Rematch & “transitions”

Choosing Your Next Au Pair: Beware of the Contrast Effect

by cv harquail September 7, 2010

A host mom who’s looking hopefully at a rematch situation writes us for advice … Her soon-to-be-ending match has been plagued with personality conflict. Now, she has a choice between two promising au pairs– but what criteria should she prioritize? On the one hand, she needs a good driver, and driving skills can be taught. […]

41 comments Read the full article →

Saying Farewell After a Quick Rematch: What to do?

by cv harquail August 23, 2010

Dear AuPairMom, We are going into rematch with an au pair who has been with us for four weeks. Our rematch is fairly amicable; it’s all due to her inexperience behind the wheel and us needing better driving skills. We like this young woman and wish her all the best with finding a new family. […]

7 comments Read the full article →

When you initiate rematch, can you ask your Au Pair to leave immediately?

by cv harquail July 22, 2010

When you initiate rematch, can you ask your Au Pair to leave immediately? When this question popped up over the weekend, I shuddered. It brought me back instantly to our flame-out au pair, the one who announced on the last day of school that she wanted a rematch because she didn’t want to work weekends […]

114 comments Read the full article →

Have you ever regretted that you initiated a rematch?

by cv harquail June 29, 2010

A host mom emailed to get my opinion on whether or not to go into rematch. This host mom and her family have a less-than-great au pair, one who is kind but can’t seem to complete tasks. Who is on time but ultimately not reliable. And, she’s not very smart. She’s so ‘not smart’ that […]

63 comments Read the full article →

Driven to the edge because my Au Pair can’t drive

by cv harquail June 28, 2010

What happens when your au pair candidate says she can, but then it turns out she can’t? And, what if you said she didn’t really need to, but then you realized she did? When we consider the characteristics and skills we want our au pair to have, we usually think about what we or our […]

57 comments Read the full article →

If the Au Pair Agency failed in their “due diligence”, what can Host Parent do?

by cv harquail May 19, 2010

Parents, here’s an emergency plea from a First Time Host Mom, who needs advice on dealing with an unhelpful agency. LCCs and area directors, chime in too, please! Hello! I have a problem w/ an au pair company (which shall remain nameless) and I am not sure how to handle it. We are a new […]

24 comments Read the full article →

Rematch with just 2 months to go? Or other options?

by cv harquail May 16, 2010

An “I need advice right away” post from West Coast Mom: Dear Host Moms, Have any of you rematched near the end of your year? We are considering sending the current AP home, after an alarming call from another Mom who witnessed some alarming AP behavior in front of the kids (followed by months of […]

47 comments Read the full article →

Interviewing Au Pair Candidates: Every Question You’ve Ever Recommended We Ask

by cv harquail March 23, 2010

Host Mom Melinda sent us all a wonderful present. Melinda went through many, many posts on AuPairMom where we’ve recommended interview questions — AND she put them all together! This will be a huge, long list. It includes some questions you’ll see on agency sites, plus several questions *exclusive* to all of us here. Thank […]

50 comments Read the full article →

Can this au pair relationship be saved? Laundry list of “no”s

by cv harquail March 22, 2010

Readers, this situation is a challenge on many fronts… I’ve listed them out in headings to make things a little easier. It looks like a no-win situation to me, so I’d recommend rematch. But I might be missing something… Read on and offer your thoughts. “Where do I begin? My partner and I are two […]

29 comments Read the full article →

Someone Stole My Au Pair: A secret rematch behind my back

by cv harquail March 12, 2010

A Host Mom writes with a story that will irk us all. The situation is ‘over’, but she still has to cope. And, we can all wonder– how could we prevent something like this from happening in our town? Dear Au Pair Mom Readers- Has anyone else had the experience of discovering that their au […]

61 comments Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →