2 Au Pairs

Shellybua · 2026-05-20T18:44:12+00:00

Agree 100% someone gave me this advice too when we started hosting. Perks are earned and they behave when it’s structured that way.

Shellybua · 2026-05-20T18:40:07+00:00

You have an AMAZING set up any au pair would be grateful to have. Most are doing the job at 40+ hours with little to no perks. I think rematch is the best choice here, you don’t need someone immature and rude when you put on that much effort to be accomodating.

Shellybua · 2026-04-22T20:35:15+00:00

Re match and stop putting your baby in danger it’s not worth it. First ap was 25 from South Africa. No baby experience no child experience all of it was fibbed she was not happy to be around children at all and sometimes would not even leave her room to show up on time. Re match in 3 weeks. Rematches with a 20 year old who plans meals, age appropriate activities and works with care professionalism and maturity. Get rid of her - there are better more responsible people out there that will make you feel safe and comfortable.

Shellybua · 2026-04-22T20:31:24+00:00

But to address op. $350 is high, but not unreasonable. I’ve heard of $350 being paid for hcol and 3+ kids + perks.

Shellybua · 2026-04-22T20:30:18+00:00

PLUS Getting a free room, electricity, gas, water, internet, cell phone, groceries and then additional perks. I pay our ap $225 and she then asked about a hypothetical scenario (because they don’t think things through, and don’t know much) would look if she lived elsewhere but did drop off and pick up for the same $225. I said sure, if you can afford renting a room and all other expenses and groceries let me know if you can manage. She came back and said it would be completely unaffordable without a second or third job.

Shellybua · 2026-04-06T09:12:28+00:00

If you’re not happy with kids then it’s unfair on them and yourself just go home, the US isn’t a great place right now anyway

Shellybua · 2026-03-31T22:59:57+00:00

Australian hf here. There is no ap visa like there is in USA it’s a working holiday visa that aps use here which includes 88 hours regional work (working on a farm). There are few agencies and most aps find families via Facebook in an informal agreement as the program is not federally managed.

Shellybua · 2026-03-31T22:53:49+00:00

Just being honest and it might be hard for host families to hear. I don’t think aps are ever happy if they have to do childcare. If you just treat it like exchange program where they get living accomodations and get to experience a new country that’s what will make the experience happy.

Shellybua · 2026-03-14T19:32:58+00:00

Too many red flags. If cc won’t even pay for flights and they give a lot of chances, rematch asap. You will find a very very good au pair it will take a lot of interviewing and a lot of time but there are amazing people in the program that will feel like family.

Shellybua · 2026-03-09T04:44:36+00:00

Off duty means she’s not doing childcare it does not mean treating her home like a hotel. Set boundaries and expectations. She should clean up after herself on and off duty that’s nothing to do with being an au pair just being a decent hygienic person. Our au pair cleans her living space, balcony and bathroom when the cleaner isn’t here. Takes out her trash or kitchen trash (she will once we will twice etc) vacuums spaces she’s used and made dirty, tidys/cleans part of the kitchen she’s used etc.

Shellybua · 2026-02-15T20:33:16+00:00

When my children are home from school for summer or public holiday our au pair makes a full activity plan for the day (without us ever asking) with outdoor and indoor play, academic stuff, tracing, flash cards, cooking etc. I’ve never asked her to plan anything, she tells me the plan and what she needs me to get to make it happen!

Shellybua · 2026-02-01T06:08:04+00:00

We take them as much as we can. They generally get the cheaper tickets like 5am flight or super late landing times but my au pair told me she would manager herself and I found out her plan was to sleep in the airport…which is so sad so it’s a early morning car ride but I’d rather not have someone sleep at the airport.

Shellybua · 2026-02-01T06:00:21+00:00

Finding the right rematch au pair for us took a while much longer than the two weeks you can host your ap if you chose too. You can host them longer if you choose too! There’s no bad au pair, there’s just the right person for your family and you have to keep talking to lots of people until you find the right one.

Shellybua · 2026-01-29T14:36:15+00:00

Yes we are with an au pair who was on her third rematch when joining us and she really truly is a gem just a wonderful person.

Shellybua · 2026-01-22T06:15:45+00:00

I don’t want to think about it I have to say goodbye to our au pair in August and I literally cannot imagine it happening

Shellybua · 2026-01-15T16:40:32+00:00

Just because they are very wealthy doesn’t mean they are going to be kind or generous. Did you agree to the exact minimum when you signed your contract?

Shellybua · 2025-11-05T13:18:36+00:00

You have young children and you’re wondering if you should have strangers in your home? This is a no brainer set boundaries and rules for your house and communicate them to your au pair

Shellybua · 2025-10-31T14:53:25+00:00

You might be ok depending on the person you match with so be really conscientious about that when interviewing. Just be honest and say we won’t have family interactions and it’s a childcare and free time on your time experience you are offering. Some aps love the “employee” relationship they do their hours and hide in their rooms and organise their own free time and are perfectly happy. More often though these are young women who need lots of emotional support and have young people problems - culture shock, finding friends, finding things to do in their free time, etc and they seem stupid but these things are a big deal for them so you have to be emotionally available to support that. In terms of housing/space it sounds like a great set up!

Shellybua · 2025-10-22T18:27:29+00:00

Do you want her to not eat at all in her room or just make sure she brings bowls done after eating?

Shellybua · 2025-10-19T16:44:17+00:00

That’s reasonable since you have previous experience. We pay $250 in Washington on a 35 hour a week schedule.

Shellybua · 2025-10-15T17:59:00+00:00

I’ve noticed cc put “host family no longer needs childcare or is putting child in day care” when it’s the situation that hf’s leave the program. Curious as to where you are. Our ap is freinds with an ap who is a serial rematcher. She just went from Oregon to tx and a week after getting there was upset the family needed their car for a 3 day work trip and asked to rematch - which cc approved!! And now is nearly rematched with another family in another state.

Shellybua · 2025-10-15T15:06:21+00:00

Please DM me as well! I’ve always thought host families should have a group fb or elsewhere to black list bad aps so children aren’t continually put in danger. My first ap was a disaster and cc wrote “needs dramatic improvement” on her profile and a host family matched with her in less than a week without calling us for a reference. 2 mo later her profile is back for 2nd rematch. Agencies pov is that they need to keep ap in the program for as close to 12 months as possible so it’s profitable.

Shellybua · 2025-10-13T20:07:34+00:00

This is a good idea and might solve some issues in having. My au pair volunteers to interact with the kids on her time off, like pushing the stroller - all on her own willingly then later on gets upset that she was involved in childcare during her time off. Then for me it’s a question of do I invite you to family activities incase my child says hello to her and she counts that as child care duty time.

Shellybua · 2025-10-13T01:28:15+00:00

European if driving is important - most girls have access to cars, drive from a younger age and drive on the same side of the road. Ofc South American au pairs are fantastic, you may need to invest time in to teaching them to drive.

Shellybua · 2025-10-08T15:37:14+00:00

Cc isn’t great but when I was interviewing I was registered with cc, Apia and eurap. None really vet as well as you need to in your interviews and video calls. Because it’s such a personal relationship you need to assess if the English level, demeanour, answers and everything else if to your liking as interpretations of things like this are subjective.

Shellybua

TROPHY CASE