Extending

How can we tell our Au Pair we don’t want to extend?

by cv harquail March 13, 2012

Probably the biggest downside to the extension option is the possibility for a mismatch between the family’s interest in extending and the au pair’s interest in extending. When both sides don’t clearly share the same expectation, someone is bound to get disappointed. And, when people are disappointed, they often withdraw from a relationship and leave the […]

25 comments Read the full article →

Can Au Pairs shorten their Extension, once begun?

by cv harquail February 5, 2012

Do you know the official answer to this au pair’s query? And, if you were her LCC, what would you advise? Dear Au Pair Mom, I’m an extension Au Pair, living here in the USA since January of 2011 (13 months now). I wanted to know if there is a possibility to change the length […]

14 comments Read the full article →

Au Pair Extension Fees: Why so high?

by cv harquail December 15, 2011

Why is it so expensive to extend an Au Pair for an additional year? A reader emailed to raise the concern that it costs almost as much the second year as the first, because there are fewer special discounts. (For one agency, that’s about $5,600). Not only that, but the au pair herself or himself […]

39 comments Read the full article →

Matching Again with a Former Au Pair

by cv harquail June 3, 2011

Can we ever ‘step in the same river twice’? Can we pick up where we left off in a great host family – au pair relationship? Or, is every au pair match, no matter with whom, a new adventure? Is it possible to answer ‘yes’ to all of those questions, at the same time? HostMominVA […]

34 comments Read the full article →

She extended, and left her enthusiasm behind…

by cv harquail October 9, 2010

Readers, we got this request from one of our regular contributors, who needs our advice this time… Her situation is long, and the story is complex, but I’m posting it all because (it seems to me) that the context matters. There are issues of schedule change, trauma in the Host Mom’s life, efforts to work […]

37 comments Read the full article →

Can I revise my promise to sponsor my au pair?

by cv harquail July 21, 2010

I’ve got a problem regarding my au pair that might actually be my fault. Our au pair is personally wonderful, lovely to have in the house, very helpful. She’s been with us 19 months. She is 23 and from Bosnia. She has a great relationship with my 6 yr old and 4 yr old. She […]

52 comments Read the full article →

Au Pair Asks: How can I gently decline my Host Mom’s advice?

by cv harquail April 26, 2010

One of my guilty pleasures as a host mom has been to think that I’ve been able to give my au pairs some good advice. After all, I’ve had a lot of life experience, I’m opening-minded, I have relevant professional experience, and — let’s face it– I usually know what I’m talking about (grin). Therefore, […]

12 comments Read the full article →

Extending Legally, Without an Agency: Ideas?

by cv harquail April 25, 2010

We would like advice on how to extend with out au pair legally, but by using a lawyer instead of going through our current agency. We want to disconnect from our agency, gently. To put it mildly, our experience with our agency & LCC has been a great disappointment. They are the only agency that […]

43 comments Read the full article →

Deciding whether to extend: The Au Pair’s Point of View

by cv harquail April 11, 2010

When we have an au pair we really like, and even sometimes a so-so au pair, we start to think: Hey, maybe we should extend with this au pair… another 6, 9, or 12 months with the comfort of knowing what we’ve got, taking advantage our mutual investment in the relationship, keeping things stable for […]

42 comments Read the full article →

Letters of Recommendation: For a so-so au pair? (Poll)

by cv harquail January 20, 2010

When your au pair is getting ready to leave you, either to end her year or to extend with a different family, it’s nice to write her a letter of recommendation. Unless, of course, you wouldn’t recommend her to anyone. When the topic of recommendation letters has come up before, you all have been of […]

29 comments Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →