Be careful about what kind of hours you will realistically need. There are a lot of limits on that—check the program. Because of the hour restrictions you can really use them for overnight care. And the vacation issue is tricky—you are supposed to take them with you, pay all their expenses, and get them a separate room (if they are in with the kids it counts as working hours so you hit the max before the day even starts). It works well for some families but it isn’t really easier than finding a nanny, unless you really need split hours (like an hour in the morning and three in the afternoon) or a schedule that you can change from week to week (good for doctors or nurses with irregular schedules).

They all want to be in California. Maybe NYC. But, it's difficult to get placed in those areas. Childcare is less expensive in SoCa, so au pairs aren't as popular. And, if you can pay for an extra bedroom in NYC then you can afford a nanny - which is preferable to most. "NYC" host families live in the burbs not the city. DC is one of the few areas where you can realistically live in an urban area. Also, something to consider, for any au pairs reading this, fewer working hours do not = more enjoyable experience. Host families say they only need someone to drive their kids to and from school. Then they become resentful because they are paying you significantly more per hour than other families. It seems like a sweet deal then turns sour very quickly. Trust me. I've seen this happen time and time again.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former AP here. Honestly DC is not on the top cities Au Pairs want to to live in. It's not the worst of course but it's less attractive than NYC or LA/SF.

You really want to offer an attractive "package" to find an AP that will come ... and STAY. Good luck

Babababahahahshshshsh

Crammed into a tiny apt in new York vs mansion in Arlington VA.

Anonymous wrote:Former AP here. Honestly DC is not on the top cities Au Pairs want to to live in. It's not the worst of course but it's less attractive than NYC or LA/SF.

You really want to offer an attractive "package" to find an AP that will come ... and STAY. Good luck

Babababahahahshshshsh

Former AP here. Honestly DC is not on the top cities Au Pairs want to to live in. It's not the worst of course but it's less attractive than NYC or LA/SF.

You really want to offer an attractive "package" to find an AP that will come ... and STAY. Good luck

You can ask your coordinator to assist you in matching. Au Pairs can be selective so use all the help you can get to reach out to the au pair on your behalf. They see it as the coordinator taking an interest in them that will translate into them having a better au pair year so will tend to be more responsive to the coordinator.

Anonymous wrote:There's a whole forum on the nanny board you could look at.

Thanks! Checking it out now.

There's a whole forum on the nanny board you could look at.

Other child is 2 and in an awesome daycare. We plan to keep him there for the first 4 months of au pair's stay to help with transition. So she'll have a lot of free time and the main task is to drive the kids to and from school/daycare.

I see many au pairs here. How old is your other child? Are you requiring an au pair who can drive and is comfortable doing so in this area? That can narrow the pool considerably.

Has anyone gone this route? What's your match experience like?

We're new to the process. So far, most of my connection requests to prospective au pairs have been turned down. We have 2 kids, one in kindergarten, and pretty typical all around. I've heard that most au pairs want to be matched with host families in NYC or Southern California. Is this region a hard sell for au pairs?