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Au-Pairs are usually young girls in their 20’s. Most of these girls come to the U. S. from another country with the intention of working here for one year. Although you will have communicated with her before her arrival, your first actual meeting will be when she arrives. As the owner of a Nanny Service, I have spoken with many mothers who complain that instead of getting help they feel as if they have gotten another child. Some au pairs are mature and are prepared to do what is asked of them. Others lack the expected level of maturity and are not prepared to perform the work that was expected of then. It is not unusual for them to focus on exploring their new surroundings and making friends with other girls their own age. You might decide to consider hiring an au pair in lieu of day care centers, nannies, or babysitters if you: Would like to open your family to a new culture. Are keen on providing a different cultural experience to a young foreign woman. Are prepared to house and feed a live-in child care provider. Are willing to follow the rules set forth by the U.S, Information Agency regarding au pair employment. Require child care no more than 10 hours each day and no more than 45 hours in one week. Are prepared to compensate the au pair based on the Fair Labor Standards Act as interpreted and implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor. Can host an au pair for 12 months with the possibility of six, nine or twelve month extensions. You need to be lucky and get the right sort of girl who will fit in well with your family and have the maturity to realize what is expected of her. Many people are reluctant to admit that the girl which they had arranged to come and work for them is not the person which they had hoped for. The au pair programs, which arrange the match with the host family, are very strict about how many hours, and which duties can be asked of the au pair. As the owner of nanny services I often get calls from girls who have left their host family. The reasons vary from realizing they are being paid a fraction of what local nannies receive or just disliking their charges or the family. It is very upsetting for a family to lose their au pair because the cost of making this arrangement with an au pair agency abroad usually amounts to thousands of dollars. It is my personal opinion that you are better off getting a nanny who you can first interview in person. If indeed, you have made a mistake in your choice, you would not be as reluctant to let her go as you would be if you had arranged for her to come from another country. Another consideration involved when you import someone is the matter of how to keep her entertained during her free time. You must arrange sightseeing trips for her and find people her age for her to befriend. In addition, it is your responsibility to see that she behaves properly while she is living under your roof. The positive aspect of hiring an au pair is having a person from a different culture, who speaks a different language and brings an interesting and enriching environment into your home. If you do hire an au pair it is important to establish various guidelines when she first begins working for you. You must decide to what extent you treat her as a member of your family and to what extent as your employee. It is important to establish a good balance early on. Once she has been working for you a while it becomes more difficult to make changes. So, hiring an au pair is not for everyone but as long as you are cautious and aware of the pitfalls it may prove to be a positive and rewarding experience. Eva is a research writer, contributor and founder with Euro Domestics. Euro Domestics is a domestic staffing services providing solutions for all household needs, right from child-care to cleaning and helping family members who may have special needs.
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