Has anyone hired an au pair via an agency? We are considering Go Au Pair or Au Pair Care, but can't really find any reviews. Also, if you have hired an Au pair from another country, what was your experience like? Pros and cons?
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Wow, so cool... can't wait to hear how this goes for you guys!
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Thanks Mr. Bee! My mom's been a great help, but we need a bit more help so that my mom can continue with other daytime activity she enjoys too! I'll def let you know how it goes.
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Well I haven't hired one, but I've been one. I think they're great!
But seriously, they can be a great way to add another element to your kids education. Especially if they speak another language. Just having another outlook, way of thinking, maybe musical or artistic talent - it gives your child a whole new range of opportunity.
I do know lots of families who had amazing experiences with other Au Pairs.
One piece of advice - get one who has experience, not a first timer. You need someone who takes their job seriously, not someone who just wants to live in a cool country for awhile. -
@mh.albania - I'd love to hear more about your au pair experience, if you're up for sharing! Where did you au pair, and how long did you do it?
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Au pair, clearly i have no clue what that is. Googling that now.
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oh wow this is really interesting! hmmm.
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My neighbors have an au pair and she seems to have a nice life. Well, from what I can see of it. The kids are older and so during the day in the summer I saw her sunbathing next to the pool every day. Good for her!
I don't have any advice on this topic but would love to hear more, too.
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Since I posted this, we've decided to look for local help such as a nanny or babysitter. We weighed the pros and cons of having live-in help and with just one child now, we've decided that it wasn't the right fit for us. Plus, I wasn't able to find enough information about these agencies and a lot of the au pairs seemed young and/or in search of a cultural experience rather than a childcare job.
We did love that with an au pair, E could essentially learn another language, but the cons outweighed the pros.
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@MrBee - I was an au pair for two different familes, when I was in my late teens/early twenties.
One was in the states, infant and toddler. The parents hired me mostly just to give them spare time and to teach them vegetarian cooking for their children. While I still loved that position, I didn't feel like I could contribute as much to the kids at that age.
The second family was more interesting - this one was in the Balkans, with a 7th grader and kindergartner. I actually homeschooled the eldest one for a grade, in English, so he could enroll in an English speaking international school from 8th grade on up. I also taught English to the younger one, and they taught me a little Greek and we also spoke Albanian. It was a great experience on both sides.
I almost took a couple other positions in Turkey and in Ireland, but ended up getting engaged and moving back to the states.
I think having au pairs, especially frequently changing ones, gives your kids an opening to a whole new world. They get exposed to other languages, musical instruments, art forms, ways of thinking - and it gives the parent a window into the child's natural talents. Dabbling in lots of areas during the elementary years can find a streak of brilliance or love in the child for a certain language or instrument or art, and then you can provide lessons and more focused learning for them.
The one big drawback to having an au pair is that if you get a bad one, it will ruin the experience for your family and you may never get another. There are some out there who really don't care about providing something for the child, but are only interested in free travel or place to live. Check references carefully, and speak on the phone many times before you commit.
If anyone has other questions, feel free to ask!
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Thanks MH.Albania! That's hugely helpful...
If you ever have tips on how to interview au pair candidates, I'd be super interested in learning more about that!
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Yes, MH.Albania! I'm super curious as to how to check references too!
For us, we would have had to take the agency's word for the au pair's references and there was no means for us to check ourselves. We were hoping to find an au pair from China, but honestly, there is no way to check references on people in China. We do business and have many family friends from China and they agree that you can essentially create your own identity. So we were hesitant to sign on with one of these agencies and have to deal with a bad au pair or be re-matched if we were not happy with our au pair selection.
My mother also read that in Asia, many of these young girls who sign up for au pair programs are really looking for an inexpensive place to live while experiencing life in the U.S. and have little to no childcare experience. My mom also read that au pairs have to pay to apply as well, which is something the agencies are not transparent about.
In terms of cost, the fee for the au pair agency, flights, weekly wage, and education stipend, it seemed to be about the same as hiring a nanny.
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My biggest piece of advice on how to interview an au pair candidate is to do the interview on the phone, not over email. You can do the basics by email, to narrow the pool down, but when you get to the real questions use the phone.
It's much easier for you to read a candidate's real motives and personality on the phone. Also, they have no time to think, so you are more likely to get honest and real answers.Look for people who have lots of life experiences that they can share with your child - languages, instruments, arts, talent in a particular subject your child might struggle in so they can tutor, skills they can teach your child like swimming, typing, cooking... anything that they excel at and you'd like to see cultivated in your child.
There's a list of sample question to ask on your phone interview here- http://www.iic.cl/documentos/suggestions.pdf
Good luck!
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@MH.Albania: Did you work with an agency? From the au pair side, are there better and more reputable agencies?
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Thanks MH.Albania!
We're considering hiring an au pair, but we'd have to move into a larger place first... so, maybe when Charlie and Olive are older!
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i definitely want to have an au pair when both kids are in school. what a great experience for the kids, and affordable part-time childcare! i never would have considered it if you hadn't started this thread.
my friend's cousin has one for her 11 year old and 15 year old. it makes so much more sense than a nanny or babysitter at that age.
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Yes, it's sometimes hard to check references when they are international, but many times you can ask the au pair directly for contact information for previous families they've worked for, and then email or skype - even if it's the other side of the world. I'd also recommend checking your candidate's facebook page - good window into their real personality instead of the polished version the agency shows you. Good gauge.
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This is interesting, but what seems to be lacking (or maybe I didn't read carefully enough) is the actual childcare skills. How do you make sure you get someone who knows not to shake the baby? Is there a certificate or some kind of international standard?
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@MELADORIEM - I didn't work through an agency, I posted personal profiles on au pair websites and then had extensive interviews with families that contacted me.
Keep in mind, there are thousands of au pairs from Europe who speak their native language, and one extra (usually French, German, or Italian), and are in search for a family in America to share language with. They teach your child one or two languages, you help them with English. They work for very little.
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@the Bees - what do you want the au pair to do while your kids are in school? Cooking and cleaning?
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@Looch: Some agencies offer "infant certification" where the au pair needs to take a training course on things like CPR and not shaking a baby. Also, some agencies log the amount of experience an au pair may have with specific age groups... but again, I am wary of how honest and valid any of the information provided may be since ultimately the agencies want you to hire the au pair, so they'll paint a rosy picture. The two agencies I spoke with are super aggressive, which also made me question why they were pressuring me.
@Mrs. Bee: I agree... I think it may be better for when E is older and we have more kids because I am worried that if we get a bad au pair and E is mistreated, she has no way of communicating that with me, but with an older child, they'd be able to tell you.
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@Looch - Usually you can ask for the results of their childcare knowledge test (they can send you a copy), but rely more on previous experience and references than the test.
I must say though, au pairs are usually more useful for children that are 5+, because they have more to offer for that age.
Think of au pairs more as a cultural and educational experience plus the added bonus of childcare, rather than primarily for childcare. For regular babysitting, you can just get a babysitter who specifically is about care - not teaching. -
@MH.Albania: Thanks for all the resources! It's been so difficult to find objective information about hiring an au pair. You've definitely given me a lot to think about.
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For me, if we ever do an au pair, it would be largely about the convenience of having child care in the home. I plan to return to work eventually, and the kind of work I do is 50 hours a week at least, with some weekends and nights. I need to be able to get up and out the door, do a commute both ways and not have to worry about waking a baby up, giving him breakfast, getting changed, dealing with a poop explosion on the way out the door then traffic to a care center while watching the clock and stressing that I am going to miss the next train!
Ideally, we'd like someone that speaks German, so I really have no way to approach it, but luckily, I have some time, lol!
But seriously, they can be a great way to add another element to your kids education. Especially if they speak another language. Just having another outlook, way of thinking, maybe musical or artistic talent - it gives your child a whole new range of opportunity.Reply
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