perhaps part of the agency fees. Agency doesn’t lose here, if anything, they gain because families who don’t need FT have other options.
Still against the rules? Just curious. Seems like a great way for families who have school aged kids to split the costs with another family that really has a hard time with the 45 hours limit.
Still against the rules
still against the rules as the AP can only have a contract with one family.
I guess ut’s still against the rules. But so is working more than 45 hours, which a lot of AuPairs do.
In my oppinion, as long as the AuPair is fine with it and you can live with going against the rules, you can still do it. I’d say that quiet a lot of families don’t follow ALL rules and quiet a lot of AuPairs don’t have a problem with that.
EduCare au pair applicants tend to be Europeans who are fluent in English and looking to study in a field in which they are potentially interested. We have never matched with one because they seem equally disinterested in caring for special needs children.
It’s a perfect system for parents of school-age children who don’t want to deal with the rigamoral of before-and-after care, and worrying about summer camp transportation.
We’ve never done it. We have primarily relied on Au Pair Extraordinnaires, a program that our agency offers for au pairs candidates who have had two years of direct work experience with children. I’ve never quite figured out the dividing line, because our other au pairs have also had extensive experience working with children.
I must add, however, given a previous comment, that we do not feel obliged to make up the difference in education costs for our au pairs (although it’s absurd that in the 9 years au pairs have been living with us that the standard has remained $500 when tuition costs have risen so much). We give both a cash bonus and gifts at the holidays, and I figure that the wise au pair will set aside the cash bonus for tuition. It may sound callous, but I have to budget carefully against skyrocketing costs and so do my au pairs.
I know what you mean about education costs. At our local colleges, one credit costs about 300 dollars and they need 6. not possible. because of that, we encourage TOEFL courses through the local community colleges or the weekend course offerings.
the difference between regular APs and Extraordinaires is that the latter have a completed education/training directly linked to childcare whereas regular APs mostly only have babysitting/summer camp experience
Not true. My current au pair has worked in a kindergarten and completed her BA in pedagogy – in China. She’s a regular au pair. A former au pair worked in a kindergarten and completed a high school degree in pedagogy – she was an Extraordinnaire. Go figure.
well, someone who qualifies for extraordinaire can always go as regular AP (sometimes they switch because the family can’t afford an extraord.) but a regular AP cannot go extraord. when she’s lacking the qualifications
Right. Some Extraordinaire-qualified candidates do decide that there aren’t enough families to choose from, so they will take the lower stipend and join a family that is on the “standard” plan. Happened to us personally.
I am an extraordinary au-pair. i guess the difference is that our experience are “educational” .
I think I agree about the educares. I have educare friends who like their kids and hostfamilies. But in the end, their main reason for coming here is to study.. And I do think that says alot.
Very interesting. I`ve been here for 18 months and i got 15 credits on my first year. Of course I took some money out of my pocket, but I got also free classes, TOEFL, Reading, Listening, Improving pronunciation, most of all my free time I spent in class, even Saturdays, I wasn`t planning on staying for the second year, so I kind of rushed to complete my goal here… to improve my English. This year things are different and if I get 6 it would be too much unfornatelly, but it is for major reasons that I understand, but I got get my plane ticket back, hehehe…
If by any chance somebody heard of an Au Pair changing programs, becoming an EduCare instead of Au Pair I would like to hear of it.
Nice subject!
Per Au Pair in America – The reason that Educare is only offered in certain markets is that the agency has an agreement with schools in those markets to allow APs to register for courses at reduced rates that would allow them to get their required classes at or near the $1000 mark.
So, if you live in an area where you think there is a high demand, then maybe you and/or your LCC should start working on the colleges in the area to make a similar deal.
It’s funny – I wanted to switch to Educare but couldn’t because my kids aren’t old enough. Even though DD2 is in preschool the same hours as DD5 is is school, they wouldn’t allow it. I really just need someone to get them off to school in the AM and the choices are all sub-optimal.
Good point. However, the colleges in our area (So. California) are already super-expensive and they won’t even consider waiving the “non-resident” tuition fees, but tack on an extra “International Student” fee, even for an extension au pair (granted, she lived in another state the first year, but she has always had a SNN and now has a DL from our state). Thanks to our legislators, and our state’s budget crisis, no remedy in sight in the near future! Maybe I can start lobbying a politician friend who lives in another city to start there, as there is another cluster in his area.
I did look at this option, not for now but for ideas towards the future. I am not sure how this will work for our work schedules, though, since my husband and I have shift work and can still get called in at any time. I can see where exceeding the 30-hr limit would happen quickly. In addition, until this post, it had not occurred to me about the issue of the summer hours increasing. I have a feeling that we will be AP users for many years to come (at least the 10 until one of us retires, anyway).
Thanks for the post, CV! (I swear, one day I’ll have time to do more writing for you!)
It strikes me that these programs didn’t do adequate market research. Who exactly ARE they trying to sell this program to? Everyone who has kids in school has to deal with summer coverage.
It’s the summertime problem that may be the ultimate sticking point on EduCare for us. Even with the regular program and 45 hours, there were weeks toward the end of summer last year when I hired teenagers for a few hours to give both our AP and our kids a break and keep them all still loving each other.
I recently presented this very issue to a smaller agency rep that offers educare “so what DO people do about the summer hours problem?”. She didn’t really have an answer. I think the program is too new to have a lot of people out there with actual experience with it.
Also note that APIA only has APs come in at the end of summer; but what if you are on a different cycle? My au pair leaves at the beginning of summer this time–how am I supposed to bridge the gap? (And boy are those first-year APs going to be stunned come their first June when they realize what they are up against until the end of August!) I have discovered that other agencies (at least one) does not ONLY bring them in twice a year.
The math seems to be this: Is the net difference in program fees, stipends, and educational costs greater or less than the amount we would have to pay for supplemental childcare and/or camp for two kids. My brain hurts already thinking about this!
It’s sure important to look at that summer schedule and make sure there aren’t too many weeks in a row of unrelenting “togetherness”!
I do worry about the college-oriented APs seeing EduCare as a free ride to a certificate from a school in the U.S., without fully understanding the kid-care aspect of it.
I was hoping to be able to take advantage of lower costs, since we’re requiring less work. I will build that spreadsheet and see what happens. I have a hunch that with cost of camp for two kids we’ll end up back in the standard program. I guess I should be happy that it may give us an easier time recruiting (though we have hurdles there, as well!)
If only there were a perfectly tailor-able program, to suit your changing childcare needs as your precious baby and your career (oh yeah, there is that!) grow.
CalifMom,
We had an out-of-country AP arrive at our house the night school was finished for the summer. I would avoid that scenario if there is anyway possible! The kids (and HP’s and AP) were like wild animals released from the cage. Even a few weeks of camp, family vacation sans AP, a neighbor teenager or a college student would be a worthwhile buffer. Or maybe a summer AP (APIA offers it, I think.)
OMG–end of school is hellish enough without throwing a new person into the mix. I think it might chase an otherwise wonderful AP out of the program, actually!
The reason for their limited arrival dates is to line up their visa with the academic calendar – ie if they show up mid-march, they will only have one semester to get all their courses taken, whereas if they come in at the end of summer, they will be present for 2 full semesters.
Someone could sell a Summer Special program!
Actually. there are agencies, who do a “Summer-Au-Pair”-Programm. But unfortunately not the big ones.
I believe recently summer au pair program was discontinued by the State Department, so no agencies offer it anymore.
Doesn’t Cultural Care have a summer au pair program? If they do, I bet the others offer something.
What about a college girl on summer break or a HS grad headed to college??
We tried using college kids–it’s hit or miss. Several were remarkably unreliable. I can’t deal with the anxiety of waiting for phone calls from a babysitter who missed her bus and can’t pick up from day camp, so I have to leave my office and tear home at breakneck speed. It’s anxiety-provoking for mom and kid who is then The Last One To Be Picked Up.
yes, APIA offers au pair summer
After a very bad au pair experience, we are taking a break from having an au pair. We have a wonderful young woman using our au pair room in exchange for after school child care. However, she has an internship and will not be able to work full time during the summer. While I have always enrolled the kids in some activities, for the very reason that Calif Mom mentioned above, I find the full time summer camp thing getting very expensive and stressful to organize. I haven’t had to do it before. One week of summer camp in my area for three kids is just a little less than one month of au pair stipend and agency fees.
Yes, for those of you who do not have school-age children, the joys of summer are trying to make it work for the kids, the au pair and your budget.
We have “Camp AP” for some of the weeks, but I have to balance the needs of handicapped child with severe heat control issues with an active boy who would bounce off the walls. The balance? I find inexpensive public day camps for him – he often chooses sports in the summer, rather than expensive private “enrichment” camps. My daughter does “extended school year” for the month of July, so she’s in school half-day.
My au pair becomes the chauffeur (with me leaving work occasionally to make it work – I work from 6:30-3:00 and my husband works from 8:30-5:00 so we have some flexibility at each end of the day). If I had two typical children, they just might have “Camp AP” all summer, but my daughter’s core temperature goes through the roof pretty quickly in the summer sun, so tossing her in a swimming pool is the best solution for staying outside.
My APs are warned that they cannot take their vacation time between the middle of June and the middle of August – it’s far too expensive for me to hire someone to chauffeur my son around and too hard to get short-term nursing to watch my daughter when she’s home.
We’re already starting to plan my son’s summer, so if you are thinking of summer camps, start looking now! (Sick, isn’t it?)
This is a great reminder for my checklist for Our Next AP…must actually enjoy swimming, not just “be willing to drag them to the pool”. If I’m paying for the pool, I want exhausted, happy kids out of the deal when I come home in summer!
I’m with you there! Nothing worse than an AP who says she’s a good swimmer, but only wants to sit on the edge and watch the girls, but they heaven forbid anyone splash their hair or ruin their makeup (or worse, they can’t get in for ten days after getting a new tattoo!!) Our current AP scored big points, arriving in November, and going out to the pool the first hours after coming and gamely jumping into the unheated pool with one of my kids after digging through her luggage to find her bathing suit – priceless! It’s that spirit and willingness to join in the fun that make her such a great addition to our family.
Our current AP put down on her application that she was a beginner swimmer. She arrived and we discovered that not only is she a non-swimmer, but she’s afraid of the water. We have an above ground pool, a gift to my daughter from Make-a-Wish. (My daughter may be retarded, but she knows how to get out to the pool in the summer – she’s not stupid!)
For the few weeks that the pool was open after my current AP arrived last August (because we went on holiday on a lake in northern VT almost immediately and then school started before Labor Day), she relied on my son (who is now 9 but can swim laps so this pool is nothing to fear for him) to jump in and bring my daughter (who is now 11 but functions like a 1-year-old) to the steps. The pool is 3 1/2 feet deep, so my AP’s fear must be great not to get in, since it would be slightly above her waist.
We took a risk with this au pair, who was less than a perfect candidate, and she really has worked extremely hard to deal with her deficits (driving and receptive/spoken English). I feel guilty going after her about the swimming (but I will because my daughter’s not really safe if she’s afraid to jump in the pool). Believe me, though, swimming will be a series of questions in our verbal telephone interview, “Describe your ability to swim. Do you enjoy going into the water? Do you feel confident that if I child could not swim that you could rescue it?”
“How many times have you been swimming in the past year?”
That’s a good one, too. For most of my au pairs it has not been an issue – they have to stay outside and sit by the pool while my daughter is in it, so most of the jump right in rather than get eaten alive by mosquitos. The Brazilians have preferred to wait until the water warms up, while for the Europeans anything will do (because the water tends to be warmer than northern European pools, lakes and river from the moment we open it). We do assign points to the survey so we don’t get non-swimmers, but the above is a good question to weed out those who put something down on the survey, perhaps because they were coatched that it was needed.
Swimming is just one of the “outdoor/active” characteristics we desire. Not only do I want the kids physically exhausted, but we spend most vacations in remote parts of the country and I want an AP who will ENJOY the experience. But, we have a 50/50 success rate from our interviewing process. Some AP’s play sports or go to the gym but don’t like to “play outside…” And others aren’t “athletic” but love to be active.
I get a red flag now for AP’s who list “going to the gym” as a pastime because I’m afraid they are the type who can swim but don’t want to get in the water with the kids. (Sorry, AP’s, for the generalization.)
I’m with you guys on this one. My current au-pair put on her resume that she swims. She has basically refused to take the kids to the pool at all because she is “not comfortable”.
I agree this program would be great if they could work 45 hours in the 3 summer months. I would be willing to pay an increase in those months
me too. technically the AP’s are probably out of school for the summer break too so it doesn’t seem like it would be too big of a problem.
many would be fine with it–both APs and families who would be willing to compensate for it– but if you want to comply with the regulations, you are SOL. And the timing: if an AP arrives before/during summer, it is a BIG SHOCK and a Big Drag to deal with kids all the long summer days.
A lot of people send kids to camp all summer although I do not see that trend reflected here. That effectively means that there is really no difference in schedule between the nine academic months and the three camp months .So, why bother with the EDUcare programs ?
Moreover, many kids over 8 go to sleep away camp for 4-6 weeks every summer. That seems to me more of an issue. A neighbor of mine arranged for her aupair to take her 13th month during July and August when the kids were at camp. She told me that the agency they were with objected to this plan but the family stayed in the program so there was no long term problem. Is summer camp a more popular practice in the Northeast ? No one else on this thread seems to have issues around it ?
Do you have ides how much summer camps cost? In my area, a half decent summer camp, not a good, or evern great summer camp, costs over $4,000 for 7 weeks. For a family with 2-3 kids it is $8,000 to $12,000 just for the summer in addition to the costs associated with au pair. And it still leaves 1-2 weeks in August that are not covered by the camp when families would need an au pair for the full 45 hours, and that still may not cover the full childcare needs of the family requiring either getting an additional babysitter or paying au pair overtime (which is the same thing in costs).
If there are families that can afford all summer summer camps and au pairs that is great. But others, just covering the cost of au pair is a struggle.
On the west coast kids go to camp for a week not the summer on the East Coast. I had a complete utter shock when I went to be a camp nurse on the East Coast not only were the kids way different but so were the parnets. Wow! That was an education. Sleep away camp for the summer is a rarity in the PNW
Our last AP left 4 months ago and we didn’t get a new one because it my daughter (5) started elementary school where they have a decent Extended Day program (starting 7:15 am and ending 6pm) during days school is in session and also full-day vacation daycare camps during February, April and summer vacations. This summer will be our first summer cobbling together various day camps for childcare. Our town’s local summer day camp options include: cheapest (through public recreation department) runs $75/week (partial day, 8:45-2:30pm); summer camp at her public school ($250 week/full day, 8:30am-5:30pm), and sports camp with swimming at local private gym ($350/week non-members, 9am-4pm; can extend to 7am-6pm.). If we wanted to send her to a popular private music school summer program (just 6 hours of childcare, 9am-3pm daily), that would be over $430 a week. The toughest to cover seem to be the 2 weeks before Labor Day, but in our area the YMCA and the private sports club camps are still in session then. I work less than full-time so have enough flexibility to adjust to any of this schedules. An au pair makes no more economic sense for us, though it was great for our daughter’s bilingual education. We live in East Coast metro area.
When we looked at switching, you don’t save that much going to Educare vs Au Pair. looked to be same 1x upfrot costs and $50 less per week stipend. But $500 more in educational expense.
In addition to solving the summer issue, we also have some cushion time. help a little later on weeknights, on weekends, the rare occasion when my husband & I get to go out together, etc. the other consideration is for sick days. If an Educare has school during most weekdays when kids are in school, if your child is sick and you need her to stay home, she would then have to agree to miss her class.
all of the above pushed us to keep a regular Au Pair
Great point about flexible care for sick kids, which also holds for school breaks and those random ‘in-service’ days where there is no school.
I kept waiting for someone else to do the math on this, but no one did, so here goes. (Numbers are from APIA)
Cost difference between AP and Educare (assuming that all other expenses, car insurance, housing, food, etc are the same)
-1300 less in program fee
+500 more in school fees
-50/wk x 52 weeks in stipend
=
Educare costs $3400 less/year.
You get 15hrs less per week x 50 weeks of childcare
=
Educare APs provide 750 hours less childcare/year.
That means your additional hours of childcare (assuming you use all 45 per week) cost you 4.50/hour.
Another way of looking at it is that the absolute cost difference is $65/week. I can’t imagine giving up the freedom and flexibility of a regular AP for $65/week.
Hi there!
I AM AN EDUCARE AU PAIR.
Why? When I matched my HF, they told me about it. As one of my goals as an Au Pair was studying ( I like studying
. They mention it and I really like the idea of getting 12 credits instead of 6. So, I changed my contract from Regular Au pair (as I sign up) to Educare.
But.
1. When I got here I found out that the real reason they wanted me to be an Educare: They dont need 45 hours of childcare. 30 is just fine for them. I work 2 hrs in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. And my HM is a teacher, so summer and holidays are not a problem for her.
2. I have to complete 12 credits with 1000 dls. I being honest I was left alone searching for educational possibilities. Im a BA in Education and I wanted to study something related to it, but unfortunately, nobody helped me. I was new in this country and I found out how expensive tuition is everywhere and I could not study last fall (losing precious time!!). However, and is my advise for all au pairs and HF, the option that we have, is CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES, that are offered at affordable prices and in many areas of interest at several universities and high schools (although high school courses dont count as valid hours for completing the educatonal component). Check on the internet or the library, they always have information about it.
Although Im still figuring out how to complete 12 credits, studying everyday while the kids are at school and weekends…For sure I have had a hard time trying to complete 144 hours at school. but it’s ok now..
3. My weekly stipend…mmm 150 dls, that’s what im paid…honestly, I didn’t imagine how expensive is everything so 150 dls, is not that much at all
…I realize that when I got here and see how much my regular AP friends can spend and save.
Bottom word: If could choose again I wouldn’t have changed my contract. I realize that the Educare contract only benefits Host Families and not Au Pairs. I resent those 50dls that a regular AP gets every week.
Yes, I study a lot more, and I DO care about my duties and my adorable kids. But i would have completed my 6 credits and paid the expenses of some other courses without rush….that is what i feel now, I have to hurry and now im taking 4 classes this spring term!
So, I would say, being an Educare is not that much of a prize for studying, you can do the same beign a regular AP with school aged kids.
Thanks for telling your side of the story. That extra $50 a week would have added up quickly toward paying more in college tuition if you were interested in studying more.
Based on the experience of previous APs, I think the agencies do young women a disservice by describing all the wonderful subjects they might choose to study. Every single one of our APs has had to take ESOL classes, sometimes for two or more semesters, before qualifying to take basic college subjects. I now warn APs when we match, that they should anticipate studying ESOL and if they are determined to follow a particular course of study to take the TOEFL long enough before their arrival to have their score with them when they arrive.
We have a local community college that almost makes it possible to earn 6 credits for $500 (until the AP has to pay for books). One AP did 3 credits at a college on Long Island that was one long weekend. It was tailored for APs. Most of my APs, however, have studied hard with the goal of staying in the US and completing their studies — even though nearly all returned home in the end. As I host parent, I try to gather information on what is do-able for my APs, especially since I have August arrivals.
That would be really appreciatd by your new AP…When I came here, my HP and LLC weren’t any helpful with my educational component. At least, some brochures of the local community college, and the School District adult education courses, will be really good. And not only for completing credits, but also for offering her possibilities to go out and practice sports, or learn something new she may be interested in like photography, foreign languages.etc
The same happened to my AP friends here, they didnt know anything, they were new in town and all of them paid expensive ESL courses at the local community college (385 dls per course, no books) and now, we know about ESL courses that are offered trough High Schools in the County and are only 40 – 60 dls, books included!!!
Murphy’s Law Indeed!
So, it would be really nice if the HP take care at least in informing the new AP with the options she has
Li Au Pair,
those ESL courses through the county might not be eligible for your educational credit requirement. Where I live, they aren’t. Find out with your agency first before signing up for them.
As far as I know, the course has to be taken from an accredited post-secondary institution (i.e. college). While those community courses can be helpful in advancing your language skills and practice, they are not counted towards your educational requirement. You can still take and enjoy them, but you still will have to take a course through your local community college.
That’s my understanding, too. Our local community college offers non-credit courses, which are cheaper than the credit courses (albeit taught at a slightly lower level, as no one is trying to get into the basic English composition course). However, English classes taught by high schools and churches don’t necessarily qualify. My guess is that in order to meet the State Department requirement, you have to spend more than the $500 host families must allot (it was possible up through 2006 to do it). This sum has not changed in the 10 years we have been a HF. For APs in APIA, they have offered some creative solutions – including online courses available in some geographic locations. If your HF and LCC can’t help you, ask extension APs – most had to meet all the State Department requirements in order to extend into a second year.
This is another area where having a good LCC is crucial. When I started in PA, Bloomsburg University allowed our AP to “sit in” on any course for $25! No pre-test or english requirements. Our first AP took an English class and Geography with the regular freshman. When we moved to MD, there were more schools, but all were more expensive and restrictive on what APs could take. Now in VA, she’s been unable to take anything except the weekend pseudo-courses in Richmond. Our new AP will hopefully have more success (better english from APing in London for a year)and be able to take real classes, but it will still be way more than $500. I’m interested to hear how many HFs let the AP suck up the expense and how many pay for the overage out of the kindness of their hearts.?
We pay the overage. Education is dear to our hearts, and if our au pair is truly interested in more expensive classes, we want her to pursue that!
Actually, our au pair is such a gem, she refused to let us pay the overage but instead we split the overage 50-50. But I keep trying to sneak in extra funds for her, e.g. paying the parking fees.
We also arranged for her to audit courses at the university. As long as the instructor writes a letter that she ’successfully audited’ the course, agency says it will count.
It depends. We usually give a $150 bonus at Christmas (in addition to gifts like silk long underwear) that the AP may use as she chooses, but I expect most use to pay tuition. One AP started a class within weeks after her arrival. She bought a new digital camera, but it hadn’t occurred to her (having just graduated from high school) that books would be extra, so we bought her books. I must say that it has only been with the last two APs that we couldn’t achieve the coursework with $500 (and we live in Maryland). As I’ve said elsewhere 4 of the 5 APs we’ve had have looked to stay in the country and were working toward eligibility in the American college system, so their goals might well differ from your APs. We did sponsor one AP, and paid her full ride for 2 1/2 years (albeit after the first full year she got the in-county rate).
We’ve spent over $300 in getting our current AP’s driving at an acceptable level, so as you might imagine, I haven’t been interested in going beyond the $500 tuition.
Anna,
I know those ESL courses through the county are not eligible for the educational requirement. The educational component has to be taken from an accredited post-secondary institution.
My point is that there are many posibilities to study and learn that when an AP’s arrives she really doesnt know about and I think is very important that APs keep studying and finding activities for personal enrichment apart from the courses that we have to take in a college.
I am auditing classes in a private university here to complete my credits, at a very good price (less than 150 per class). But how did I find those courses out? By myself, It implied that I didnt take any courses last fall (I came here in September) because it took me a while to get to know what could I do here.
I also consider that the role of the LCC in this matter is really important. It’s sad when you ask your LCC about the educational possibilities and she only says: Go to the community college or take those weekend courses that are offered by a university in LI (that are not good at ALL) and that’s it.
Well, so meanwhile..I’ll keep studying, and playing volleiball once a week at the high school, just for fun!!! For sure, keeping ourselves busy and intelectually active makes the experience even better!