Ultimate List of Au Pair Interview Questions

Ultimate List of Au Pair Interview Questions

Hi, Abbie and Maddie here. Asking the right questions is crucial to making a great au pair match. There is a fine balance to strike. On one hand you need to learn about what it will be like for this person to live with you and care for your children. You also want...

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Host Parent Interview With Lisa Sanabria

Host Parent Interview With Lisa Sanabria

This blog post is part of the host parent interview series where we get to know other families who are hosting au pairs. Every family is different and we like to represent a variety of views. We’d love it if you’d consider being a guest on our blog. Message us on...

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Practical Guide to Au Pair Welcome Baskets

Practical Guide to Au Pair Welcome Baskets

Hi, Abbie and Maddie here. We’re all about keeping it real. Some people are super-artsy and create Pinterest- and Instagram-worthy au pair welcome baskets. (If you’re one of those people, more power to you!) For the rest of us, it’s possible to create a nice, simple...

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Au Pair and Host Family Taxes

Au Pair and Host Family Taxes

Taxes suck! They are complicated, time consuming, and financially draining. We know that you’d rather be off playing with your kids so we pulled together some tax basics to help get you pointed in the right direction.

This post was originally published March 8, 2019 and has been updated for 2020.

DISCLAIMER: Please consult your tax advisor or the IRS for definitive answers about your personal tax situation. General tax information provided in this article does not constitute tax advice.

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Help Your Extension Au Pair Renew Their J-1 Visa

Help Your Extension Au Pair Renew Their J-1 Visa

Update June 22, 2020: President Trump has issued an Executive Order barring approval of certain visa types, including J-1 visas. This order is effective until December 31, 2020. Au pairs currently in the U.S. are permitted to remain, and extend. New au pairs who have...

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Host Parent Interview With Jenny Coleman

Host Parent Interview With Jenny Coleman

This blog is part of the host parent interview series where we get to know other families who are hosting au pairs. Every family is different and we like to represent the variety of views. We’d love it if you’d consider being a guest on our blog. Message us on...

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Help Your Kids Transition Between Au Pairs

Help Your Kids Transition Between Au Pairs

Children in daycares and who have nannies also experience caregiver turnover, but it’s more ad hoc. At least with au pairs, it’s a planned (if inevitable) change. We’ve both had multiple au pairs–here are our best tips to help your kids transition between au pairs.

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Interview with host parent Carrie

Interview with host parent Carrie

We sat down with host parent Carrie M to find out more from other host parents like her what her experiences have been with her au pairs, her experiences with rematching, and her advice to other host families.

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I'm Giving My Au Pair a Raise

I'm Giving My Au Pair a Raise

The minimum au pair stipend has been $195.75 per week since 2009. But is that really fair? My husband and I have decided that our au pair deserves a raise.

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How to Pick an Au Pair Agency

How to Pick an Au Pair Agency

Should I pick an au pair agency based on cost? Availability of au pairs? Quality of service? These are our au pair agency recommendations.

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3 Tips for Controlling Au Pair Cell Phone Expenses

3 Tips for Controlling Au Pair Cell Phone Expenses

Because your au pair needs to call you in case of an emergency, you need to provide a cell phone and pay for a basic plan. But cell phones can be expensive. The cost of the phone, the accessories, and the usage plan really add up. There are a few ways to keep these costs in check. These are my tips for controlling cell phone expenses for your au pair.

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3 Back to School Tips To Do With Your Au Pair

3 Back to School Tips To Do With Your Au Pair

Hi, Abbie and Maddie both here this post! In the greater Seattle area, school doesn’t start until after Labor Day. But in many cities across the US school starts in the next week or two. The start of school means changes no matter when it happens. We’ve teamed up to...

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What Makes a Great Au Pair Host Family?

What Makes a Great Au Pair Host Family?

I often ask myself “what makes a great au pair host family? What would I want from a host family if the roles were reversed?” We also see this question pop up in au pair Facebook groups, so we know other host parents are interested, too.

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Two Fun Language Games for Kids

Two Fun Language Games for Kids

I am excited about having an au pair because my kids to be exposed to another language. I use the games Find the Word and Nursery Songs help teach my children French.

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Easter, Passover, and Spring Roundup

Easter, Passover, and Spring Roundup

We can’t believe it’s almost Easter already! This spring is just flying by.

In case you’re just as distracted as we are, here are some links and ways to share Easter or Passover or whatever spring celebration you have with your au pair.

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Let’s Talk About Rematch

Let’s Talk About Rematch

Hi! Maggie here.

Recently I had to rematch, which means that we cancelled our au pair’s contract before her year was up. Even though our au pair was a nice person and wonderful with the children (especially with the baby), she couldn’t be on time to save her life. Even after months of working with her, she continued to struggle with time management. We had to make a choice…to stay with her until the end of her 12 months, or to rematch.

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How much does an au pair cost?

How much does an au pair cost?

Allie here. When I first found out about au pairs, I thought that it would be really expensive. After all, the whole reason I had put my three pre-school boys in daycare in the first place was because I had a friend who was a nanny, and I knew how much she charged.

In this article, we’ll start with the general overall cost per year and month (the exact amount will depend on your agency, where you live, etc.), and then go into detail of all these sub-costs:
* Agency fees
* Au pair wages (stipend)
* Additional fees such as education
* Cost of doing business (insurance, phone plan, etc.)

On average, childcare using an au pair will cost about $19,000 per year, which breaks down to about $1,580 per month, or $360 per week (yearly cost divided by 52 weeks).

I budget about $1700-$1900 per month including a car payment for a third car and other random expenses.

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What is an au pair?

What is an au pair?

Abbie here. What is an au pair? Au pairs are like the best-kept childcare secret! I heard about au pairs from my friend Maddie. Maddie heard about au pairs from a friend of her mother-in-law’s at a party.

And even when Madddie got her au pair two years before me, I kept wondering how she could afford it. It seemed like something super fancy and out of my league, until I found out it was so much less expensive than daycare for our three boys. It took me a while to get used to the idea (and to finally clean out the spare room in our house), and now my husband and I wish we had used au pairs as our childcare sooner.

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