Au Pair Pocket Money: Do you pay more than the required stipend? (Poll)

by cv harquail February 15, 2011
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[This post addresses customs and Au Pair regulations in the USA. It may or may not be relevant to host parents in other countries.] The amount of weekly pocket money (or stipend) that a host family is required to provide to an au pair is set by the Federal Government. Right now (as of Feb […]

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Host Parent Tip: Pay Your Au Pair On Time

by cv harquail February 13, 2011
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“Doing something” and “not doing something” do not always have opposite effects. When something that is supposed to be done is done correctly and in a timely way, no one even notices. When the very same thing isn’t done, or is done incorrectly, it shakes the very foundations of a relationship. Case in point: paying […]

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When Agencies Reward Au Pairs Who Lack Commitment

by cv harquail February 9, 2011
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Like most customers, I want to believe that the company selling me things has my best interest in mind. I should know better– after all, I’ve taught in business schools for over 15 years. But still, I hope that even when a company exists to make money  they believe that they also exist to serve […]

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Slim Pickings: Making the best of an ‘off season’ au pair search

by cv harquail February 4, 2011
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The pool of au pair candidates (and host families) is deeper at some times of year than at others.We host parents have a sense that Spring (end of school year) and Late Summer (just before start of school) have relatively deeper pool of candidates. And, many of us prefer these times to match with au […]

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Au Pairs and “Twins and a Toddler”

by cv harquail February 4, 2011
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Hello, HostDad in NJ here looking for some advice from the group– We’ve had an Au Pair since our daughter was 3 months old and have loved it. We are now in our 7th month with our second Au Pair who is an absolute rock star. Anyway, we are expecting twins (yeah!/OMG now what?) in […]

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Classic Case: Can you change a Princess?

by cv harquail February 2, 2011
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A Host Mom writes: Hello! I am writing because I have a bit of a princess situation on my hands — a princess situation with nuance. I am looking for advice on how to try to make this work. Our new AP, 19 years old, arrived about a month ago from a Western European country. […]

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Au Pair Community Resources: Calling all LCCs, Experts and Artists

by cv harquail January 30, 2011
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Several LCCs have emailed to ask if we could include their blogs in the list of LCC blogs on the sidebar. I’d like to be able to list any counselor, consultant, or expert who has something to offer to the AuPairMom community, and I’d like to upgrade this to a fuller and more organized presentation […]

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When Host Parents Disagree, once an Au Pair has let them down

by cv harquail January 29, 2011
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When there is more than one host parent in the household, it’s important for host parents to present a united front. Parents & Partners need to agree on household rules, behavioral expectations, and childcare preferences, and communicate in agreement to the au pair. When host parents disagree, it is impossible for an au pair to […]

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Candid, awkward issue: Choosing Au Pairs who are obese

by cv harquail January 26, 2011
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AuPairMom is a place where we host parents (and au pairs) can talk about issues that only other host parents and au pairs can understand. Often, these issues are tough ones that touch upon cultural differences, style differences, political differences, and deep personal preferences. Every now and then, we get a topic that we want […]

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If my au pair gets married, can she still au pair?

by cv harquail January 23, 2011
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What happens if your au pair decides to get married– not just engaged, but actually married — during her year with your family? We have our first au pair. She is from China and she has been with us since July. She met a man and is planning on getting married in a few days. […]

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