Cultural Exchange Challenges

New Au Pair Has Whooping Cough and Will Be Infectious for Up to 12 Weeks!

by cv harquail May 9, 2016

Seriously Host Parents — can’t you send me emails about dilemmas that can be announced with catchy headlines??? Very rarely am I able to say — “I never heard of a problem like this before.” While I like novelty as much as the next American, I’m not happy to see this problem now. This is a […]

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Any Way to Change Behavior of an Au Pair Who’s Always Late?

by cv harquail April 15, 2016

What do you do when you’ve organized yourself and been clear about your needs, but find yourself unable to influence the behavior of your Au Pair? When communication or training differences pop up, we usually go back to the basics: Do you have a handbook? Do you have regular check-in meetings? Were you clear about […]

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Addressing a Vast Gap Between Ethical Standards: Yours vs Your Au Pair’s

by cv harquail March 25, 2016

There are “cultural differences” and there are “philosophical differences”. With cultural differences, it’s less about “right” or “wrong” than about how folks prefer to do things. With philosophical differences, it’s all about right and wrong. So how do you manage when you discover that your au pair thinks something is perfectly fair to do, but […]

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Would You Consider a Transgender Au Pair Candidate?

by cv harquail October 21, 2015

As more Americans become aware of transgender people’s concerns and rights, we’re seeing more transgender people coming forward to participate fully in our society. We’ve got transgender actors like “possibility model” Laverne Cox, transgender television hosts/media personalities like Janet Mock (whose autobiography I recommend to everyone), transgender characters at the center of TV dramas, and of […]

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5 Reasons to Take Your Au Pair to See “He Named Me Malala”

by cv harquail October 9, 2015

For a cultural exchange that will bring you and your au pair closer, take her (or him) to see the documentary film “He Named Me Malala”. He Named Me Malala opens nationwide this Friday, October 9. Here’s the link to find showings near you: http://theaters.henamedmemalalamovie.com/ 5 Reasons Why You Should Take Your Au Pair to […]

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Au Pairs and Modesty: A Challenge of Cultural Fit

by cv harquail September 29, 2015

I had just come back from dropping my kid off at school. As I climbed out of my car, my neighbor walked by on the way to the park with my favorite golden retriever. I was compelled to run down the driveway and get a cuddle from that darn dog. It was only when I […]

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Why Your Au Pair Should Go To Your Kid’s School Play …

by cv harquail March 15, 2015

… and all sorts of other family events. If having an Au Pair is a Cultural Exchange, school and community events are an important part of the excitement. Hey, I’ve endured enjoyed enough grammar school orchestra concerts to be an expert on ways to butcher the violin parts of The Str Spangled Banner. But if […]

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Helping Au Pairs Teach Second-Languages to Kids

by cv harquail March 12, 2015

Does anyone feel like s/he’s cracked the nut on having an au pair help teach a child a second language? Many host parents chose au pairs with this goal in mind, knowing these key things: Au Pairs also need to speak English so that they can achieve their language learning goals Few Au Pairs are taught […]

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