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

by cv harquail March 13, 2012
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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 […]

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Can we bring a PreMatch Au Pair to the US without an agency?

by cv harquail March 7, 2012
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Dear AuPairMom- We are on a 4 month sabbatical in Cape Town, SA and we have a great local nanny here. We’d like to bring her back with us to our home in Brooklyn, NY in April. Can this be done? Can we avoid the agencies/sponsors? Dear CapeTownHostMom- Yes, you can bring a caregiver from […]

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Would you Pre-Match with your Au Pair’s Sister?

by cv harquail March 6, 2012
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Dear Au Pair Mom – We have just extended with a great au pair. It was hard for us to find someone from my own home country so that my 2 children could be exposed to the the language and culture. We were lucky enough to have found someone who is responsible and caring. She […]

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Vacationing at DisneyWorld with your Au Pair in Tow: What’s worked for you?

by cv harquail March 5, 2012
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I have a confession to make. My kids are 11 and 13, and I have never taken them to DisneyWhere. I probably never will. I know, it doesn’t count that I *have* taken them to see WIcked on Broadway– I’m still a bad mom. Worse, I don’t know much about the excitements and demands of […]

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First Time Host Mom Asks: Extension Au Pair or Brand New One? (Poll)

by cv harquail March 4, 2012
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Can you remember back to when you were a first time host parent, still trying to figure out how you could make this au pair thing work for you? We have a family friend, MD, who’s wading into this for the first time, and she asked me to ask you: If you were a First […]

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Choosing An Au Pair For Teenage Host Children

by cv harquail March 1, 2012
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Host parents have been wondering about continuing with Au Pair caregivers as their children become teenagers.   While we discussed this question a while ago,  the children of many of the regular and newer members of the community have gotten older, and so the topic is newly hot. [See the earlier posts: Beyond the Chauffeur: Benefits of […]

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Who Pays For the Au Pair’s Car Insurance?

by cv harquail February 24, 2012
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You do. Car insurance is one of the many ‘other’ costs that host parents incur when they have an au pair. Host parents who need the au pair to drive a car as part of his or her work duties obviously pay for the car insurance, just as they pay for the gas and for […]

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Au Pairing in an UnHappy Home

by cv harquail February 23, 2012
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Several times a year we get an email from an au pair who is trapped in an unhappy host family home. The family might be recovering from some tragedy– the loss of a parent, a scary illness, money problems. The parents might be estranged or divorcing, or there might be issues with alcohol abuse and […]

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Do Host Parents need to buy Workers Compensation Insurance?

by cv harquail February 22, 2012
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While we’re on the topic of insurance, MinneMom emiled with a question I’d never considered — Do you have a separate Workers’ Comp Insurance policy for your au pair? In the deep dark recesses of my failing memory, I think I discussed insurance with my DH when we were early into the au pair world. […]

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When Your Former Au Pair Comes Back to Visit

by cv harquail February 21, 2012
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It can be kindof amazing when a former au pair comes back to visit.  You remember her when, and she remembers you, and now everyone has grown and changed (usually for the better!). Depending on how things were when your au pair departed, and where you are as a family and as a parent, your […]

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