How to Help Your Au Pair Appreciate the “Au Pair Car”

by cv harquail January 20, 2017
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We all want to be generous, and we all want to be appreciated. And, there’s nothing like having a third car for your au pair to use to make you aware of the tension that can exist when you want to be generous and want to be appreciated. When we bought our first Volvo wagon […]

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Au Pairs, Don’t Even THINK About Driving For Uber

by cv harquail January 18, 2017
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When I saw the first mention of this in the comments several weeks ago, I was surprised. Au Pairs driving the Host Family car as a second job? What Au Pair would even presume s/he could use the Host Parents car to drive on off-duty hours to earn some extra money? With the Host Parents’ car?  […]

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Choosing an Au Pair from Her Video: An example for your feedback

by cv harquail January 14, 2017

A prospective Au Pair from South America emailed last week– she has applied to be an Au Pair with Cultural Care, but hasn’t found a family.   She’s wondering — is there anything about her video that might be turning families off? Is there anything she could do to improve her video? I don’t want to […]

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How to Make the Most of the #WomensMarch on Washington or Anywhere: Tips from Feminist Activists

by cv harquail January 13, 2017

In a rare bit of cross-posting, I want to share with you something I wrote for my consulting blog at FeministsAtWork.  I know that not everyone in the AuPairMom community is interested in progressive US politics, so for some of you this post won’t feel personally relevant.  However, since all of us stand to benefit […]

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Finding an Au Pair: Too Much Detail in Our Host Family Letter?

by cv harquail January 3, 2017
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When it comes to writing the materials you use to find and match with an Au Pair, I’m all for being comprehensive. I’d much rather lay it all out for a candidate (and for myself) so that s/he can make an informed choice about whether or not to pursue an interview with us. I’d prefer […]

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Can Foster Parents Host Au Pairs?

by cv harquail December 31, 2016
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Over the transom comes a very rare email — one with a question we’ve never addressed before!  Good way to start things up again, methinks. A Foster Mom writes: I was recently told by an agency that they are unable to work with our family because we are foster parents. We feel discriminated against. Is […]

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Intervene, or Not? Our Rematched Au Pair is Misrepresenting Herself to Potential Host Parents

by cv harquail December 13, 2016
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We always, always recommend that Host Parents get current references when they consider rematch candidates.  This Host Mom’s situation explains why. Dear Au Pair Mom —  I’ve trying to figure out whether, and how, to interfere in a situation that I’m sure will become a problem. Our first Au Pair was a epic fail.   […]

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Au Pair Scam: Latest Example

by cv harquail December 13, 2016

Hi Folks– Ever wonder what “Au Pair Scams” look like?  We remind Au Pair candidates to never, ever send anyone money to secure their place as an Au Pair, after only exchanging emails.   While many international recruiters/ au pair agencies will place ads and send emails to find potential au pair candidates, NO REPUTABLE […]

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I Want To Marry Your Au Pair. Do You Mind?

by cv harquail November 29, 2016
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I love, love, love romantic stories. Especially when I have some inside scoop. Though I have no idea who the fellow is who emailed with this question, I’m only posting it on the condition that we get THE REST OF THE STORY and at least a photo of the happy couple. But first, Romeo needs […]

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Our New Au Pair is Too Quiet: She Hardly Says A Word

by cv harquail November 28, 2016
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We’re enjoying a visit from one of our former Au Pairs, and a friend of hers.  Although both of them speak English well, I’m aware once again of how challenging it can be to interact across language differences, as well as cultural differences, and even family norms. With communication challenges, I always prefer it when […]

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