Scheduling

Scheduling Your Au Pair: Naptime, Mealtime and Meaningful Breaks

by cv harquail May 27, 2010

Lots of us host parents schedule our pairs not for an 8 or 10 hour stretch, but for one or two (or sometimes three) portions across a day. Often this is to accommodate ‘before school’ childcare needs as well as afternoon needs, or to have our au pairs come back on duty so that we […]

75 comments Read the full article →

Au Pair Asks: How can I get my Host Mom to give me a schedule?

by cv harquail May 23, 2010
calendar_2008-03-30_2008-04-06.jpg

Dear Au Pair Mom, I just find out this site, and I think it’s really helpful. You have a lot of useful information for all of us, and I would like some advice from host parents. I’m an Au Pair, and I just started the program. I’m here for two months and everything is incredible! […]

15 comments Read the full article →

4 Ways to Reduce “Seasonal Schedule Shift Syndrome”

by cv harquail May 18, 2010
201005171616.jpg

Seasonal Schedule Shift Syndrome: AuPairMom’s fancy name for “when your au pair gets grumpy because all of a sudden the whole schedule changes, and now s/he has to work an occasional Saturday night.” When school ends and ‘summertime’ begins, family schedules change. Rhythms for your kids’ days may change, as may your own work schedules. […]

28 comments Read the full article →

When Your Au Pair Breaks Your Psychological Contract

by cv harquail April 24, 2010
July 19: Balancing act (58/61) by theDQT

[ Note: I think this might be the longest AuPairMom post I’ve ever written. It was a long train ride and I think I got carried away.] Host families and au pairs call it mutual expectations, and management scholars call it the “psychological contract”. The idea behind a psychological contract is that we agree to […]

25 comments Read the full article →

Help Your Au Pair Evaluate Potential Playdates

by cv harquail April 8, 2010
_116_264484011_25fefe1df0.jpg

I firmly believe that working on your au pair relationship makes you a better parent, directly and indirectly. Any time you have to stop and reflect on your parenting principles and your priorities for your kid(s), you have the opportunity to become more mindful about what you’re up to with your family. Here’s one of […]

30 comments Read the full article →

Au Pair Management Tip: Schedule Transition Time

by cv harquail March 29, 2010
201003291103.jpg

Here is a tip for both host parent and au pairs alike: Schedule transition time, with explicit overlap between when the au pair and the parent (or other caregiver) switch who’s ‘on duty’. Back when I worked as a manufacturing manager I always had to be there for “shift overlap”, when the outgoing shift would […]

10 comments Read the full article →

6 Reasons why your Au Pair should NOT work a second job

by cv harquail March 6, 2010
201003051804.jpg

We’ve talked recently about the issues related to having an au pair work extra hours for the host family, and we’ve also talked about whether you should let your au pair babysit for your friends. But we haven”t talked about whether you should permit your au pair to work at another job. “Why haven’t we […]

91 comments Read the full article →

Tim Gunn’s advice on breaking the rules

by cv harquail February 21, 2010
201002211459.jpg

If you ask Tim Gunn for advice about breaking the rules, he’ll tell you two things: 1. Make it work, and 2. Use the Bluefly accessories wall thoughtfully. Both pieces of Tim Gunn’s advice to fashionistas apply to au pairs & host families. In general, I am black handbag = black shoes kind of person. […]

6 comments Read the full article →

Best Practices for asking your Au Pair to work Overtime

by cv harquail February 19, 2010
birds charmlady etsy.jpg

Based on the overwhelming response to the post from NJ Dad wanting to know more about common practices when folks ask their au pairs to work overtime, I thought it would be a good idea to summarize the key findings. Just to be clear– nobody is recommending that you expect your AP to work over […]

21 comments Read the full article →

Extra Hours: What’s fair pay when you break this taboo?

by cv harquail February 13, 2010
201002131447.jpg

Many parents find that 45 hours a week is not enough childcare. Either you have an emergency late night at work, a kid home sick, a snow day, or a bookclub meeting. Some parents have work + commute combos that mean they’re away from home 10 hours a day, m-f, even if they stagger their […]

94 comments Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →