Scheduling

Counting Au Pair Hours at the Gym, with Kids in Gym Childcare

by cv harquail March 28, 2018
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I’ve always thought it was a wonderful perk for an au pair, to have a gym membership and to be able to go during the day when she was normally on duty but was able to leave the kids at the gym’s childcare. Several of my own Au Pairs had this option — I was […]

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Keeping Au Pair To 45 Hours When Kids are Not In School : Ideas to Offset Time?

by cv harquail June 9, 2016
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I need suggestions on what I can do to off set my Au Pair’s hours! With the summer months upon us and the end of the school year, I am stressed out about how to off set my Au Pair’s hours so she does not exceed the 45 hours a week. Both my husband and […]

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How To Count Au Pair Vacation Days

by cv harquail December 6, 2015
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Please note: Check your Agency’s contract for their interpretation of vacation policies. These may vary from one Au Pair Agency to another. Here’s AuPairMom’s best shot at explaining the logic of vacation days… I’m being sensible, but not necessarily following the specifics of your Agency’s contract. There’s often confusion about how to count the number […]

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Scheduling Your Au Pair: The Minimum Length of a Work Shift

by cv harquail July 11, 2014
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The US State Department sets firm, legal parameters for scheduling an Au Pair.  But the US State Department rules, and the contractual stipulations of each Au Pair Agency, form only the required, minimum guidelines for scheduling an Au Pair. Within this rough outline, host parents and au pairs need to negotiate what is sensible, fair, effective […]

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Extreme Scheduling: Is it fair to an Au Pair?

by cv harquail June 27, 2014
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 Extreme Scheduling: When you use all your 45 ‘on duty’ hours in one fell swoop People actually do this. I’ve heard from au pairs who are scheduled for three days in a row when no parents are otherwise present, even at ‘off duty’ times (such as when a mom is a pilot and works in 3 […]

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The Au Pair Scheduling Constraint That Might Surprise You

by cv harquail June 26, 2014
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I’ve been surprised by some of the fine details in the rules and the principles that guide how we should schedule an au pair’s ‘on duty‘ hours.   For example, I was surprised to learn that some Au Pair Agencies require that an au pair’s day off and half-day off are contiguous (making it 36 […]

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Do You Have Regular Weekly Meetings With Your Au Pair?

by cv harquail January 5, 2014
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Some Host Parents swear by the Weekly Meeting as The. One. Thing. (along with the Handbook, of course) that keeps the relationship running smoothly. Weekly meetings have a lot to recommend them. Meetings that are: Regular Planned in advance Agenda driven Happen outside of the day to day rush or parent/au pair transition time — […]

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Personal Time: Do Host Parents take it personally when Au Pairs retreat to their rooms?

by cv harquail September 16, 2013
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It can be so easy to misinterpret behaviors — and to take offense where none is intended. Tone of voice, awkward choice of words, different cultural norms, and even the specifics of the ‘moment’ influence the meaning we extract from someone’s behavior. Wait, make that “the meaning we think we extract from someone’s behavior”. Even […]

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When your Au Pair schedules her vacation…when you need her to be working

by cv harquail July 14, 2012
Pile of suitcases from your au pair

The recommended approach to scheduling an au pair’s vacation time is rational and fair… at least in our eyes. We choose one week that we need her/him to take vacation (usually when we are traveling with kids and don’t need her, or when Grandma is visiting) and the we have her pick a week that […]

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Can you say “exploited” in French? Au Pair asks what to do

by cv harquail June 8, 2010
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Dear Au Pair Moms & Readers, I need serious advice and thought you would give me great advice as I love your blog! I’m 21 and am working in France as an Au Pair. I arrived last Wednesday (a week ago tomorrow) and have enjoyed it so far as I love the family and feel […]

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