Agencies & Local Counselors

Newbie Host Mom Totally Not Sure She Needs Help (She Does)

by Frances Scher June 22, 2016

Hi! I am Frances Scher, and I am taking a turn at the APMom mailbox. First up is a letter from a new host mom. Her previous expectations of the au pair program don’t seem to be lining up with the current reality. The au pair is not doing her job and following the […]

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Managing the Financial Costs of Rematch: Getting an Agency Refund

by cv harquail June 16, 2016

What’s a fair way to manage the costs to the Host Family of a rematch situation that they did not request themselves? Dear AuPairMom, We are currently in a re-match situation and I’m struggling with the agency’s rematch policy. We are only 2 weeks into a 12 month extension with our Au Pair, and she […]

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When Au Pairs Get Gravely Ill — Kindof Open Thread /Topic

by cv harquail May 23, 2016

Over the past two weeks there’s been a whirlwind of conversation and consternation in the Au Pairing community, over a situation with an Au Pair at Au Pair Care who’s been diagnosed with cancer. I can’t even begin to recap the steps and the facts, but they include that she was accepted into an experimental treatment […]

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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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Is Two Weeks Enough To Time To Know We Need A Rematch? When I say “Yes”

by cv harquail April 23, 2016

When a new Au Pair arrives and is clearly not working out, sensible Host Parents start thinking about rematch. If the Au Pair does something unsafe, dishonest, or mean — ask for rematch right away. With other situations, it makes more sense to give it a little time. You might think your au pair is […]

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How Long is Too Long to Hold an Au Pair Candidate’s File?

by cv harquail April 7, 2016

I don’t know anything about baseball, but even so, the question raised in this post is a little “inside baseball”. I think that means, you have to know a good bit already to even have an opinion about it. Briefly, the situation: — A mom writes that she’s having a hard time finding candidates, and she […]

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Interviewing Rematch Au Pairs? Check Their References

by cv harquail March 7, 2016

The Rematch / Transition Process makes everyone tense. Au Pairs want to find a better situation but worry that host families will assume that rematch was their fault. Host Families want to find an in-country au pair who’ll fit better with their family, but want to avoid taking on some other family’s “reject”. Agencies […]

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Which Au Pair Agencies are the Best to Work For?, asks future LCC

by cv harquail February 8, 2016

What do Au Pair Agencies feel like from the inside? I know that I was delighted when I got to meet the folks at InterExchange face to face — it was clear that they genuinely care about the experiences of their Au Pairs and Host Families. It seems like people there enjoyed their jobs and […]

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Can You Recommend Trustworthy Agencies for US Au Pairs Going Abroad?

by cv harquail January 27, 2016

Any reader of this blog knows — an Au Pair Agency becomes an important support for a young person coming to the USA. The Agency screens Host Parents, manages all the Au Pair’s training and travel, and is the first place to turn in any kind of relationship, health, or other emergency. What happens, though, […]

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Au Pair with Broken Ankle: Battling the Au Pair Agency AND the Insurance Company

by cv harquail January 22, 2016

A Host Mom needs advice on how to advocate for an Au Pair who needs surgery. We are a host family to our second au pair midway through her first year. Our current Au Pair is impressively independent and strong. She’s had a run of bad luck since arriving in the US culminating in her […]

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