The education component of the Au Pair program is a requirement of the State Department of the United States. The State Department gives authorization for all Au Pair programs to exist.  When an Au Pair does not achieve her requirement, this puts all Au Pair agencies at risk. Completing your education hours is an important part of being an Au Pair and is required by your contract with Au Pair In America.  Taking a course will provide yet another level of experience during your year and yields many skills that you can use to further your personal goals. You may also make new friends and professional contacts! I hope you enjoy your educational courses. If you need assistance finding a course or have questions, please call or email your counselor.

Some Important Tips:

Any course can be taken as long as it is taught by an accredited USA college, university, or technical college. Only those schools approved by the State Department can be accepted. All of the schools listed on your Blog site are approved.  Please have your counselor approve any class before registering.

•  Your counselor can clarify any questions about a school.
• Volunteer hours do not count towards your educational credits unless it is part of a hybrid or in-person accredited college class.
• Weekend courses do count if the course is part of a college or university.  Some places offering weekend courses are not accredited. Ask your counselor before signing up.
• Classes should be in person. Permission for one online class can be given, if the schedule does not permit in-person classes, or the type of class you wish to take is not available or is not affordable.
• Only one online course per semester is allowed. If you submit two certificates with the same semester timeframe, only one class will be accepted.
• A great option for one online course accepted by the State Dept is the Au pair Advantage class offered by UCLA.
• A hybrid online class will be accepted IF there is also an in-person component to the course.
• All colleges, universities, and technical schools must be accredited and within the USA.
• 72-80 hours of education are required for standard au pairs.
• 144-160 hours for Educare au pairs.
• For second and third-year au pairs, 36-40 hours is required for a six-month extension and 72-80 hours for a nine or twelve-month extension.
•  Credits, hours, and CEUs are different. Count the hours you are in a classroom this must be 72 hours.
• At the end of your course, send your community counselor your documents showing the name of the school and the hours that you have achieved, along with the name of the class you took. This proof should also have your name.  Check your certificate. Some certificates do not show the number of hours. If the hours are not present on the certificate, you will need a letter from the school stating how many hours you have achieved.
• All education must be achieved 45 days before the end of your Au Pair term.
• Send all certificates or proof of your classes to your community counselor.
• If you plan to extend, your education needs to be finished four months before the end of your term.
• Host families reimburse tuition costs and costs of related materials (books and supplies) up to $500 for the first year. EduCare companions are reimbursed up to $1000 for the first year. If it will cost you more than $500 (or $1000 for EduCare) to meet the requirement, you must pay the additional expense, so plan carefully.
• Your host family is required to provide transportation, including gasoline, parking, or public transportation costs (if applicable) to and from classes in your community. The cost of transportation is in addition to the $500/$1000 allocated to tuition and related fees. It is your host family’s responsibility to provide transportation or cover the transportation costs until you complete your educational requirement, even if the $500 education allowance has already been spent.
• After you finish 72 hours of education class, your host family is no longer obligated to support your desire to continue to attend classes.
• Some locations will not be accessible to your host address. The host family must agree to the location of a class as some will be too far for the host car to be driven.
• Once you have met the 72-hour requirement for the State Department, your host family is not obligated to pay out any remaining education monies not spent.
• To extend your first Au Pair term, you will need to have proof of 72 hours. Send the documentation to your community counselor as soon as possible. You should plan to have your education requirement finished at the time you request an extension. This happens approximately four months before the end of your first term. Au pair In America requires 72 hours to be able to extend your au pair term. Without 72 hours completed 45 days before  the end of your term, Au Pair In America will not accept your application to extend and you must go home at the end of your first year.

If you want to extend and have not completed all of the hours, but you do intend to have them finished at least two months prior to the end of your first term, you will need to do the following:

1. Register for a class that will complete 72 hours of education at least two months before the end of your first term. All proof of education must be given to your counselor before your deadline to extend. As soon as your counselor can check off for the education requirement, your request to extend can be approved. Without the education requirement finished, you will not be able to start the interviewing process for your extension.  

2. Send documents showing proof of your registration to your community counselor as soon as possible.  This allows the office to submit your request to the State Department and upon approval, you can begin to interview with families.  You must have a match before your year ends. 

Your counselor is the best person to ask questions about your education requirement. Courses and colleges are constantly changing. Your counselor is always researching new and exciting courses that are appropriate for you.  If you are aware of a new resource, please let your counselor know!