September 2010

Using Cultural Differences to Come Together, Guest Post by Shana Medah

by Shana Medah September 15, 2010
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We think of cultural differences as the things that separate us and view cultural differences as obstacles we must overcome – and indeed, they do often present themselves in the form of a problem that must be solved. However, the problem-solving process also gives us an opportunity to know each other (and ourselves) better. When […]

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My Potential Host Parents Might Be Divorcing. Should I ‘unmatch’?

by cv harquail September 14, 2010
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Dear Au Pair Mom, For the past couple of months, I had been looking for an Au Pair job in Europe (I am American), and finally found a great family via Aupair.com. I used your advice and evaluated the match by shared values, lifestyle, and mutual expectations. We seemed like a perfect fit, and everything […]

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Should we match with a friend of our current Au Pair?

by cv harquail September 13, 2010
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Birds of a feather flock together, and often great au pairs have wonderful people as friends. When you have a terrific au pair whom you wish you could replicate, sometimes matching with his or her friend seems like the next best thing. Or is it? Host Mom Sandy D. asks: We are finishing up our […]

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Au Pair Extensions: How do they work if her visa isn’t extended?

by cv harquail September 9, 2010
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Hi AuPairMom, I am a new au pair mom this year. I love my au pair, we have a lot in common and she loves the kids. I was very happy to hear that she is interested in extending for 6 months, maybe even a year. But there ‘s a little bit of a glitch: […]

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Choosing Your Next Au Pair: Beware of the Contrast Effect

by cv harquail September 7, 2010
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A host mom who’s looking hopefully at a rematch situation writes us for advice … Her soon-to-be-ending match has been plagued with personality conflict. Now, she has a choice between two promising au pairs– but what criteria should she prioritize? On the one hand, she needs a good driver, and driving skills can be taught. […]

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First Day, First Problem, First Opportunity: The $48 phone call

by cv harquail September 4, 2010
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Dear AuPairMom, Our au pair has been with us for less than 24 hours and we already have a problem. We have our au pair use a phone card attached to our phone to make long distance calls. Since she’d just arrived, when she wanted to call home I dialed her dad’s number for her. […]

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Former Au Pairs: Where are they now?

by cv harquail September 2, 2010
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There’s nothing like a visit from one former au pair to make you wonder about what’s happened to all the rest. When our second au pair (from 10 years ago) came to visit us this summer, I expected to find her much the same as she was when she lived with us. I wasn’t disappointed; […]

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