Agencies & Local Counselors

Au Pair “Shopped for a New Family” with Agency’s help — behind our backs

by cv harquail April 11, 2011

Our au pair came to us last Tuesday, out of the blue, to inform us she “wants to be by the beach” and wants to enter rematch. She has refused any attempt at mediation. We learned today that she had listed herself, over a month ago, on a third-party site for in-country au pairs and […]

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How risky is it to travel when her J-1 Visa is soon to expire?

by cv harquail March 17, 2011

Smart Risks vs. Risky Risks Everything is risky, including traveling with your au pair outside of the US while she is on a J-1 visa. We know from previous conversations that even though a visa may still be valid, a customs person could deny your au pair re-entry into the USA. But how real is […]

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When Agencies Reward Au Pairs Who Lack Commitment

by cv harquail February 9, 2011

Like most customers, I want to believe that the company selling me things has my best interest in mind. I should know better– after all, I’ve taught in business schools for over 15 years. But still, I hope that even when a company exists to make money they believe that they also exist to serve […]

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Slim Pickings: Making the best of an ‘off season’ au pair search

by cv harquail February 4, 2011

The pool of au pair candidates (and host families) is deeper at some times of year than at others.We host parents have a sense that Spring (end of school year) and Late Summer (just before start of school) have relatively deeper pool of candidates. And, many of us prefer these times to match with au […]

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Au Pair Community Resources: Calling all LCCs, Experts and Artists

by cv harquail January 30, 2011

Several LCCs have emailed to ask if we could include their blogs in the list of LCC blogs on the sidebar. I’d like to be able to list any counselor, consultant, or expert who has something to offer to the AuPairMom community, and I’d like to upgrade this to a fuller and more organized presentation […]

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A Series of Bad Matches: Is it you, or your au pair Agency?

by cv harquail December 14, 2010

No one is responsible for a great host parent-au pair relationship. Or, rather, no one person or entity is responsible for great host parent-au pair relationship. That responsibility is shared between three parties: 1. The Au Pair her- or himself 2. The Host Parent(s), and 3. The Au Pair Agency. Because we host parents know […]

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Your Au Pair Counselor As A Local Expert and Resource

by cv harquail November 27, 2010

All local Community Counselors are trained in the fundamental, general issues that are relevant to each and every au pair – host parent relationship. Community Counselors (CCs) must know the US State Department au pair regulations, the contract details of the agency they represent, and the au pair contact, support & rematch practices of their […]

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Am I being unfair if I move on, and find another au pair?

by cv harquail November 20, 2010

Here’s a request for some of your host parent wisdom: I am in need of opinions as to whether or not I am being unfair to our au pair. We have had the pleasure of hosting a delightful young woman for 1 year and we both agreed to a year-long extension. We have been pleased […]

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Reading the Fine Print: How do Au Pair Agency contracts differ?

by cv harquail November 16, 2010

With our previous conversation about whether or not an au pair is supposed to be paid pocket money if s/he takes additional vacation weeks, I was reminded of this very simple and confusing issue: Although US regulations apply to any US au pair, each agency has its own ways of interpreting and explaining the rules. […]

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Options for Fulfulling the Au Pair Education Requirement: Online Classes?

by cv harquail October 29, 2010

Dear AuPairMoms: I’m a first-time host-parent to a lovely 21 year old first-time Au Pair from Scandinavia (through Cultural Care), as well as a first-time mom of 19 month old twins, and I really enjoy this site. I’m hoping your readers might have some sage advice for me. I’m starting to obsess over this issue, […]

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