Foundations & Basics

Tough Topic: When your au pair steals from you

by cv harquail January 19, 2010

There are many topics that I have dreaded bringing up here, but I’m going to bring them up anyway with a little bit of warning… I’ll announce in the headline that it’s a “Tough Topic” and everyone will know to treat it gently. One of the painful tough topics is when you discover your au […]

55 comments Read the full article →

EduCare or Regular Au Pair?

by cv harquail January 11, 2010

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 […]

80 comments Read the full article →

Helping Your Au Pair Extend, with Student Status: Advice Wanted

by cv harquail January 10, 2010

Hi Au Pair Mom Readers! Love the site and am totally addicted. The advice is so helpful! I need advice on the subject of college education for my au pair. Our au pair has indicated an interest in attending university here in the U.S. instead of in her home country (Germany). It’s unclear whether she […]

18 comments Read the full article →

This Time Last Year: January 2009

by cv harquail December 31, 2009

_Users_celia_Library_Application-Support_ecto3_cache_BF440331-74AA-4816-9332-7E8024CCF1EF.jpeg

No one is more surprised than me to see how much we’ve covered here on AuPairMom! I can’t believe the number of topics, posts, comments, concerns and wisdom that have appeared here so far– and we’re still going strong! Sometimes it’s hard to remember what we’ve discussed, so here’s a new feature: This Time Last […]

1 comment Read the full article →

Share One Bit of Advice for a New Host Parent

by cv harquail December 30, 2009

By popular demand, here’s a challenge to all you host parents: Your challenge: Offer ONE, just one, thing you wish you knew when you became a host parent. If someone else has already offered your #1 bit of advice, go on to share your #2 bit of advice. Let’s rack ’em up, parents. (Au pairs, […]

97 comments Read the full article →

O. M. G. My Au Pair is “Sexting”

by cv harquail December 29, 2009

I can’t even figure out how to begin this post! Where do you start, when you find out that your au pair is sending lewd photos of herself from her/your cellphone, and downloading lewd photos of someone else onto her/your computer? We got this request for advice from a host mom who is, to put […]

20 comments Read the full article →

Out Overnight: Okay, or Not? (Poll)

by cv harquail December 28, 2009

On New Year’s Eve, we can expect that our off-duty au pairs may want to be out all night celebrating. And for one night a year (especially, when everyone else seems go be out celebrating) you might not have a problem with your au pair being gone overnight, even if she has to be on-duty […]

56 comments Read the full article →

Holiday Bonus, Tip, or End of Year Cash Gift? (Poll)

by cv harquail December 18, 2009

I’ve been reluctant to bring this topic up again because last year the idea of giving your Au Pair a holiday cash gift or top really seemed to freak people out. Check the earlier posts before you go wild: Gift, Bonus or Tip: Call it what you want, but keep in mind…. How much should […]

41 comments Read the full article →

Temporary Eviction: Would you make your Au Pair stay somewhere else while you are on vacation?

by cv harquail December 17, 2009

Host parents, we got a request for advice from an au pair who is facing temporary eviction while her host parents are on vacation. The situation is a bit of an emergency, since the family is slated to leave within the week. Your ideas? Here’s the situation: Dear Au Pair Mom readers, I am an […]

42 comments Read the full article →

If you have a housecleaner, does s/he clean your Au Pair’s room?

by cv harquail December 14, 2009

I admit, I was a little surprised to learn that some of us who pay to have our houses cleaned include the au pair’s room in the housecleaner’s duties. Probably it’s because I’m always trying to save money and have needed to have the housecleaner’s energy all on the main parts of the house, but […]

35 comments Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →