1. Child Care Options: Au Pair
Roberta Roberts

2. What is an Au Pair? “Au pair” means equal (on par).
The Au pair lives with you as part of the family
Include them in family outings, holidays and events
Au pairs are exchange visitors from overseas who travel to the US on a 12 month J-1 Visitor Exchange Visa with option to extend up to 12 additional months
This is a cultural exchange to gain a better understanding and appreciation of American culture while living with an American family and caring for their young children.

3. Cost & Hours Average cost for 45 hrs / week care is 325-365 per week
For 1 or more children
Cost & Hours
Costs:
Application fee ($0-$350)
Program Fee ($ ) depending on agency & experience level
The minimum weekly stipend is $ per week
Based on federal minimum wage less an allowance for room and board.
Host families pay up to $500 per candidate per year toward the cost of the au pair's required academic course work (at least 6 credit hours / yr)
Scheduling their classes at a local college can be a challenge
Hours
Au pairs may provide childcare and light childcare related housework for the host family for up to 45 hours per week and up to 10 hours per day.
Since the Au pair lives in your house, there is more schedule flexibility.
Expected to communicate a weekly schedule
Vacation & Days off
minimum of two weeks paid vacation for each 12 month exchange term
minimum 1.5 days off per week and one full weekend off per month.

4. Will an Au Pair work for you?
Interest in exploring each other’s culture
Patience with different styles / assumptions
Comfortable sharing your house & family life
Commitment to being host parent.
Sometimes they need a hug or shoulder to cry on
Sometimes they make mistakes
Value the flexibility of live-in child care
Most cost effective for 2+ kids
High up-front cost, low weekly
Willing to work through the tough times
Mis-communication / language barriers
Culture shock and home-sickness
Re-match is possible if it doesn’t work out

5. Our experience We have 3 children (8yr, 5yr & 2yr)
We need to juggle 2nd grade (out at 3pm), pre-school and toddler
I work at Intel (25min from home), my husband works in Portland (2 hr commute 2-3 days a week, working from home the rest)
We are on our 2nd Au pair
Our current au pair has been a much better match for the family based on personality & culture
Our cultural comfort zone
We lived in Costa Rica for 2 years and we relate well to a central / South American background. We enjoy practicing our spanish
We had much more culture shock & miscommunication with Thai background.
Older is not always wiser or more mature
25 year old was much more independent and less part of the family. More drama in her personal life.
19 year old is the kid’s big sister and blends very well. She’s got good common sense. We are definitely her host “parents”.

6. Au Pair Agencies There are many different agencies available
Look for one with good presence in your area
They can provide a critical support network for your au pair to socialize with other au pairs.
If you have a specific country / region interest, confirm if they have applicants from there.
References
Trade group: International Au Pair Association
United States    
Novato Au Pair Foundation      Stamford Au Pair in America     
Boulder Au Pair International (USA)      San Francisco AuPairCare Inc.  
NY City Au Pair USA/InterExchange      Murray goAUPAIR
San Anselmo CHI Au Pair USA     Cambridge Cultural Care Au Pair     
Laguna Beach EurAupair Intercultural Child Care Programs     

7. Application Process Host Family: Au Pair
US citizen / perm resident
Fluent English
Room & Board (private bedroom)
Host application with references & in-home consultation with agency
Describe your family, home and lifestyle
Identify what are your key criteria
Personal letter with photos
Au Pair
Candidates apply through a designated Au Pair agency in their country
Minimum requirements per US & agency
18-26 years old
Conversational English
Good health
High school graduate
Min 200 hrs child care experience
Background investigation
If accepted and matched with a US host family, agency provides au pair with the official documents to apply for a J-1 Visa at a US Embassy or Consulate in the au pair’s home country.
After reviewing many applications, you get down to 1-3 and have a phone interview with them.
It is very hard to judge personality / fit,
So you have to go with your instincts on limited data and then
work through the challenges.