Do you know anyone who's used an au pair in the past or recently? I had friends who had au pairs when my children were younger... so it's been too many years for me to remember agency names etc, but fwiw they went through nationally-run agencies, and basically used word-of-mouth networking to find recommendations on agencies. For my friends, using an au pair was a really hit-or-miss kind of thing. One family I know had a *great* relationship with their au pair and she worked for them for years - she was from our area, had relatives and friends here, and I believe she looked at her position from the very first as a real job that she wanted to keep (she went on to work in early childcare after her au pair job ended because the family moved). Another friend had an au pair that used the job as a way to come see the US and really had no interest in children. The match was a disaster and within days my friend was beyond upset about the placement. It took a few months, but the agency ultimately replaced her with a different au pair which worked out ok, but my friend gave up on au pairs after her one year experience. Another two friends also tried it for a year and decided it wasn't a good fit for their families - I think in both cases it was due to feeling that the au pairs were young and the quality of care wasn't really up to par with what you would get at a good childcare or preschool or by hiring a professional (career) nanny. In other words, there was a bit of "you get what you pay for".
As my friends' children have gotten older and started school, I do have a few friends who've had good experiences hiring college students to take care of their kids in that after-school zone between the time school gets out and parents get off work - taking the kids home or to their lessons/activities, helping make sure the kids do their homework, cooking dinner for the family etc.
Good luck with your search!
polarbear
ps - since you get a corporate discount... is it possible you could find anyone else you work with that has used the service you're looking at?
pps - I want to apologize - when I opened this thread, I thought your post at the top of page 2 was the OP - so I read the replies after replying! I understand a bit better about your situation now, and apologize if I recommended things you can't afford - I didn't mean to imply choosing an au pair isn't a good idea. I was posting from the background of living in an area where the cost of au pairs is actually very close to the cost or hiring a nanny, and definitely more expensive than directly hiring a local college student.
Last edited by polarbear; 05/16/14 11:32 AM.
