Au Pair Claims There’s Nothing To Eat, but the Fridge is Full

by cv harquail February 6, 2016
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Dear Au Pair Moms — I am a first time host parent to a 20 year old au pair from Eastern Europe.  She’s been with us for two months. We have two toddlers for whom she is responsible 4 days a week. She is “good” with the kids but definitely does not go above and beyond. We’ve […]

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Car Insurance for Your Au Pair: What do you pay? (Survey)

by cv harquail February 5, 2016
au pair, driving problems, liscence

Please join us in finding the best deals by adding your car insurance info to our Google Spreadsheet at this link: Au Pair Mom Car Insurance Survey  . 

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Partnership Advice for Au Pair Host Parents

by cv harquail February 4, 2016
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After our previous post, I went back to an old, old post to clip and repeat these key bits of advice for Host Parent Partners: Host Parent Partners need to confirm, explicitly, how they will work as partners as well as individuals to manage their Au Pair relationship.   Nothing about how having an au pair (or […]

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Transforming a Terrible Driver into a Safe Driver: Au Pair Success Stories?

by cv harquail February 3, 2016
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Usually when a Host Family gets a new Au Pair and discovers that the Au Pair can’t actually drive well or safely, we all say “Rematch”.   It’s just too darn hard to orient an Au Pair, teach the Au Pair to drive yourself, find the extra money for significant driving lessons, and/or deal with the […]

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Untangling and Saying Goodbye to Long-Term Au Pair

by cv harquail February 2, 2016
jereme wong

Here’s a situation that’s a real outlier — this Host Family has had their same Au Pair for 8 years. First, as an Au Pair, then as a visiting (live in) student. Even though it’s an uncommon situation, I thought you readers might enjoy the whole story and have ideas to share. Now it’s time […]

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When Having An Au Pair Exposes Cracks in Your Marriage

by cv harquail January 30, 2016
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Getting an Au Pair can expose cracks in your marriage that you haven’t seen before. Getting an Au Pair can also force you to pay attention to dynamics that have been there all along but that you and your spouse have “successfully” avoided before. It’s not the Au Pair herself or himself that “causes” the […]

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Can You Recommend Trustworthy Agencies for US Au Pairs Going Abroad?

by cv harquail January 27, 2016
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Any reader of this blog knows — an Au Pair Agency becomes an important support for a young person coming to the USA. The Agency screens Host Parents, manages all the Au Pair’s training and travel, and is the first place to turn in any kind of relationship, health, or other emergency. What happens, though, […]

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Single Host Mom with UnAppreciative Au Pair: Can This Relationship Be Saved?

by cv harquail January 23, 2016
au pair problems, au pair depressed

Dear Au Pair Mom Readers — I don’t know why I thought I was ready for this!! Friends of my parents have had wonderful experiences with their au pairs and I thought hosting an au pair would allow for my daughter to be at home another year while I returned to school. First, the positive: […]

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Au Pair with Broken Ankle: Battling the Au Pair Agency AND the Insurance Company

by cv harquail January 22, 2016
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A Host Mom needs advice on how to advocate for an Au Pair who needs surgery.  We are a host family to our second au pair midway through her first year. Our current Au Pair is impressively independent and strong. She’s had a run of bad luck since arriving in the US culminating in her […]

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Saying No to an Au Pair Candidate: Ideas for Kind Email?

by cv harquail January 21, 2016
choosing an au pair

MassHM wants your text. Would anyone like to share their “no-go” email? I hate this part and need to have an easier way to get through it. I don’t want to say “You’re not the right au pair for us” or even “No, thank you” in a way that hurts a candidate’s feelings. I’ve found […]

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