au pair

Advice: Increase your Au Pair’s gas allowance

by cv harquail June 12, 2008

The price of gas has gone up by more that $1 in the last year. That price increase hurts everyone, and it especially pains an Au Pair, since it eats up more of her already modest weekly pocket money. It has gotten much more expensive for your Au Pair to use the car for her […]

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The “Before You Leave Home” E-mail

by cv harquail June 12, 2008
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If I were an Au Pair, I think I’d be more excited (and perhaps less worried) about leaving home for a year if I knew that my host family was excited to be welcoming me into their home. But, how would I know? I haven’t talked to them since we matched! That’s why, around 4 […]

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Your Au Pair’s Room: Advice

by cv harquail June 3, 2008

Picture yourself in this room. Imagine that you’ve just spent 8 hours with energetic kids, talking in your second language, driving on unfamiliar streets on the wrong side of the road. Wouldn’t it be lovely if you could walk upstairs, open the door, and step into a room like this? It doesn’t have to be […]

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Phases of the AP Year

by cv harquail June 2, 2008
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To everything, there is a season.…. this was true of your relationships with your college boyfriends, and it’s true of your relationships with APs. Every AP relationship follows a predictable pattern– the anxiety of selection, the celebration of finding someone, the anticipation of her arrival, the chaos of orientation, the ease of the cruising time, […]

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Our Home: Guidelines

by cv harquail May 15, 2008

Principle: Our home is for you to enjoy as a member of the family, and we expect that you will treat it with respect and consideration. You should clean up after yourself (put your dishes and clothes away) and do your own laundry, but we do not expect you to clean the whole house or […]

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Caring for the Children: Guidelines

by cv harquail May 15, 2008

Principle: We want you to help Child1 and Child2 grow into curious, happy, and friendly little children When on duty, your first priority should always be engaging with the children, facilitating and supporting their activities. Always be just a little bit early to pick up Child1 and Child2 at school. They get very nervous when […]

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Safety: Guidelines

by cv harquail May 15, 2008

First and foremost, your job is to make sure that you, Child1 and Child2 are safe. Never hit or shake the children. If long bouts of bad behavior ever frustrate you, it’s okay to tell the child to take a time out, have them sit in a safe place and take time to regain your […]

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AuPair Guidelines

by cv harquail May 14, 2008

Here is a sample of what you might use as “Au Pair Guidelines” Feel free to cut & paste, add, revise, whatever, to make these guidelines fit with your family practices and priorities. If you come up with some good guidelines, please add them to the Comments section! (Note: It is easy to personalize these […]

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