{"id":1149,"date":"2012-02-03T14:40:47","date_gmt":"2012-02-03T19:40:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dca\/2012\/02\/03\/switching-to-aupair-wall-street-journal-blog-about-au-pair-in-america\/"},"modified":"2012-02-03T14:40:47","modified_gmt":"2012-02-03T19:40:47","slug":"switching-to-aupair-wall-street-journal-blog-about-au-pair-in-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/dca\/2012\/02\/03\/switching-to-aupair-wall-street-journal-blog-about-au-pair-in-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Switching to aupair – Wall Street Journal Blog about Au pair in America"},"content":{"rendered":"

By John J. Edwards III<\/h3>\n
\n
\"\" <\/p>\n
Everett Collection<\/dd>\n
Will she be as good as Mary Poppins?<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

My wife and I have made a momentous child-care decision: We\u2019re switching from a full-time babysitter to an au pair.<\/p>\n

In the au pair program, young women age 18 to 26 come to the U.S. to spend a year or more living with an American family and providing child care, in exchange for a modest stipend and some tuition help. Our interest in the program doesn\u2019t stem from any deficiency in our kids\u2019 current care: We\u2019ve had the same babysitter for almost nine years, since our 10-year-old daughter was 1\u00bd (and our 7-year-old son\u2019s whole life), and she\u2019s been wonderful with them and unfailingly reliable.<\/p>\n

But an au pair costs less\u2014a lot less. Even after spending some money on renovations to create a bedroom for our new guest\/employee, we\u2019ll save many thousands of dollars a year.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, we\u2019re excited about our kids having a caregiver who\u2019s more hands-on and energetic than their current one, who\u2019s in vibrant health but is a rather reserved woman in her late 50s. When they go to the pool on summer afternoons, for example, the au pair might actually get in and splash around with them. And, of course, having a houseguest from a foreign land should be a great cultural experience for the whole family.<\/p>\n

So, we sat down with the current sitter last week and explained our plan, making sure to emphasize that we\u2019ll actively help her find a new position in the next few months and will make sure to keep her a part of the kids\u2019 lives. She took it well\u2014that reserved personality helps in avoiding big emotional scenes.<\/p>\n

After she left for the night, we told the kids. They both cried at first\u2014the older one quietly, the younger one wailing for a bit\u2014but they both came around as we started looking at potential au pairs\u2019 videos on the service\u2019s website (http:\/\/www.aupairinamerica.com\/<\/a>). We\u2019ve already found a few who look appealing, and we\u2019ll be starting the evaluation and interview process soon with an eye toward having someone arrive in May.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll do the interviews via Skype, first the two of us, then with the kids if we might be interested in moving forward. When we eventually decide to \u201cmatch\u201d with an au pair (and she with us), we won\u2019t meet her in person until she arrives in the States, but we\u2019re confident we\u2019ll know her well enough from the conversations and the copious supporting materials.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re a little nervous about the unknowns of sharing our far-from-huge house with someone, but the placement of her room should afford plenty of nighttime privacy for her and for us. And the advantages in schedule flexibility and cost savings will go a long way in helping us get comfortable with the idea.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll check in with posts from time to time about our progress through the experience. For now, readers, do any of you have au pair experiences to share, either your own or from friends? Would you consider an au pair for your own child care?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By John J. Edwards III Everett Collection Will she be as good as Mary Poppins? My wife and I have made a momentous child-care decision: We\u2019re switching from a full-time babysitter to an au pair. 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