Ghosted by our Au Pair Candidate — was it something we did?

by cv harquail June 5, 2019

“Dear Au Pair Mom– We are a new prospective HF looking for an au pair for the first time. We are targeting mostly Europeans and our main criteria is good driving. We’ve had interviews with a few candidates. We were close to matching (or so we thought) with a candidate from Germany who said all […]

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Does the punishment fit the crime here?

by Texas HM June 4, 2019

First off, let me just say that I am not a fan of judging the decisions or policies of other host families. What works for me might not work for you and vice versa and that is your business and ultimately only you can decide what your family is comfortable with and can/will tolerate. But… […]

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When Your AP Won’t Stop Comparing…

by Texas HM May 28, 2019

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt As human beings we have a fundamental need to evaluate ourselves and our situations and the only way to really do that is in reference to something else. In fact there was a study done on this in the 1954 that actually proved it and coined […]

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Should I only host transition APs?

by Texas HM May 22, 2019

Years ago we were hosting a transition au pair (friend of our au pair) and I got a phone call from a prospective transition host mom. I was a little surprised because I was not actually the host mom of this AP so my number was not even on her profile so I quickly made […]

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How to Interview Transition APs

by Texas HM May 18, 2019

Are there rockstars in the transition pool? Yes, yes, 1000% yes!! It is no secret in our area I am a HUGE fan of transition au pairs! In fact, for the sake of brevity I will write a separate post on why – I decided to start with this post in case there is anyone […]

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Apologies for the spam …

by cv harquail April 12, 2019

Readers — It seems that Spammy Mc Spamerson has been hard at work on AuPairMom, trying to sell you CBD gummies and programs for learning Russian. My apologies for cluttering your minds with this mess. I believe I’ve upgraded, repermissioned, locked out, and otherwise deleted any trace of Mc Spamerson. Now, to get those hours […]

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How might it be possible to extend our au pair… just for a few weeks?

by cv harquail March 7, 2019

We have now been with our first AP for 8 months. During this period we have had our ups and downs, but we do love our AP and think given the circumstances she has done an excellent job. She approached my husband and I about a 6 month extension. Because our eldest has turned 3 […]

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When does learning to drive count as “au pair work”?

by cv harquail March 7, 2019

I’m writing with a driving question that I’m hoping you might post to the community. We welcomed our first au pair in mid-January. Her profile indicated 5 years of driving experience, and when we interviewed she indicated that she drives herself to and from work on a 20 minute daily commute, and often drives her […]

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Getting a refund after being ditched by your Extending Au Pair

by cv harquail February 21, 2019

It’s important to plan ahead for the last few weeks that your Au Pair is with you. Not only do you have to prepare your kids, say goodbye, and address all sorts of emotional and relationship issues — you also have to deal with finances. Many au pairs borrow money from their host families, or […]

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Finding a Male Au Pair– Best places to look?

by cv harquail February 20, 2019

I got an email from a young man who’d like to become an au pair in the US, and who is under the impression that families are (1) not that interested in male au pairs and (2) not interested in male au pairs who might or might not be gay. My own perception is that, […]

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