Au Pair Education

Au Pair Education Options

Finding the right school for the right cost is confusing. Hopefully this page will help you sort through the information to make the right decisions for your education requirement.

First, it’s important to understand that your visa was processed with the understanding that you will complete the education requirement sited by the US government. Education can only be obtained through accredited schools and colleges. Au pairs are required to complete 6 credit units per year (approximately 72-80 hours) for Standard and Extraordinaire au pairs.  All au pairs have the same education requirement regardless of the company they work through as it is USA visa requirement. Your host family is required to cover up to $500. US dollars of your education expense which includes tuition, registration fees, books, materials, lab fees etc. Any fees beyond the $500 is solely the au pairs responsibility.

With that said, in Marin and Sonoma counties there are some low cost options for education. First our local colleges listed below are all accredited and offer a variety of class options. ANY CLASS YOU TAKE FROM THESE COLLEGES WILL COUNT TOWARD YOUR VISA REQUIREMENT REGARDLESS OF THE CREDITS/NON CREDITS/AUDIT OFFERED. College of Marin and Santa Rosa Junior College offer many English as a Second Language programs: IEP, ESL non credit, ESL for credit. In most cases, you do not need to live in Marin or Sonoma County to take their classes.

Community Education Classes:  I strongly encourage all au pairs who are not interested in English classes to take a COMMUNITY EDUCATION course offered through their county’s community college. These courses meet the visa requirement. The courses are offered to anyone who resides in the community, not just college students only. These are fun classes, minimal homework, minimal books required for example: volleyball class, computer classes, business development, art classes, dance classes, hiking, surfing etc. Both College of Marin, Santa Rosa Junior College, and San Francisco City College have a large selection of these courses. They are low cost and have start dates throughout the year, not necessarily when the college semester starts.

College of Marin  Intensive English Program (IEP): IEP is a fast paced immersion program for intermediate or Advanced English speakers. Students have the option of choosing how many hours per week they desire to study. Typically, au pairs take the 5 hour/week  option for non F-1 visa holders (Session A). The 5 hours per week option meets over an 8 week course of time resulting in 40 hours towards the au pair’s education requirement. The au pair can then opt for Session B that follows for an additional 5hours/week for 8 weeks for another 40 hours. The website has an error here-  Session A: 5hours/8weeks= 40 hours for $375.00 + Session B: 5 hours/8weeks= another 40 hours for an additional $375.00. Au Pairs are encouraged to pay twice- once for Session A and then again 8 weeks later for Session B. Otherwise the combined price if paid in one payment prior to starting classes is $775.00. The au pair will save $25.00 if paying for one at a time. Please follow the link in the right blog column to find placement test dates, course dates and registration information. This program is held at the Indian Valley Campus in Novato, CA.

Credit or Non Credit ESL Program:  Students have the option of taking classes for ‘non credit’  (or audit) to lower their costs considerably yet still get a certificate of completion. A non-credit class will not transfer to other colleges back home if you plan to continue your education once you have returned home. It will only provide the education and the completion requirement for your visa. Also, even though the course is ‘non credit’ or “no fee per credit”, there can be registration fees, student fees, book cost etc. College of Marin offers ESL as non credit/free classes only to beginner-low level intermediate English speakers. All other higher levels must enroll in ‘credit’ classes =$. To determine your eligibility you must take a placement exam. Many au pairs have ‘fudged’ their placement exam hoping to test lower than their true ability to get into the free class. However even after ‘fudging’ they still tested at a high level. Students must test below level 40 to qualify for the free classes. Otherwise, students with test scores above level 40 will automatically be placed in ESL for credit.

Sonoma State University

Extended Studies: Typically Sonoma State University has very expensive classes that far exceed $500. Sonoma State does offers Extended Study classes- which generally are additional classes for someone who has already completed a degree program. Anyone can take Extended Study classes. These classes are limited in scope and are specific to particular areas of study.

Free English/ESL classes: periodically (usually in the summer months) Sonoma State offers free ESL classes. Many of the Sonoma county au pairs register for this class.Follow the link in the right column to see when the next free class is offered.

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa Junior College is considered Sonoma County’s community college. It has a wide variety of community education classes offered throughout the year. Santa Rosa also offers English as a Second Language ESL. Follow the link in the right column. The link will take you to all course catalogue offerings that incluse- traditional academic classes, community education, short term classes, weekend workshops etc.

San Francisco City College

Another popular option is to commute a bit further into San Francisco and enroll in free non credit courses at San Francisco City College. Benefits for City College is low cost, diverse populations of students, many campuses to choose from, diverse courses to choose from, and taking classes in a progressive city environment. Drawbacks for taking classes in San Francisco- commuting to and from gets expensive, night classes may not be safe depending on campus location, parking fees/or bus fees, courses of interest not offered for non credit.

University of California at Los Angeles- Online Course for Au Pairs

This option for education is a UCLA and is designed specifically for au pairs, costs exactly $500. It  is offered online, and includes a community involvement component to have exposure to other students. Feedback from au pairs who have taken this course is positive for those in their second year and in need of an easy option for their second year education requirement. First year au pairs tend to have less interest in this online course as they would like to interact face to face with fellow students in a classroom and begin meeting friends in their area.

All these options have links located on the right side of column of the blog under Education Options. Feel free to explore the programs at your leisure. Post comments/ feedback on courses taken, correction of information, or questions below

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