Comparing Agencies: Policies & Experiences
Our community here at AuPairMom is all about helping each other create strong and positive relationships between host families and au pairs.
Evaluating Au Pair Agencies and Websites isn’t our gig. However, since many host parents have direct experience with different agencies, and because some of the Agencies’ policies have subtle differences that become important (in times like rematches, for example), we are going to experiment with some pages where host parents can share their experiences with agencies.
There are two pages right now:
Rematch Policies and Procedures
Refunds from Agencies: Examples
Please let us know if there are other pages you’d like to start… send an email to mom@aupairmom.com. thanks!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I can suddenly think of two:
1. applicant processes (timing of health and criminal background check; fees; interviews; language skills evaluations; etc)
2. Rules for qualifying as a host family (is there an age-out for your children’s ages; number of children-to-AP ratio; etc).
I’d like to start one on how to start the search of an agency. What to look for? How to select them? What to watch out for?
When you are new to this…it is an overwhelming process
Thanks,
One way to focus this conversation might be to look at the three older posts that address this question head on. Then, see which questions still remain, or which advice you haven’t shared.
Choosing an Au Pair Agency: Two Questions that might make a difference
How Much Does the Au Pair Agency You Choose Really Matter?
Reading the Fine Print: How do Au Pair Agency contracts differ?
I made a spreadsheet comparing several different au pair agencies as I did some research. You can view it here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NGAgI7OGB6L1bR2ndqjRaRaPKVYtc7uULs15ZfulhYI/edit#gid=0