Why Can’t I Buy AuPair Plane Tickets and Save Money on Agency Fees?

by cv harquail February 8, 2015
au pair plane tickets

What if you had 100 million frequent flyer miles? Or a $700 credit with an airline that flies from NYC to your Au Pair’s home city? Could you purchase your Au Pair’s plane ticket– in either direction — and save money on your Au Pair Agency fee? Our first au pair’s 2 years is about […]

53 comments Read the full article →

Which Au Pair Rules Feel Flexible?

by cv harquail February 4, 2015
breaking au pair rules

This is a companion post to “Which Host Family Rules Feel Flexible to Au Pairs?” Au Pair Program Rules are Great. One of the strongest elements of the US Au Pair Program is the framework created by the State Department rules.   These clear and specific boundaries around work hours and work responsibilities help US Host Parents and […]

105 comments Read the full article →

Which Host Family Rules Feel Flexible to Au Pairs?

by cv harquail February 4, 2015
198273789_0728b1b0a7_m

Okay, Au Pairs — It’s your turn to tell us which Host Family rules you feel it’s okay to be “flexible” with every now and then. [This is a companion post to “Which Au Pair Rules Feel Flexible?”] Since there is no set group of Host Family rules, I can’t create polls for specific ones. Instead, […]

13 comments Read the full article →

Eating On Duty: Managing Au Pair Meals

by cv harquail February 3, 2015
snack time au pair

Au Pairs often need to make meals for themselves (as well as for host children) while they are on duty.   We can’t (and shouldn’t) expect any caregiver to go for hours and hours without a proper meal. But when an au pair is ‘on duty’ with a primary responsibility for children, an au pair […]

42 comments Read the full article →

Teach Your Kids To Treat Your Au Pair With Respect

by cv harquail January 30, 2015
children rude to au pair

Here’s a host mom after my own heart. Why? Because her first thought after describing the problem is to ask what she might be doing to contribute to it. Not that I want host parents (or au pairs) to always shoulder the blame, but with all things social it’s the *relationship, the *context, and the […]

15 comments Read the full article →

New Year, New Expectations: Having A ‘Reset’ Conversation

by cv harquail January 28, 2015
201500002888

[ Here’s one from the archives — We’ve been using the term “reset conversation” a lot this past year… here’s where it comes from, and how to execute one. ] There are several times each year, and several times in each AuPair year, when it makes sense to reset your expectations with your au pair. The […]

24 comments Read the full article →

Does Your Au Pair Get Paid A Stipend When S/he’s Sick?

by cv harquail January 26, 2015
soo zzzz

 When your au pair gets sick for more than a few days, questions about substitute childcare, sick days, and additional costs can put pressure on the balancing act between “part of the family” and “employee”. Every family needs a backup plan for the occasional day or two (or three) when an Au Pair is laid […]

109 comments Read the full article →

Open Thread: Introducing a New Comments Tool

by cv harquail January 25, 2015
6800731109_fdb88d574f_m

Time for an open thread– and an upgrade in our commenting practices! I’d like to introduce a new tool, a tool that I’ve been using ‘behind the scenes’ — on about 20% of the comments — to help keep our commenting easy to read and easy to respond to. You might know it by sight or […]

117 comments Read the full article →

When Your Au Pair Repeatedly Loses Things

by cv harquail January 23, 2015
glenn euloth lost nemo

I’m known for losing things. Sunglasses, cell phone, car keys, arguments, emergency chocolate, the Costco card… . I try hard to hold on to things, but the absent-minded part of being a professor is really strong with this one. My own sensitivity to losing things has led me to compensate for potential losses in two […]

21 comments Read the full article →

When your Au Pair hires a babysitter so s/he can go to the gym. Really?

by cv harquail January 21, 2015
4727247770_6620363646_m

Whoa there Nellie.  Get down off that exercise equipment. Host Mom Mimi dropped an aside that felt like a bomb. In her comments on Slush Funds vs. Petty Cash jars, Mimi mentions:  “If our AP takes the kids to the gym while she is on the clock, she is responsible for babysitting room fees.” What? HRHM asks in […]

85 comments Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →