Yearly Archives: 2014

Handling Expenses

Miscellaneous Expenses

There are different ways to handle the little day to day expenses that come up.  Things like when an au pair takes the kids out for ice cream or picks up a gallon of milk.  Some families keep a cookie jar fund, a little cash that they set aside weekly or monthly for this kind of expenses.  Here are some suggestions for avoiding problems with expenses.

Host Families

  • It’s important to be clear about how long this money should last and what types of expenses are approved.
  • Let the au pair know whether or not you expect receipts.

Au Pairs

  • Only spend the money on approved expenses.
  • If it is something you are not sure about, ask first.
  • Put your receipts in the cookie jar in place of the money to avoid any confusion.

Gas and Fare Cards

Host families are responsible for the au pair’s transportation costs:

  • to and from classes and cluster meetings
  • driving the kids

It is a good idea to figure out how much gas an au pair will use for these trips and either put gas in the car or give a gas allowance.   If your au pair is riding to classes or cluster meetings with another au pair, you should offer to share the cost of gas.

Au pairs are responsible for their own transportation at all other times.  You should replace the amount of gas used for personal use.

Photo: Andrea Travillian

Au Pairs vote Au Pair in America as #1!!

The website Au Pair Confessions conducted an au pair agency survey in March 2014…


Au Pair in America is #1!!!!!!

From http://www.aupairconfessions.net/agency-reviews/:

Agency Reviews

Here are the results of our agency survey in March 2014:

1,020 Au Pairs participated and ranked their agencies in four categories from 1 (worst) to 5 (best). The results below present the average ranking in each section.

The majority of Au Pairs, 39 percent, was with Cultural Care, followed by Au Pair in America (APIA) with 29 percent and Au Pair Care with 28 percent.

Only one percent each of the participating Au Pairs were with Interexchange or Expert Au Pair. Two percent were with Euraupair. Please take the low percentage of rankings for these agencies into account, which influences the accuracy of ratings!

#1 EvelynGiggles

Au Pair In America

APIA is the winner of our survey with the best ratings in every category. Most Au Pairs were very satisfied with their local coordinators and the information provided by the agency about the program. The majority of Au Pairs with APIA gave an overall rating of four to five.

  • Cost Ø 3.36‌ ‍
  • ‏Provided Information: Ø 4.32
  • Local Coordinator: Ø 3.64
  • Overall: Ø 4.17

“As soon as I signed up I got a good support from the agency and i got a lot of good and helpful information during the match period. My community counselor is great, she gives me good advises and supports us all in hard times. Without her I couldn’t have made it! ”

“I had a problem and they were very good to me.”

“They were really super professional and helpful. They make sure all references are checked and all childcare hours are actually real. The price was about the same as Au Pair Care, but APIA seems to have a worse insurance so you’d have to buy the extra one to get the same coverage. APIA also only pays the flight back home from NYC so you will have to pay for your ticket to get there. APIA is the only one of the three big agencies that keeps the pictures and videos and applications private.”

“I was never disappointed! Everything worked out for me! If I have to choose again I would always pick Au Pair in America.”

Cultural Care

Cultural Care was the agency with the most diverse ratings. Even though the majority was satisfied with the program information the agency provided, most Au Pairs agreed that the program cost was too expensive compared to other agencies. The ratings for LCC and overall satisfaction didn’t draw a clear tendency; ratings from one to five were equally distributed.

  • Cost Ø 2.45   ‌ ‍
  • Provided Information: Ø 3.79
  • Local Coordinator: Ø 3.18
  • Overall: Ø 3.08

“A lot of extra fees. Communication only worked well if it was in the agency’s favor. They also could have been more honest about the Au Pair workday, it’s a job not a dream come true like pretended before.”

“I had a great year with no problems. Therefore, there was little I had to do with my LCC. She was great all the times I saw her, but that was only 12 times in 1 year.”

“Cultural care is not flawless, but I guess, the best. But therefore the most expensive one.”

“I stayed 2 years with Cultural Care. My first year was great with a really supportive LCC. My extension year was super terrible! Really bad LCC with no support at all from the agency.”

“The matching process sucks and if they don’t feel like working, they just don’t do anything. That ruined the Au Pair experience for a lot of girls, because they had to go home earlier.”

Au Pair Care

Even though Au Pair Care’s local coordinators were rated the lowest of all other agencies, the overall rating for this agency turned out to be better than Cultural Care’s. Au Pairs rated the agency as informative and the cost as pricey but not too expensive.

  • Cost Ø 3.33
  • Provided Information: Ø 4.09
  • Local Coordinator: Ø 3.06
  • Overall: Ø 3.57

“AuPairCare has been a good agency. A little costly at times when it cost around $300 for the extension application. However overall I would recommend the agency to others as the area directors are knowledgeable, and really do care. I have been an Au pair for almost 2 years now with 2 different families and it has been a wonderful and life changing experience.”

“The person that helped me in my home country was brilliant! My LCC here is absolutely useless and our monthly meetings are an hour drive away. And every month it’s the same thing: Coffee.”

“I was super happy and lucky.This agency was awesome and especially the LCC in my area.”

In one year, I only saw my LCC once. She never went back to my place to follow up. The health insurance is a joke and I’m glad I did not get seriously hurt there, otherwise I’d be either dead or sinking in hospitals bills. Even though they make us take many tests and get many medical documents, to check on our health, they feel like it’s not important to have the same documents from the hostfamilies.”

Expert Au Pair

Accurate tendencies are not available due to the lack of ratings. The average numbers below are based on just a small amount of ratings!

  • Cost Ø 4.00
  • Provided Information: Ø 3.37
  • Local Coordinator: Ø 3.12
  • Overall: Ø 3.75

“They are super fast in processing everything and if you write them an email they are responding always really quick! I couldn’t imagine a better agency for me. It’s all very personal and I actually feel like they care for their Au Pairs. They are also a lot cheaper than Cultural Care, which I was with first.”

“Expertaupair is a small agency compared to most others, but it’s not a bad thing. My LCC was carrying and actually tried to be helpful, but often didn’t know how. That’s how the whole agency is: Carrying, but sometimes a little unorganized. Big minus: If it’s not working out with your hostfamily, there are not many families for a rematch.”

Interexchange

Accurate tendencies are not available due to the lack of ratings. The average numbers below are based on just a small amount of ratings!

  • Cost Ø 3.12
  • Provided Information: Ø 4.12
  • Local Coordinator: Ø 3.87
  • Overall: Ø 4.00

Euraupair

Accurate tendencies are not available due to the lack of ratings. The average numbers below are based on just a small amount of ratings!

  • Cost Ø 3.09
  • Provided Information: Ø 9.92
  • Local Coordinator: Ø 3.42

Photo: EvelynGiggles (Flickr)

2014 Au Pair in America DC Regional Cultural Fair

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Au Pair in America is hosting a DC Regional Cultural Fair

Au pairs representing over 35 different countries will provide: children’s activities, performances, visual displays, face painting and a cultural parade. This event is open to the public. Anyone interested in learning about other cultures and the Au Pair in America program are invited.

SBW03BruceDouglas

Saturday, April 5, 2014
1:00-3:00 PM
Spanish Ballroom
Glen Echo Park
7300 MacArthur Boulevard
Glen Echo, Maryland 20812


Check out this video from our last Regional Cultural Fair:

For more information, please contact Diane Wallace at dwaupair@gmail.com or Gwen Remy at gwen.aupair@gmail.com

February 2: Super Bowl Sunday

http://www.crazywebsite.com/Website-Clipart-Pictures-Videos/Sports/Superbowl_Football_Banner-1EXLG.jpg

Super Bowl Sunday is an American tradition and a super doze of the American culture for any visitor to this country.

Every year there is a lot of hype leading up to the game and the day itself brings parties, barbecues, funny TV commercials and the half time show.  The game is the most watched television program of the year.  Although it is not a national American holiday there is a “holiday” type atmosphere across the country on Super Bowl Sunday.   Families and friends gather together, consume a lot of food and enjoy watching the game on tv, in sports bars or other public venues.  Most au pairs will be experiencing it for the first time this weekend.  Here are some fun facts about this Super Bowl:

  • Kickoff is scheduled for 6:25 Eastern Time  on Feb. 2 from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey
  • Average list price for a ticket is $3,449 ~ much more cost effective to watch at home!
  • Typically people eat buffet style on Super Bowl Sunday and enjoy such snacks as pizza, buffalo wings, chili, potato chips and dips
  • The Broncos’ seventh Super Bowl appearance ties the New England Patriots for third most all-time (the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers have the most at 8). A loss would be record fifth for the Broncos.
  • The Seahawks are making their second Super Bowl appearance. They lost Super Bowl XL after the 2005 season to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Many Seahawks fans still think the refs gifted the game to the Steelers.
  • Stores are usually extremely quiet during the game and water usage across the country increases at half time when fans head to the restroom!
  • The George Washington Bridge in New York is lit up in both team colors
  • Players on the winning team earn $92,000. The losers make do with $46,000.
  • One 30 second commercial cost between over 3 million dollars
  • Bruno Mars is the featured artist for the halftime show. He has sold 10 million records in just three years and he had the two biggest hits of 2011 as both “Just The Way You Are” and “Grenade” were the only singles of the year with more than 10 million digital downloads. He was nominated for four Grammy Awards this year and picked up one trophy for Best Pop Vocal Album.
  • Betting is one of the engines that makes the NFL go, and the Super Bowl is the most bet on sporting event annually in Nevada. Last year, a record $99 million was bet legally. Of course millions more are bet illegally.

ABC’s of Winter Fun

A is for Art – try drawing, painting or gluing
B is for Baking – bake a dessert together for dinner
C is for Clay – Use non-hardening clay or play dough to shape and mold
D is for Dance – put on a lively tape
E is for Exercise – be sure to get some everyday
F is for Friends – invite some over
G is for Greenhouse – find a local greenhouse to visit to enjoy the sights and smells
H is for House – make a playhouse from a large appliance box
I is for Ice skating – take the children to a local rink
J is for Jigsaw puzzle – be sure to pick one that isn’t too difficult
K is for Kitchen science – try a safe experiment
L is for Library – borrow some new books
M is for Movie – make one with a video camera, or watch one
N is for Necklace – make one out of cereal or macaroni
O is for Origami – learn to make simple paper creations
P is for Puppets – socks make easy and fun puppets – put on a show!
Q is for Quiet Time – everyone needs some of this
R is for Reading aloud – choose a good book and a comfortable place to sit
S is for Seeds and Suet – put out food for the birds and watch them eat
T is for Tent – make one from old blankets and chairs
U is for Unplugged – do a day with no TV
V is for Variety – try something new everyday
W is for Walk – take one in any weather (be sure to dress appropriately)
X is for Xylophone – make your own with glasses, water and a metal spoon
Y is for Year – make a calendar or scrapbook to remember the year
Z is for Zoo – visit the animals